Gareth Ward’s voice breaks as he remembers his dad Norman, who took his own life after a 15-year battle with terminal cancer. He ended his pain, but it plunged the family into trauma they are still coping with years later. Gareth is now a passionate campaigner for assisted dying.
Assisted dying is illegal in the UK but the law often turns a blind eye to people going to Dignitas in Switzerland. Accompanying loved ones risk prosecution, with a maximum sentence of 14 years, but the majority of cases do not lead to charges.
Recent polling shows that two-thirds of British people back a change in the law. Labour leader Keir Starmer has expressed his support. Assisted dying bills in the Isle of Man, Jersey and Scotland are set to move forward this election year. But fears remain that without rigorous safeguards
