UK: ‘Together forever’ couple, Sir Edward and Joan Downes, raise new suicide fears

. LONDON, England / The Times / News / July 15, 2009 Sir Edward Downes, 85, travelled to the Dignitas clinic with his wife Joan, 74, after she was told that she had terminal cancer By David Brown and Helen Nugent The death of a leading British conductor and his wife at a Swiss suicide clinic has raised fears that couples will be encouraged to die together even when one of them is not terminally ill. Sir Edward Downes travelled to the Dignitas clinic with his wife Joan, 74, last week, after she was told that she had terminal cancer. They were accompanied by their son and daughter, Caractacus and Boudicca. Sir Edward, 85, was frail but not dying. Police are investigating and will pass a file of evidence to prosecutors. Campaigners and church leaders renewed their opposition to legalising assisted dying amid fears that elderly couples were being inspired to make “together for ever” suicide pacts. Alastair Thompson, of the Care Not Killing alliance, said that the deaths risked “lowering the moral bar”. He said: “It says if you are old and frail and feeling a bit rough then it is OK to be euthanased. It makes death a lifestyle choice and places an intolerable burden on husbands and wives who could feel pressured into euthanasing themselves alongside their partners even though they are not unwell.” Related Links 'They fell asleep holding hands' Dignity and death Convenience deaths for couples cheapen life Multimedia Care not Killing Dignity in Dying Pro-LIfe Alliance Dominica Roberts, chairwoman of the Pro-Life Alliance, said: “Britain is a world leader in palliative care doctors. I am sure they could have lived out the rest of their lives happily.” Aiding and abetting suicide is an offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The Crown Prosecution Service has failed to prosecute a single case involving Dignitas. At least five of the 117 Britons who have died at Dignitas had conditions that doctors do not normally consider terminal. They include Daniel James, 23, who was left paralysed in a rugby accident but could have lived for many years. The Director of Public Prosecutions said there was no public interest in prosecuting his parents, who helped him to travel to the clinic. Debbie Purdy, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and has fought to have the law on assisted suicide clarified, defended Sir Edward’s decision to die alongside his wife. “Who are the rest of us to tell Sir Edward Downes what he should or should not have borne? As a conductor, knowing he was losing his sight and his hearing must have been unbearable.” Almost 800 people are now members of Dignitas. The clinic charges € 4,000 for assisted suicide. [rc] Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.