Dame Esther Rantzen, who died on September 30 aged 86, left a "goodbye and thank you" note in which she urged assisted dying campaigners to "battle on". The former That's Life presenter addressed those who campaigned alongside her on the "crucial life and death issue", expressing her wish that the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill had come into force in time to offer her a "swift, pain-free death" before lung cancer made her life "unbearable".
A Plea for Choice at the End of Life
In her final note, Esther wrote: "It would have transformed the way I died if the law had allowed me to ask for assistance to die when my life had become unbearable. Not because I would have used that choice. But because the last days and weeks would have been infused with the hope and confidence of a swift, pain-free death and my family would not have had to witness any suffering or lack of dignity and privacy at the end."
She added: "I know from my own experience that witnessing those agonising moments can blot out all the memories of so many happy days spent with the people that you love. I was extremely lucky because I had the talent, skill and support of my local Oakhaven Hospice. But I was still deprived of any choice over my own death by the current messy criminal law."
Frustration Over the Law and Dignitas
The former host admitted she was "too physically frail to take the flight" to assisted dying clinic Dignitas in Switzerland, thanking the team there. She said: "A combination of my terminal illness and the cruel law frustrated them and me." She also expressed regret that she could not do more, stating: "Now I am dead, I am sorry that there is not much more I can do to speed it on its way for the sake of future generations."
A Final Message to Supporters and Opponents
Paying tribute to those who supported the campaign, Dame Esther concluded: "So goodbye and thank you to everyone who has taken an interest in this crucial life and death issue. To those who have opposed it and blocked the new Bill, rest assured I will not come back to haunt you, I have better things to do and anyway I believe you too have the right to choose, but not the right to impose your choice on the most vulnerable people such as dying frail little old ladies like me."
She added: "To those who will battle on and continue to support the reform and especially patients and their loved ones who urgently need it, I will do everything I can from here to help you. After all, nobody wants to shorten life, just to shorten death."
The Childline founder died at her home in the New Forest, three years after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. The star famously led a petition to force a parliamentary debate on assisted dying.
