Heartbroken Mum Dies in Swiss Clinic as Planned After Paying £10k
Wendy Duffy, 56, paid Pegasos £10,000 after her son died four years ago, and she told relatives she plans to end her life.
- On Friday, 56-year-old Wendy Duffy arrived at the Pegasos clinic in Basel, Switzerland, to undergo assisted dying after paying £10,000 for the procedure, which included a £5,000 application fee.
- Her son Marcus died four years ago in a choking incident in her living room. Struggling with grief despite years of therapy and antidepressant medication, Wendy explained she finds it difficult to continue living without him.
- While Switzerland permits assisted dying under its Penal Code, the practice remains illegal in the UK. Parliament continues debating potential legislative changes, with amendments needed before May 2026 for any bill to become law.
- Labour MP Rachel Maskell argued that "complex grief needs to be far better understood and supported," while Alistair Thompson of Care Not Killing warned of dangers in legalising assisted suicide.
- The House of Lords appears set to reject the assisted dying bill this week, as experts emphasize the necessity of improved palliative care and mental health support for those experiencing grief and distress.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Wendy Duffy lost her only son to drowning while eating four years ago - "I could have fallen off a bridge or a high-rise building but that would leave whoever found me dealing with it for the rest of their lives," she said before travelling
Duffy has been accepted in Pegasos, a Swiss clinic known for allowing assisted suicide, after passing several psychiatric evaluations.
"I no longer feel any joy to live," says the woman, who lost her only child years ago. Her story has once again placed the proposed law on assisted death at the centre of attention. Read
The 56-year-old English woman is in excellent shape, but her only child, Marcus, died in 2021. She will pay £10,000 to the Swiss clinic Pegasus. In the United Kingdom the law was passed at first reading by the House of Commons has been bogged down for months in that of the Lords, who will debate it again just tomorrow.
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