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A BRITISH MAN with non-terminal cancer who travelled abroad to take his own life has sparked debate in the UK regarding assisted suicide.
Jeffrey Spector (54) enjoyed a final meal with his wife and three daughters last Thursday before travelling to the Dignitas centre in Zurich, Switzerland to take his own life.
Spector, a Lancashire businessman, had an inoperable cancerous tumour on his spine, one that he believed would have rendered him completely paralysed over the course of time.
While the cancer was inoperable, he was not terminally ill at the time of his death. Spector was first diagnosed with cancer in 2009.
His family released a statement in the wake of Spector’s death expressing their total support for his actions.
“Jeffrey contacted Dignitas shortly after his diagnosis, as he was absolutely clear in his mind that when the time came he wanted to end his own life with dignity,” the statement reads.
He was particularly clear that he did not want to live a life in which he was paralysed and reliant on his family to care for him.
Earlier this year, Jeffrey’s condition deteriorated to such an extent that he believed he would soon be permanently and completely paralysed.
Accordingly, he made an appointment to go to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland to end his own life. Whilst this was, of course, a difficult and painful time, as a family we supported and respected Jeffrey’s decision 100%.
On Wednesday 20 May 2015, Jeffrey travelled to Zurich for that very purpose and on Friday 22 May 2015, Jeffrey ended his own life in exactly the manner and at exactly the time he wanted.
Jeffrey ended his life with dignity and control which was his overwhelming desire.
Spector last week told the Blackpool Gazette that he did not believe he would recover from his cancer.
“Conventional wisdom says I won’t improve,” he said.
If I am paralysed and can’t speak, send me to the spirit world.
The case is likely to stimulate an intense debate in the UK over the issue of assisted suicide.
As is the case in Ireland, assisted suicide is currently illegal in Britain, and punishable by up to life in prison.
However, a bill regarding assisted dying, raised by Labour Lord Charles Falconer in 2014, has been discussed by the House of Lords.
The bill was delayed by opponents however and so did not make it as far as the House of Commons prior to parliament being dissolved before the recent UK general election.
In Ireland the issue of assisted suicide is hugely controversial, with campaigners like Tom Curran (whose partner Marie Fleming was refused court approval to have Curran assist in taking her own life) very much to the fore.
Last month, Gail O’Rorke was acquitted of any wrongdoing in the case of the suicide of her friend Bernadette Forde. O’Rorke was charged with making arrangements for Forde to travel to the same Dignitas centre in Zurich as Jeffrey Spector, though the trip was eventually cancelled after gardaí were notified by a travel agent.
O’Rorke was the first person to be charged with assisting suicide in the history of the state.
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It would have paralysed him from the neck down, then the cancer would have ravaged his body and slowly killed him. There are worse things than dying.
RIP.
I wonder was it necessary for him to travel? Was his illness too advanced that he couldn’t take his own life at home in a controlled manner?
Then again, it was his choice. RIP
Lots of legal trouble for his family that way Mary, not to mention having to call police etc and the trauma of explaining what happened. You’re right though in that he shouldn’t have had to travel. RIP
Difficult topic. My heart says that if a person is of sound mind then that person can chose.
I agree, it should be a person of sound mind’s own decision. While again, the discussion of assisted suicide is not controversial, it is split only amongst the same lines as equal marriage, abortion for medical reasons, separation of church and state in education, health and policy. That is those who value humans with respect, dignity, individual rights and and understanding of science and nature vs the religious right who oppose every change that will take away their control over such matters.
@alien. I am pro choice when it comes to abortion and ssm, but have ethical – not religious concerns regarding assisted suicide. I’m worried that old people and ill people may opt for it if they feel they are being a burden on society or they may be coerced into doing so by unscrupulous family members. There is evidence in the Netherlands that old people fear this and it is possible to get a do not euthanize card.
So I think your analysis of the situation is somewhat simplistic.
Anne Marie, I understand those concerns, but this has not been the case in the Netherlands. They have always treated psychiatric conditions the same as physical in that they have to be fully voluntary and the only alternative. There were ~10 cases of euthanasia (of several hundred referred to at patients requests) that were of this category, but in all there was a history of suicide attempts and no family was involved. As I mentioned below, coercive suicide due to financial or burden reasons can happen regardless of euthanasia availability (and accordingly should be treated as a crime), and may reduce as any person contemplating suicide would be able to talk to experts and offer another channel to help. As long as checks and balances are in place, and it is only legislated for terminal illness, or extensive loss of quality of life, reasons, then it can only be seem as humane, and those frightening cases would not apply.
I think if I were in his position, I would have made the same decision. The irony is that if it were legal, I would probably wait and try and get as much enjoyment out of my final days, until I get to the point that I can no longer look after myself. Because the only way to avoid putting your family though a legal battle, while they are still mourning your death, is to travel while you have the ability to travel alone, you are forced to make that decision earlier than you otherwise might.
bang on john
Great comment, the law as it stands actually robs people of their final days with family.
Excellent point
It wasn’t terminal but life as he knew it was over. Brave man.
Brave man .
Next referendum :p
I think that’s totally his right. I suffer with chronic, intractable depression and I sometimes wonder if I could avail of dignitas. I know that is completely a different illness, but still…
My psychiatrist is kinda new-agey.. I like her! But she is all for patient-empowerment & says the right to kill my self is always mine. So is this guys. People may not agree with it, but such is autonomy. The right to think and act for ourselves. For better or worse.
Please don’t kill yourself
Not sure telling someone who suffers with depression ‘it’s ok to kill yourself’ is good advise.
Ruth, her psychiatrist said it was her right to make that decision and so it should be.
We have spent so long trying to raise awareness around suicide for people suffering from mental health issues and now you want us to say, it’s your right go ahead? This is ridiculous.
That was for Liam
I think this guy and yourself Mary should start taking 40mg of Citalopram every single day forever and never ever miss a dose. Depression is just all in the mind don’t be afraid to take medication to change the way you feel. What have you got to lose?
The thing is with depression is that you can get better with treatment. It may be life long, but there will be good periods. Treatment has to adjusted and readjusted until they find something that works. You can live a normal enough life (whatever normal is).
Thank u Sean…. I didn’t impulsively make that statement nor happen upon suicidal thoughts. I’m 30 and have been depressed since I was 8. You’re right…. It is all in the mind, however I have taken every possible antidepressant known or made. I have been in every service known, public and private. And still here I am, choking on pain.
The message about suicide needs to be shouted loud and clear. It is not okay. And certainly there are so many options & supports out there. But after two decades of dealing with this, losing all my school life, adolescence, and 20′s to it – I find it a little disrespectful to be told to pop 20mg of citalopram.
As far as I’m concerned today, my prognosis is terminal. Shouldn’t it be my right to choose how much longer I suffer.
Liam, sure I agree, however the decision should only be taken where someone is of sound mind & can properly rationalise it.
It should be your right Mary. But do me and many others a favour and fight and stay strong!
Definitely Ruth. No reasonable person would argue with that.
Ultimately it should be the choice of every person themselves to decide what to do, however it should never be like a ‘snap’ decision, if one decides to go down the road of assisted suicide, the person doing that has to be of sound mind and absolutely clear about what they’re doing.
She did not say that Ruth. Read again.
@Mary there is a difference in that suicidality is a symptom of depression. If it was the express choice of everyone who suffered with depression whether they lived or died, an awful lot of people who have recovered and gone on to have wonderful lives would have ended it prematurely. As a mental health professional I have talked to countless people who told me they would never get better and be better off dead. That wasn’t them talking, it was the depression. And countless people have thanked me and my colleagues for getting them out the other side.
Bottom line: I don’t think someone with depression is competent to make the decision.
@eric…. And I disagree.
I am not catatonic with depression. I of sound mind. I am not certifiable. I know who I am and where I am. And I know that for about 85% of the last 22-24 years, most of me has been hurting. And I think if there is no solution for me, I have a right to end that pain if I see fit.
Right now there is no solution. Suicide occurs when pain exceeds capacity to cope.
Can I ask Mary if you have a borderline diagnosis as well as depression?
Just to add here – I am not threatening to kill myself tonight – but I am of the belief that my dx is not treatable.
Unsure how a BPD dx or not would change things in ur eyes eric??
Glad to hear that Mary, I enjoy your views here! We don’t often agree but you always make me think.
Liam talking through his back side again
You are very brave Mary, depression is a horrible thing and I understand your thinking. The biggest problem is people don’t understand mental illness in the same way they do an inoperable tumour therefore view it as selfish to consider assisted suicide. While I think depression can be treated with the right methods I also believe that your body and mind are your own and only you know what’s right for you. You will find peace without having to consider assisted suicide. Just keep fighting girl, you are not alone.
Mary, have you heard about the success of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) in dealing with intractable depression? You may find Will Lippincott’s recent New York Times’ article “No Longer Wanting to Die” very interesting. Go to:
http://www.opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com
and type “No Longer Wanting to Die” in the Search box. (Apologies I didn’t know how to do a direct link).
DBT was originally developed in the 1980s by the psychologist Dr. Marsha M. Linehan. In the past decade or so it has been adapted to help people with treatment-resistant depression.
For a psychiatrist to tell you that the right to kill yourself is always yours, is truly shocking and not helpful to put it mildly. Has your psychiatrist even heard of this form of therapy?
Mary Carey – I posted a response to you and thought it was going to appear as a Reply under your comment, but it didn’t. But I do see it in the Comments. Thx. CH.
Hi Catherine – When I say I have tried every treatment method, I mean every method. 2.5 years of Dbt. Schema therapy. Cbt. Counselling. ALL the antidepressants, antipsychotics (old and new) lithium, mood stabilisers, benzos, anti seizure – everything. The only thing I haven’t tried is ECT and my team don’t believe I’m a candidate – nor do I.
I know all about marsha, and her skills, and still, though I have survived the pain – I have not recovered from it.
@isla. Would you give the same advice to a family member? If your mother/father/son/daughter/brother/sister told you they felt they could not go on because of depression, would you seriously tell them that you support them in their decision to commit suicide whether assisted or not? I’m sure family members who have lost close ones to suicide would have a different opinion.
Mary, if you’re still reading these comments, please get a new psychiatrist. I have never heard of a mental health practitioner equating suicide with empowerment. Plus the fact you said she was new agey immediately set bells ringing. It seems as if she should be reported to the HSE.
Would u stop!!! She’s not telling me to commit suicide or proposing that it is a good idea. But in a philosophical conversation with her one day, we spoke of how my depression is not a psychotic depression or a sudden onset of clinical depression where I previously lived a full and normal life. So she was speaking about responsibility, and how i could be responsible for taking my life, but only after doing everything to try to be well.
Chronic mental health patients need to be helped developing a sense of empowerment, becoz for a long long time the power has been taken away. Usually to prevent harm from coming to us. But this has proven a double edge sword becoz chronic patients like me never developed (psychological) legs to stand on.
She wants me to survive as much as anyone. But she wants me to realise I am the one who is in control. And I respect her for having the guts to take that risk….
I don’t know if a mental health professional like Eric above agrees – I think he might tho….
Bloody hell that is not what I was talking about and that is quite obvious. I myself have suffered from severe anxiety for the last few years and it’s very difficult to get out of. My point was that people are very quick to judge because they don’t understand mental illness. It is desperately unpleasant and unless you have felt it you won’t understand. I disagree with someone taking their lives because they’re going through a bad patch but some people suffer a hell of a lot more than just a bad patch they can’t just shake off. It is up to the individual person to find a coping mechanism and that can be said for anyone who suffers from any chronic illness including depression. Sometimes people don’t find that and it’s awful for them and their families. It’s their body and their right do what’s right for them.
Your psychiatrist is in the wrong job if he or she tells you the right to kill yourself is yours!!!!
It’s clearly a sense of empowerment she was giving Mary at that time. Mary did not choose depression. She was merely being shown that she has power, that in many ways she us still in charge.
Mary, when was the last time you went 2 weeks with no medication?
I am on no medication with the past 11
Months. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Not even vitamins!
Mary have you ever stuck with the same medication for a few years without missing a dose? It can take many many months for side effects of antidepressants to wear off and for them to really start working.
I suffered from server insomnia and had regular nightmares. I was prescribed Escitalopram (an antidepressant). It works amazingly well and I felt great. The small side effects disappeared after a year or so. I can’t recommend them more highly.
just read your comments Mary,
There are no easy answers with an illness like depression. I have a close family member who has survived it and come through it.
It can take years to find the right treatment but very often there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Stay strong & take care of yourself.
Thank you for all those lovely, encouraging comments….
Jack!!! I have been on MANY medications for well well over the the prescribed treatment time. 6mths, a year, 3 years. You are a big fan of both cipramil and lexapro – I have done every SSRI, SNRI, MAOI, TCA. All of them! Seriously – I have done the meds thing to death! No pun intended!
I’m glad you have tried them.
Good luck with everything in future.
Jane if you knew the turmoil and pain of depression and paranoia, you too would like to know you could end your life with dignity, and depression is horrible gives you such a low sense of self and self hatred. So i for one do not think its a bad idea.
@ jack, you make it sound sooo easy. Hope you never go through it.
How very sad that the abysmal end of life care on offer leaves such poor souls with the only choice of leaving their home country to die in a foreign land.
Glad that he had a way to follow up on his choice.
My father had Alzheimer’s and took his life before it fully took his. The act was his gift to the family he said in a note, and it was. It would have been unbearable to see him suffer during that transition of horror. I just wish I could have been with him when he decided to leave this world. Instead he was on his own. He is, and will forever be my hero for this choice.
Wow that’s gotta be pretty traumatic for the kids to deal with.
What’s your obsession with other peoples kids?
Joe , I say it was very hard for his kids to understand and accept their dad’s decision . heartbreaking thing for them to go through .
Cop on, 2 out of 3 of his daughters are adults and the other is 15.
They are obviously understandably upset but it’s not like he didn’t explain it to them. The man wanted to go on his own terms. It’s a tough decision but ultimately it should be his to make. I know it wasn’t terminal but it also wasn’t going to get better
Did you skip past the part where it said his kids were all behind him?
Perhaps they agreed that watching their dad be absolutely miserable for the rest of his life was pretty heartbreaking too. If he wanted to end it that should be his right.
Still heartbreaking for them though .
If Enda & Joan want to have another referendum then how about on this topic? If a dog is dying of cancer it’s suffering will be alleviated humanely but a person, a loved one isn’t afforded the same dignity & courtesy. However controversial the man’s decision it was his to make & he did it for the right reasons. If I ever end up terminally ill I would have no intention of dying a slow lingering death.
@Matt. I am not totally against assisted suicide, but I have concerns; however equating people with sick dogs is not helpful. In general we don’t try to cure dogs. They don’t often undergo chemo or radiation. We don’t raise money to send dogs abroad for proton treatment. If a dog is homeless and no one takes the dog, it’ll be put down. If we can’t find a home for an orphaned child, we don’t put her down. The reason? we don’t value dogs’ lives as much as humans’. Dogs also have no say on whether they want to be put down or not.
But how we get the choice to choose that defies, the worth of life.
I think instead of governments and society looking consistently at progressiveism, what about keeping these people alive for as long as possible. Giving families real support backed up by serious money, cash is king!
Life from inception has value and worth.
I completely disagree that we have any rights as to who lives or dies.
It doesn’t get anymore terminal than this.
We are all dieing since day we were born.
Animals lives are just as inportant as humans. i would make sure my pets got any treatment that would cure them.
. Animals lives are valued more because they are not allowed to suffer. I would do my best to get treatment that would cure my pets if they were very sick no mather what it costs.
I think the point is more that if you kept an animal alive with terminal/painful disease, you would be prosecuted for animal cruelty. Try to put a terminally-ill human to sleep and you risk legal prosecution.
I mean their lives are not worth less than humans
He had an inoperable spinal tumour, that is terminal
Inoperable does not necessarily equate to terminal though
That’s not right. With treatment it may have shrunk or at least it may not increase in size. Inoperable does not mean terminal.
My uncle had an inoperable brain tumour, slowly killed him over 25 years. Taking his movement, his sight, his voice his personality and memories.
Then there are secondary tumours, and how fast the tumour grows. His prognosis was poor. He could only get worse, there was no getting better.
Alex, his diagnosis was 6 years ago. I’m pretty sure he knew which way it was going to go.
Not counting religious nuts, is there anyone out there who disagrees with euthanasia?
My opposition to it is based on ethics not religion. Quite simply, I think it would be abused – older people, for example, who feel they are becoming a burden on their family, might feel pressured into electing euthanasia, or they may be coerced by their “caring” families into doing so.
Life is precious, we only get one, and we should cherish it. Obviously in circumstances such as motor neurone disease, and locked in syndrome it should be considered on a case by case basis but definitely never freely available.
I remember reading a biography on the Duke – John Wayne and this part really stuck out and made me think. He was dying of cancer and was in such indescribable pain that he begged his own his sons to hand him his .38 so he could end his agony. I think its impossible to argue against it in cases like that.
I agree with both euthanasia and assisted suicide. As long as its the persons own choice.
John, I do not think that the case you describe is valid, as that option is already available to everyone, and it is not pandemic amongst the elderly. Dignatas and other supporters of death with dignity do no support suicide for financial or whimsical reasons, only for conditions that have an irreversible loss of dignity.
Everyone should stay alive for as long as possible, as it is the only life you will ever have. If that one life is going to end soon, then you should have the choice to do that in your own home, surrounded by people you love, and while you are in control. Nothing shows more of a respect for life that understanding and respecting it.
I think you’ll find John that nobody (rational people) is advocating euthanasia on demand. I feel that it should be an option.
John this is the same argument the religious use and I never bought it. I can be coerced into going for a pint when I don’t want to but I’m not sure many people would kill themselves out of politeness to other people.
“on demand ” :-D. What if it’s a man ‘demanding ‘ it? As a man he’d be strong minded enough to make the right decision, wouldn’t he?
In the case of a debilitating and high dependency illness, which undermines quality of life to an unacceptable degree, there has to be an option to self euthanize before you are no longer able to exercise that choice. Sadly, that means erring on the side of too early than too late.
The possible onset of Alzheimers disease or severely cognitive impairment disease is especially poignant. My preference would be an early exit whilst still autonomous and capable of doing what is necessary, reliably and decisively.
I watched a close relative die of Alzheimers and I saw the care level. I’m not going into such care. It’s a nightmare to observe that situation.
Death with dignity and by one’s own hand can be appealing considering the alternative. Quality of my life and not being a burden on others fit together nicely in my case.
It’s a personal decision and no one should influence the decision.
Everybody has a choice, it was his choice ; he should have the same choice in the UK
Suicide isn’t a nice topic to talk about in any sense, but I believe there is a difference between ending ones life in a dignified manner due to serious illness compared to ending ones life because of money/family/work/depression. I’m aware that those who feel there isn’t anyone to turn to cannot see a cure nor seek advice as their mind is made up. Medically in my mind is different as trained personal are telling you there is no cure and their advice is take these drugs and we might be able to extend your life by x time, but you will die all the same. Brave and honourable friends who help make their last journey comfortable
I would like that choice if necessary do you read this site legislators?
He decided to let go of life. That is his choice as it should be all our choice.
He seemed very strong minded. That took some strength , not only for him but for his family too . I don’t think I would be strong enough to deal with that situation .
It is a scandal that man had to go abroad on his own not having his family around him at him final moments because they would be prosecuted hete.
A brave man…May you R.I.P
He did the right thing, for himself and his family. People are individual. There are those who can live some sort of life with severe disability, while others would contemplate that life with absolute horror. (I would tend more to the latter category). I can see why those fundamentally opposed to assisted suicide or “euthanasia ” would sieze on this case in an attempt to overturn the small concessions won by desperately ill people – but in my view they are wrong. He went out peacefully at a time of his choosing, having expressed his love for those he left behind. What’s not to like about that.
All for people making their own decision about their own destiny. But I would fear that if it is legalised, people terminally ill may feel a duty to end their lives even though they may not want to, as they may feel they are a burden on their family. Sad story.
@mary carey
I dunno if I could go through with that, if you believe in an afterlife or a god or something then I spose it’s just a way of hurrying things up/forgoing pain.
A paralyzed man can still read dickens though, so I guess it depends on your outlook.
Sure he can turn the pages with his nose. Though he would need some thing to hold the book close to his face.
There is more to life than just reading, its about living and experiencing not just existing.
I could go through explaining how technology could enable someone partially paralyzed to do a whole host of things and carry on with a fulfilling existence, or explain how one can experience things through reading (as an arbitrary example), but I fear it might be a waste of time for both of us.
I said it was based on the persons outlook, or their expectations from life.
You don’t need to my cousin has been paralysed since the 80s when he was injured in the army at the age of 21 his now in his 40s. He is wheelchair bound, his mother lifts him on to the toilet. She holds a urinal for him to pee into. She spoon feeds him. The list is endless. Due to the nature of his injury his speech is slurred and can only be understood by those close to him. His had cancer too, finished chemo a couple of months ago. His wife of 6 months left him after a year. Couldn’t cope with his tantrums. He has no female companions. His mother is in her late 70s.
His mind is fully there and he still remembers what life was like before. He gets very depressed if they are out, he throws tantrums because he can’t do anything.
In the day care centre they found out that the carer stuck his wheel chair in a mode where he went round in circles for hours on end. He was hit.
The list goes on. He never said anything because the carer in the centre was his uncles wife.
They had to install a lift in the house too.
Lily , may I ask if your cousin had an option to take his life the same way this man did , would he do it ? It sounds like the poor man is just existing through life .
He didn’t. He wanted to die. He would throw tantrums.
When he got the cancer he told my mother that he wished his mother would let him go. “I wish she would let me die”
He would have denied treatment but his mother wouldn’t and no one outside close family and friends can understand what he says. So the doctors were none the wiser.
His mother gets to decide whats best for him and in her mind no parent should outlive their child.
It’s hearbreaking.
Because he was in the army when he was injured they provided funding for alterations to the house and day care in the day care centre. A normal person wouldn’t have got the funding they did.
He smoked for years, his momma would pop the cigarette into his mouth but after 15 years she made him quit. He wasn’t happy about that. It was his one pleasure.
Now its half a pint of larger. His not allowed any more, because mamma says so.
Lily , that’s so sad to hear I couldn’t imagine going through life like that . it must be very hard for him .
Braver to do what he did or face into what was to come? Donal Walsh springs to mind. The way he lived and died.
It’s called making a choice Padraig both were brave in how they lived and died. Do you not understand that?
Just asking the question. Do you understand that?
Brave man. Brave man
I think people who have a sickness that will get worse until they have no kind of liife,should have the right to end it. I personally would rather die than have too depend on people 24/ 7.
Will ones life insurance policy pay out in that case?? Could be that his family might be better off if he slips off naturally. Any ideas? ???
No insurance policy pays out for death due to suicide.Unfortunately that’s why some people looking for a payout for their family will do something like drive a car into oncoming traffic.
Well that is what he wanted to do who are we to knock him for his decision
A good chef knows what to put in the sauce!!
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