LONDON – Jenny Carruthers, a terminally ill woman from Bath, has made an emotional plea for Britain to legalize assisted dying, recounting the unbearable pain her late partner endured during his battle with cancer. Now facing the same diagnosis, Carruthers expressed her deep fear of suffering a similar fate.
“I watched my partner die in uncontrollable agony… It’s very frightening,” the 56-year-old former healthcare assistant said, describing her partner’s final days as filled with “screaming in bed.”
Gathered outside Parliament during Friday’s vote on the Assisted Dying Bill, Carruthers joined hundreds advocating for the right to choose a peaceful death for terminally ill patients. The proposed legislation includes stringent safeguards, requiring approval from two doctors and a judge to ensure decisions are made voluntarily.
Carruthers emphasized that the law could alleviate fear in her final days and spare her children from witnessing prolonged suffering. As she awaited the outcome of the debate, she issued a heartfelt plea: “I beg them to really consider giving us some dignity.”
Her story highlights the deeply personal stakes of the assisted dying debate, which could become one of the most significant social reforms in Britain in decades.