Esther Rantzen has stage four lung cancer. (Image: ITV.) Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show me See Our Privacy Notice See Our Privacy Notice × Group 28 Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice Dame Esther Rantzen has hailed "historic" assisted dying legislation set to be introduced at Holyrood today. The TV presenter was diagnosed with stage four lung
cancer and has revealed she is considering travelling to Switzerland for an assisted death. Speaking ahead of today's Bill being published, the veteran broadcaster said those who are terminally ill should have the "right to choose" when they die. Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur said he is "absolutely convinced" the "long-overdue reform" will become law. His Scottish Parliament bill, if passed, will allow people living in
Scotland with a terminal illness to be given help to end their life. Read More Related Articles Morecambe and Wise legend's wife dies 40 years after husband - on 97th birthday Read More Related Articles Armed cops arrest three men at Scots home over 'shootings' in Greater Manchester Dame Esther said: "I want to congratulate the Scottish Parliament for prioritising this debate so that they can carefully consider this crucial issue and scrutinise this historic assisted dying Bill. "The current law is cruel, complicated and causes terrible suffering to vulnerable people. I have received dozens of letters from people describing the agonising deaths of those they loved. "This is literally a life and death issue, and I believe terminally ill patients like me need and deserve the right to choose this option if our lives become intolerable." Dame Esther Rantzen in October 2021. (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire.) Former nurse Patricia Donoghue is amongst those who have spoken in favour of Mr McArthur's Assisted Dying For Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. The 69-year-old, from Glasgow, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after watching her husband Kevan die from cancer eight years ago. He was told he had a rare form of bile duct cancer 18 months before that, with the disease leaving him unable to eat or drink in his final three weeks of life. Read More Related Articles Cops apologise after nurse arrested and released outside hospital in 'alarming' incident Read More Related Articles Man charged after dog dies at Scots park following 'attack' involving 'oversized Bullies' Mrs Donoghue said her husband, who had worked in social care prior to retiring, had been in constant pain. She told the PA news agency: "He accepted death, but why did he have to suffer like that for three weeks? "I know if assisted dying were an option, he would have wanted it. He would have said 'I've tried. I've had enough, I've done enough. I want to go'. We think of
Britain as being advanced, but we are not. "Leaving people to suffer in the final stages of their life is far from advanced – it's cruel. I can't change what happened to Kevan, but I want it to change for others in the future. Join the Daily Record
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BREAKING news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile , select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "People are suffering and having a horrible time of it, all being made worse by this cruel law. You can't sit on the fence with this issue, it needs to change." Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said the legislation is an "important milestone towards terminally ill people in Scotland having the choice at the end of their lives that is so urgently needed". She added: “It is a historic day for Scotland and for those who have campaigned tirelessly for a safer, more compassionate law, many having felt the devastating effects of the status quo first-hand. Read More Related Articles Young mum-of-four dies weeks after 'pregnant belly' turned out to be cancer Read More Related Articles Scottish Assisted Dying Bill backed by former nurse after husband’s cancer death "It also parks the issue of assisted dying firmly on Westminster's doorstep." Mr McArthur's Bill marks the third time MSPs will have considered the issue, with previous attempts to change the law by independent MSP Margo MacDonald. She later died as a result of Parkinson’s disease, and Green MSP Patrick Harvie also failed to secure enough votes to proceed. But the Liberal Democrat MSP has said he believes the "political mood has changed" since the issue was last before Holyrood in 2015. His Bill would require two doctors – including one with no prior relationship with the patient – to confirm the person is terminally ill and also has the capacity to request an assisted death. Top news stories today Grieving kids left to sleep on sofa Victim of rapist Kim Avis speaks out Two teens die in tragic e-bike crash Man charged over 'bully attack' In addition, there would be a waiting period of two weeks before a patient could be given the medication needed for an assisted death, which they would have to be able to take themselves. Doctors and others opposed to the procedure would be able to exempt themselves from being involved, and there would also be a requirement for anyone requesting an assisted death to have lived in Scotland for at least a year beforehand. The Bill is being introduced at Holyrood a week after proposals for an assisted dying law were published in Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands and a self-governing dependency of the
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