Wendy Duffy, a 56-year-old former care worker from the West Midlands, plans to travel to Pegasos, a suicide clinic in Switzerland, to end her life, according to multiple reports. Duffy is physically healthy and not suffering from a terminal illness, reports say. She lost her only child, Marcus, aged 23, four years ago. Duffy has attempted suicide before and nearly ended up in a persistent vegetative state, according to reports. She has paid £10,000 to Pegasos and has chosen the song 'Die With A Smile' by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars to be played at her death, reports say.
Martin Larsson, a 28-year-old from Jokkmokk, has applied for assisted suicide in Switzerland, according to Expressen. Larsson was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis around 2019, when he was 23 years old, research from two sources indicates. His MS rapidly progressed to the secondary progressive phase, which his doctor in Umeå described as very rare at his age. Larsson said his doctor has never encountered or heard of a similar case.
I find comfort in knowing that the option exists, but I hope for improvement and new medications.
Larsson wrote on Facebook: 'The thoughts I have about assisted suicide are because I can no longer bear to carry my body and the disease that destroys it much longer. I have lost the most important thing in life, my health. I am tired of pretending, hoping, and living in a body that no longer feels like mine.' According to Larsson, he has been helped significantly by a therapist he has seen for several years. He is also grateful to his ex-girlfriend for support.
Larsson has a last hope in a new disease-modifying drug that has only been tested in Saudi Arabia so far, according to Expressen. Larsson told Expressen that he finds comfort in knowing the option of assisted suicide exists, though he hopes for improvement and new medications.
The thoughts I have about assisted suicide are because I can no longer bear to carry my body and the disease that destroys it much longer. I have lost the most important thing in life, my health. I am tired of pretending, hoping, and living in a body that no longer feels like mine.
Pegasos is a controversial suicide clinic with less stringent acceptance criteria than Dignitas, according to the Daily Mail. There is no explicit 'right to die' written into Swiss law, but assisting suicide is legal under certain conditions.
It is unclear whether Duffy has actually traveled to Switzerland or set a date for her assisted suicide. The current status of Larsson's application for assisted suicide in Switzerland is also unknown. The specific new disease-modifying drug Larsson is hoping for has not been disclosed, and its prospects remain uncertain. Legal or ethical challenges to Duffy's case, given she is not terminally ill, have not been reported. How the acceptance criteria at Pegasos compare to Dignitas in practice is also not fully known.