Assisted dying 'glorified' by show

PA
Thursday, Dec 11, 2008

A television programme which shows a man ending his life in an assisted suicide has been accused of being the latest "reality TV" stunt.

Craig Ewert, 59, suffered from motor neurone disease (MND) and chose to die rather than endure the "torture" he feared his degenerative condition meant.

Footage of his death was broadcast during the programme Right To Die? on Sky Real Lives at 9pm on Wednesday.

Dr Peter Saunders, director of the campaign group Care Not Killing, said the show was a "cynical attempt to boost television ratings".

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"There is a growing appetite from the British public for increasingly bizarre reality shows. We'd see it as a new milestone. It glorifies assisted dying when there is a very active campaign by the pro-suicide lobby to get the issue back into Parliament."

Care Not Killing opposes assisted suicide and campaigns for better care for those living with terminal illness or disability.

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