Now this I didn\’t know:
Almost 800 people are now members of Dignitas. The clinic charges € 4,000 for assisted suicide.
They\’re charging four grand for five quid\’s worth of morphine?
Nice mark up there, ain\’t it?
You could OD on 50 quid\’s worth of heroin from half the pubs in the country instead……
The centre doesn’t make profits, and there are quite a few costs (a psych consult for a start). They are also constantly battling for premises because landlords don’t like the attention.
The thing I don’t quite get, and I don’t want to sound mawkish but…
This country has loads of cliffs, bridges and tall buildings one can fling oneself off. Supermarkets are full of poisonous detergents, rat killers. Boots sells all kinds of tablets one can OD on. It does seem a long way to go when the solution is right here.
I accept it might be difficult for those who are, say, quadraplegic etc. But if you are able-bodied, it does seem a waste of money, plus a long way to go.
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If you are able bodied, you are probably less likely to need the services of Dignitas anyway. Moreover, the aim is not just to kill oneself, but to do it painlessly.
And that way you don’t traumatise the tube train driver or whomever.
Plus you have the pleasure of depriving HMG of some Inheritance Tax.
Supply’n’demand, supply’n’demand.
“Plus you have the pleasure of depriving HMG of some Inheritance Tax.”
How is that? I agree that this is a desirable thing. But I can’t see how a Dignitas death has an effect upon IHT. That said, I hope you are right.
“You could OD on 50 quid’s worth of heroin from half the pubs in the country instead” …. a fivers worth would kill most adults if taken in a single hit, especially the frail.
I seriously doubt that it can be got in half the pubs in the country – most people would not know where to get it from.
@ChrisM: because your estate is several thousand quid lighter than if you had just taken a running jump.
I’m sure you can even get Tesco Value asprin to do the job.
At 40p a pack it’s a lot cheaper…
Effing and Blinding: inflicting your suicide on someone who has not signed up for it is a horribly selfish thing to do. Even if you do it in a non-violent way like an overdose, some poor sod is going to find your body. It might be a loved one; it might be a week after you’re dead during a hot summer. Whatever the rights and wrongs of assisted suicide, it’s better to spare other people the trauma.
I suspect what they are paying for, is the certainty that it will work, and they are never going to wake up. You have no idea what you are buying if you get it off the street.
Gillies, our emergency services have to deal with stiffs on a daily basis. Some were murdered, some offed themselves, and some just died of natural causes and only got found several weeks or months later.
Some die on cruise liners, and they have to be stashed away in a freezer until they are returned to Southampton.
Some folk die in restaurants. Let me assure you that nothing blights a convivial luncheon quite so much as the dreadful dawning realisation that there is a stiff at the next table.
Whenever, and wherever you peg out, someone has to deal with your remains. And they probably aren’t going to be awestruck by how gorgeous you were. Especially if a train was involved.
David gillies:
You’re right about that. I’d have offed myself a long time ago but whenever I get to thinking about the misery and trauma it would inflict on so very many, known and unknown, I’m overcome with sympathy and so, must resolve to soldier on.
I’m just so fucking compassionate that way–just can’t help myself, I guess.