Sky to screen man's assisted suicide

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 10-Dec-08, 09:20

LONDON - Sky will tonight show images of the assisted suicide of a terminally ill man for the first time on British television, amid wide-spread criticism from groups opposed to suicide.

Craig Ewart, who was suffering from incurable motor neurone disease, agreed to have his death and the four days leading up to it recorded by a Canadian film director.

The documentary is to be screened on Sky Real Lives at 9pm tonight as 'Right to Die?' and has been shown in the US and Canada as a film, 'The Suicide Tourist'.

Ewart, an American resident in the UK, travelled to the Dignitas assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland to end his life because it is illegal in Britain for anyone to assist in a suicide.

The documentary feeds into an ongoing debate about the right to suicide in Britain, and made the front pages of the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror and The Independent.

The latter has an interview with Ewart's wife Mary who explains why her husband was motivated to do the documentary.

"He wanted to remove a veil so that people could see how comfortably someone could die who -- without this option of assisted suicide -- maybe would have had a very painful death."

The Daily Mail has taken a neutral stance on the broadcast despite its disapproval of most modern television.

It quotes several pro-life spokespeople criticising the programme, including Phyllis Bowman of Right to Life.

Bowman said: "This is promoting assisted suicide. What kind of effect do they imagine it is going to have on a depressive? It undermines the vulnerable and it also undermines people's right to live."

The Mirror asks "Is this an insight into the issue of euthanasia or just a cynical attempt to boost ratings?" under the headline "Suicide TV". Inside its columnists Sue Carroll and Paul Routledge take each side of the debate and its editorial warns "TV bosses must be careful to avoid turning the last gasp of a human into a peep show".

John Beyer, the director of TV watchdog Mediawatch-UK, said: "This subject is an important political issue at the moment and my anxieties are that the programme will influence public opinion."

Barbara Gibbon from Sky Real Lives said: "This is an issue that more and more people are confronting and this documentary is an informative, articulate and educated insight into the decisions some people have to make.

"I think it's important that TV broadcasters can stimulate debate about this issue."

Comments

Amod Munga - 10/12/2008

It's 2008 and I can't believe we're still having this debate. If someone wants to off himself, let him. If he wants to do it on television, let him. If you want to watch, then watch. If you don't, then change the channel. It really is that simple. Use your noggins. They're not just there to wear your face.