Swiss clinic which helped British man, 47, to die in secret apologises for failures | ITV News
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- čas přidán 14. 05. 2024
- A clinic in Switzerland which helps hundreds of people to die each year has apologised to the mother of a British man who took his own life without his family's knowledge.
Following an ITV News investigation, Pegasos said it would change its procedures to ensure that relatives were always informed in future.
Forty-seven-year-old Alastair Hamilton told his mother he was flying to Paris last August, but instead travelled to Basel where he took a lethal dose of drugs.
Read more about this story on the ITV News website: www.itv.com/news/2024-05-15/s...
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The family weren't denied the chance to be with him at all. The clinic offered that. He didn't want them there.
I understand why he didn’t want them there. Sounds harsh but maybe he couldn’t be bothered with all of their incessant questions and pleading. He wanted peace. He didn’t want stress. From what I can tell they would have done all they can to change his mind. The mother would have been crying and whining and carrying on. Perhaps that type of behaviour was intolerable to him.
Helen, your words are exactly what I felt. I have an overwhelming sense they were truly helping this man.
Bingo. We have MAID here in Canada and it’s a heck of a lot better than having to shoot yourself in a field. They smell the money of lawsuit hence why they’ve started this…
How far our society has fallen.
@@pamelalawson984
Sure.
Now let's count:
1) How much would a painkiller overdose cost? 20 pounds to 200 pounds, i expect. Perhaps less.
2) An injection? 10 pounds or less.
3) Conversation with a kind man who would ask him if he was sure. Well, 20 pounds, perhaps 30 if he is well paid. (He can have a medical degree, but he doesn't have to have any real knowledge. Or he can be a "caring volunteer" with zero education.)
4) A file or an application with question to answer. Perhaps 5 pounds with the rest of the paperwork.
5) Dealing with the body and postage of the remains. 500 to 600 pounds perhaps.
6) There also may have been organ donations. (May be yes, may be not. We have to remember that the person was pretty healthy. And it can be a lot of money into the black column)
All in all the clinic gets at least 10000 pounds for a very short and extremely primitive procedure.
You don't have to know much, you don't have to be a good doctor, you don't have to own any expensive equipment, you don't have to run any tests, you don't have to take care of the patients while they are healing, you don't even have to feed them while they are at your clinic.
All you need is a room, a computer, a bed, a dose of poison, a nurse, and a syringe. And, perhaps, a half an hour for a patient.
All in all, after considering the situation, i am not quite sure whether they were helping the patient or they were helping themselves.
There is something deeply wrong with killing a man who can be cured instead of trying to cure him.
It's easier to blame the clinic than admitting that Alister didn't want them involved in his last moments.
Exactly~ Don't for get now that his drama queen family have been publicly parading their "grief", I bet the "donations" are rolling in. ITV is raking in the green with all the clicks on the clickbait story, so why not!
@@gladiatrx3 u have no soul aand neither does the previous writer...cannot believe both of you would say something this cruel
@@itisjustsheila Guess what, dull tool, I don't give a tinker's damn what you think and I think his family parading their "grief" for the public to see and lavish these drama queens with attention is cruel to his memory and the last moment of his life he wanted to obviously keep private. They've deliberately trashed his memory and tried to blame the clinic as the reason why he didn't want them to be any part of this last private moment. Question: Now WHY would he not want his family around him if they're the 15 minute celebrity "saints" that they're so darned busy portraying themselves as, eh?
Absolute truth. Besides the fact he was an adult can make his own choices.
Well, yeah, the point being that they just help people commit suicide for whatever reason, and they really don't care.
He was tired of life. Unless you have walked in his shoes it might be very hard to understand.
Agree, I am in a happy place right now but I am glad to know in the future if I get tired I can go with dignity
Exactly.
@@spreadthelove77 as it has to be surely so too
Everyone is tired of your life but you keep crawling on.
@@daryllportas8453that's your choice other people have the right to thier choices.
The man chose to do this. The clinic isn't at fault.
The clinic is certainly at fault for torturing this family for weeks, by ignoring multiple emails asking for any information regarding their loved one. It's completely inhumane to send this man's ashes to his mother, without clarifying the situation to her first.
@@katharina... Twaddle.
You know that he was a man, not a toddler, right? @@katharina...
@susivarga7303 He was also failed by NHS by never getting a correct diagnosis and as a result his mental health suffered terribly. He needed help, not death. First time I hear that you can go through euthanasia in Europe if you are not terminal ( in Canada you can which is shocking). Maybe I do not know ins and outs of it but if he had received helped he needed, he would not have to go through it.
The clinic is at fault when he had no diagnosed illness or mental health condition. The clinic also added to the distress of his family.
It is heartbreaking for the mother to learn her son’s choice to die. But, ultimately it was his own choice!
If he wanted them there he would of told them etc..............
So if I threatend to kill someone you love if you do not go there to die, would it be your choice to die? Of course not you muppet!
@@alisonlaing5626exactly!!
So suicide is just another choice?
No it wasn';t. He saw a pitch someone in some media story and bought it. It marketing to the most depressed among us. If it were legalized and populatized in the USA they'd use religion and the promise of the angels in the afterlife to attract 'customers'.
Not even an explanatory goodbye letter for his mother. He must have been feeling very alone. Wishing his soul peace.
I'm wishing HER soul peace! His poor mother...her pain is palpable. Suicide is the most selfish thing a person can do to their loved ones....
@@lisawentworth6831he didn’t have to live for others. It’s not selfish. You made it sounds like he chose it lightly. You are TOO judgemental
A tad selfish?
It would be a statistical anomaly for him to write a goodbye letter, unlike in the movies. Some do but the majority don't.. no explanation my dad gave would have suited my mum. I have come to my own conclusions And so has she. This lady is still so very new in her grief. Tbh she probably doesn't have the years of lifespan left to resolve it in her mind. Suicide bereavement is tough but I think if my dad had left a letter it might have made things worse.
@@lisawentworth6831 "Suicide is the most selfish thing a person can do to their loved ones...." Why is suicide "selfish"? Do defend what is itself a very selfish claim. Why, because these people wanted to force a person whose pain was so great to continue to live for their emotional and perhaps financial benefit (the 11 pounds he spent won't be going to them, poor THINGS!)
I personally don’t think it’s their Fault It was this young man’s choice. He Chose not to tell his Family . Sad as it is . His CHOICE 🙏🙏
He was in pain, and depressed. Not in a completely sound state of mind. He might have been able to find more effective medical treatment and pain relief. These Swiss clinics charge a fortune. It's a business. Many doctors in the UK and worldwide regard such clinics as 'conveyor belts of death'. Don't automatically assume that there was no good and lasting alternative to this dreadful outcome.
@@paulinegallagher1675 Life is a long, purposeless conveyor belt of death.... The OP never stated there was no alternative, the OP truthfully stated it was the man's decision to go. He did not want an alternative.
47 is not young he wasn't 22!
Middle aged man made his own choice as he should be allowed
@@paulinegallagher1675he was of sound enough mind to organise, travel and fund it...don't act like he was in a childlike mind many people can be depressed and know exactly what they are doing!
@@ykook7000 Bet you're an in-cel
His choice. His life. As heartbreaking, as it is for his family. He chose the time...❤️
❤❤
I totally agree
11 000 £ to die? Killing is now an industry? Says a lot about where our society is going.
Was he fit to choose?
If he was actually depressed, should not he had beed treated for depression defore he got killed?
If he was suffering from a medical condition, was not it right to diagnose him first? Perhaps some pills would cure all his symptoms in a couple of weeks?
What is the profit margin for a painkiller overdose vs diagnostics and treatment for stomach pain and depression?
I would expect that it should take at least a couple of years between the application for and implementation of such a drastic medical procedure.
It seemed to be way too easily abailable if you know what i mean.
Living in chronic pain everyday with no diagnosis is draining in so many ways, i understand why he did this. Im sorry for his family but he knew his mother wouldn't have let him go though with it! He is no longer in pain r.i.p
And rightly so too of course alas.
I suffer from chronic pain but I would never do this to my family.
All very difficult I know and forgive me as I don't mean to offend.
@@jujutrini8412u are not him. We all deal with life differently
@jujutrini8412 There are some chronic pain conditions that are unbearable. Not all chronic pain is equal. We dont know what he was going through.
Under UK law his medical decisions wouldn’t be disclosed to his family either after the age of sixteen. He’s an adult and as much as I feel for his family he made a decision.
When a Coroner in the UK deliberates when suicide occurs they state that he committed suicide "when the balance of his mind was disturbed."
They do this because legally it is not considered normal behaviour.
It is a failure of society that people like this feel they have no other option.
To commit resources to places like this instead of helping people to recover their mental and emotional states is a travesty.
If he had been 22, or a young mother leaving babies behind would it have made any difference ?
@@leighwalton8190 He had been ill. Physically ill. Gastrointestinal symptoms. It’s his choice.
@@lanabmc3519
A clinic should have provided him with diagnosis and cure.
But it is difficult and expensive for the clinic.
Providing him with a drug overdose is simple and cheap for the clinic.
It was not particularly cheap for him though.
Don't you have a feeling that there is something deeply wrong about the situation?
@@ekaterinalokshina2043 No. I feel an adult man in ill health made a decision and took charge of the outcome. I don’t agree with keeping people in existence because someone else who doesn’t live their life in their body said they have to.
@@lanabmc3519
Why was he in ill health?
He did not even know if his condition was serious, not to mention life threatening or incurable. You can have very unpleasant symptoms that can be fixed or cured easily if the doctor knows what he is doing.
Some doctors failed to cure him, others succeeded at doing him in.
It took just a day to dispose of a human being who as far as we know had no incurable conditions. Noone even referred him to any knowledgeable doctors first.
Noone even did the postmortem to find out what was wrong with him.
No offence, but the first time i realised that we have decent health care in my country was when my child got ill while we were visiting Somerset. I could not believe the GP's total indifference. And it was not like we lacked money. The child had maximum insurance coverage.
Then i realised that it was not just us, it was the system.
If doctors start disposing of the patients they cannot diagnose, it is bloody dangerous.
Because disposal is a much cheaper option.
I read he had quit his teaching job , moved back in with his parents, he had never married and never had children, he did discuss he was suicidal with his brothers on several occasions but they were dismissive, he had lost weight, and he did feel depressed, it was his choice not his parents, pegasus did nothing wrong but gave him a safe dignified death with no pain. He knew if he told his parents they would talk him out of it. Every country should have a pegasus in my opinion.
He also had enough money to get a proper diagnosis and go private to get to the root of his stomach issues but he chose not to
Of course this is pure imagination but I sense that he was ND maybe Aspergers or OCD...that sort of mindset. That's not necessarily mental illness but it can make for a pretty bleak life. Add in some physical pain and it's too much.
@@helen1552how do you sense this? You knew him?
Yes every country should have a Pegasus agreed
@@matthewwilliams3827Yes every country needs a death industry that takes advantage of the vulnerable. Appalling how far western society has fallen.
@@helen1552ridiculous comment though if he had lost a lot of weight then it would have had an effect on his mental health as well especially if not able to find a diagnosis
If someone has gone to the effort and planning to die and to not tell anyone then.......that is _their_ choice.
As sad as it might be for other people, this person chose to leave and did not want them to know.
It's a difficult one, as yes, he chose this, but if he was mentally incapable of making that decision, I'm not so sure. I would have thought that would come under the definition of "risk of harm to self or others" and need more rigorous intervention. As it was, nobody knew, so one could argue that the clinic should have picked it up as a last failsafe before he went through with it. The outcome might be the same, but there'd be no doubt about it.
The only people who have an obligation to live is biological parents who continue to birth other humans into this hell realm dystopia.
I'm sure you'd let your mother or daughter so easily, right? Totally aloof
@@Justin-wj4yc Aww, look at you trying to pretend a human being didn't make a decision for themselves.
The family made this about them, not what he was going through or what he decided to do. Obviously he didn't feel that he was able to discuss his decision with them.
That's my take. I'm going through far worse than the guy who took his life(not comparing but meaning i know what its like). The NHS is near non existent because of 14 years of Tory. The physical and mental health services aren't there. It's hell and what people don't realise is families can look nice from the outside but they're rubbish from the inside. I feel his family didn't support him in any substantial way. Hearing his mother speak gave me vibes that the guy was alone trying to cope without support. 'trying to get him a diagnosis' 🤔
Yes. They should realise
that they didn't know HIM.
@@bereal6590 Perhaps the £11,000 would have been better spent on private consultation, if a diagnosis was what he wanted.
Death for money, seems very unsavoury, given without diagnosis or counselling, of a fairly young man.
The family is in pain. Did you expect them. To celebrate?
Of course they made it about them! They’re suffering now and his mother will never get over it! Never! My friend lost her son to suicide … nothing so dignified as this, by throwing himself under a train … she is devastated beyond belief, blames herself … of they made it about themselves! They’re here, he isn’t! Be careful what you wish for … assisted dying terrifies me!
His choice - nobody elses. It would have been better if he felt he could talk to his family but for some reason he felt he couldn't. May he rest in peace x
Maybe your child will do the same one day. See what you think then.
@@daryllportas8453that’s such a selfish view.
@@JamesKing-el3ry I agree, some of these people are very selfish.
Judging by his mums reaction, I can see why he did not want to tell her.
@@dinsel9691 I agree. I think there may have been a more complicated family dynamic than as to what we’re led to believe with this rosey image. I have a friend who declines calls from his mother, at first I thought it was awful, then I met the mother, and overheard how she spoke to her daughter. Everything started to make sense and I’ve never mentioned it since.
I understand the family being upset and distraught but it was his body,his life, his choice.
The mum admitted she would have "dragged him home", well that probably why he didn't tell them of his plans.
No one should have the right to say another person should continue to suffer and struggle because they dont want to grieve them....honesty i think its a little selfish to expect someone to continue living when every day is an ongoing battle.
Agree
It is so easy to say this since it did not happen to you, so imagine someone close to you, would you not do everything in your power to prevent their suicide? If you answer honestly, you will feel for this poor mother.
@@suzannehums557 Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes yes yes yes yes yes
I agree. It was ultimately HIS choice to do it in privacy, he could have taken his own life in other more conventional ways, ie hanged himself, jumped in front of a train etc, but he chose to do it in this far more humane way, and I personally think we should RESPECT that was his personal dying wish.
May he rest in peace. 🙏🙏🙏🕊🕊🕊
@@suzannehums557 funnily enough it did happen to me (and I have lost friends to suicide too). I found my dad hanging. I'd have much rather him die at a clinic like this. My mum was like this woman she'd have never accepted dad's wishes though whilst I couldn't bring myself to go with him I would have understood it was his choice to make. My dad was perfectly rational he had just done enough in life and had enough. He exited on his own terms I just wish it hadn't been in such a macabre way. So yes some people would react like the mother and some wouldn't, even the brother in this case said he would have gone with him, to help him (rather than berate him to stay alive). People are individuals we don't all react the same.
I understand the mothers upset, but she needs to realise that her wanting him to stay alive is torture!
Please - it’s a life and she was his mom!!
@LaurieHeatherGoldstein it is a life, and ITS HIS LIVE TO LIVE OR NOT!
You clearly have no understanding of mental health and what torture the mind can have on the body
@@andrewsuleman1259oh really? I suffer from depression and anxiety so I clearly have an understanding! Don’t assume you know about other peoples lives.
But given some support and intervention it may very well might not have been. The thing that glares at me is £11,000.
@@LaurieHeatherGoldsteinexactly that &many of us would be dead too young if it becomes the norm...its not natural.poor family.
They're asking the same question all families ask when a loved one takes their own life. Assisted or not.
Yes 💪
And?
Yes, I agree.
Also, death for money seems very distasteful.
The £11,000 could have been used for private consultation, if a diagnosis was what he wanted.
He was a grown man making an educated decision. The alternate would have been inflictihg horrific bodily injury to himself and even putting others at risk. I appreciate it must have been devastating for them but he didnt want to tell his family out of fear of being stopped. If we are heading down the assisted dying route we need to be prepared for disagreement between the individuals and family members views on a persons right to die.
Not all people with mentall health issues would harm others ?
@user-ed7rk1od6l I meant potential self termination activity may effect others in a negative way, physically or psychologically.
Utter nonsense.
I do get some of what your saying but what about people with mental health issues that don't socialise dont harm any 1 and rarely leaves there homes
@@daryllportas8453 what is
Surely it's not the family's choice? It's obviously absolutely devastating, but he knew he couldn't speak with his family because it would be much harder and it's absolutely clear from this, they would have tried to talk him out of it. He obviously just wanted to go in peace and of his own free will. It's not Pegasus' fault.
But they never did checks on mental illness
The mother said herself she would have ‘dragged him home tooth and nail if she had to’ but it’s obviously not her decision to make. He was of sound mind and wanted to die. What Pegasos did do wrong was not inform the family, so they had to report him missing. They shouldn’t have had to do that.
@@gelbsucht947Agree, He is not a child he is a grown man. We don't know what else was going on in his life. We have to accept that as adults we make our own choices and those choices should be respected. How he died shows he wanted as little torment to his family as possible. As in, not them discovering his body. We can not live for our loved ones, that ideology is very selfish. However, the family should have been informed right away.
He should have been detained for his own safety, of course it was his family's decision. Pegasus should be taken to court and whoever sanctioned this should go to prison for life.
@@daryllportas8453 that is your opinion, I hope you never feel suicidal. He wasn't in any danger, this was his choice. He'd have taken his own life eventually regardless. But it's better to know you won't be a vegetable, because you didn't do it properly. I think you're wrong that this decision is someone else's fault. He paid a lot of money to do this, he was obviously very serious about his decision!
It was her son’s own choice. The clinic is blameless. I hope she manages to make peace with his decision. Maybe he couldn’t stand the thought of anyone being upset and trying to talk him out of it.
Exactly
Choice or not such clinics should only exist to aliviate such sufferers. I suffer racialism and mental illness all through life and yet wish for a life that brings Christ back to earth. I have Him with me❤❤
I am half way to 80 and enjoy a quality of life because of Jesus ❤❤
One is not saved spirituality or bodily at the end of time 😊
Those who take their lives by such means will not be saved by God😊
Oh his poor dear mum ❤ 😢
It was his choice to make. Totally understandable.
Real
Not for the clinic to apologise
I agree !!!
They should apologize for existing.
It''s actually a door step to funeral homes.
Scary. These people are godless.
@@createinmeacleanheartohgod6871 godless? Do u mean the same god that created us in rotting, needy meat suit that will eventually die anyway?
They killed a healthy man. Criminals. That is my view on it, I am very opposed to "assisted suicide" - or whatever they call it. In my eyes it is murder.
I’m saving this for later, thank you Swiss clinic for your existence. Just need a bit more of a budget service.
Yes it's much too expensive 😢
I find it comforting to know the service exists.
@@Sheba8.don’t worry, when Labour get in, they will review the parameters of assisted dying.
May I ask why you want to do this? Please don’t feel you have to answer if you don’t want to. I am just curious.
They will do like all the other parties, bugger all. They had from 97 to 2010 and still failed. The UK law is joke and reasons why such a law wouldn’t pass.
I understand how devastating it is for his family, but he was an adult of sound mind, and he had the right to make the decision.
Exactly
If an adult wanted to die in front of an approaching train, you would do your best to help that adult and avoid human catastrophe right? It's the same thing as this case. What about people wanting to jump off the bridge? Would you not have a heart to help them get down and comfort them ask about their problem?
@@createinmeacleanheartohgod6871 neither is a bridge
“Of sound mind”? Really?
@@bikiniburger4376they’re not the same, you’re correct but the outcome is. One is legal and requires assistance but it’s death all the same.
No discussion on the failure of English NHS being unable to diagnose the man's illness. Often patients will hide the severity of the symptoms from family. Yet the family is very aware of his weight loss and discomfort. It seems the family are not against assisted suicide and got the desired result of the institution to change some of its processes. It is a shame that there is no autopsy and perhaps this should have been necessary in this man's case. Personally I feel strongly on free will. People should be able to end their life when they feel they need to and there is a but. They need to be assessed medically of sound mind to exercise that free will in other words legally consent. Of course any death of a child is brutal on a parent. My heart went out to the mother and brother it is a hard watch. Still no English NHS diagnosis to me is the greater sin. He rests now.
Those symptoms remind me of my own diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer with liver metastases.
Expect Sun readers would accuse him of making it up.
If he can afford 11k to top himself, he can afford private healthcare.
@@ohenekojo2561Max Mosley was a multi millionaire but he committed suicide because of the pain, where you do you get the idea from that private medical care can cure pain ?
@@davidpollard1139 i didn't. Numptydumpty. I was responding to the original commenter who blamed the NHS.
None of us had the choice to come into this crazy world, surely we should be given the right to decide when we feel it is time to go in our own terms. All respect to his family, but they might feel a little bit more at ease knowing that's what he really wanted.
@mcanderson121 If he had received a correct diagnosis and had not been failed by health system, he would not have to make such a decision. He needed help, not death at the age of 47 and not being gravely ill.
"None of us had the choice to come into this crazy world, surely we should be given the right to decide when we feel it is time to go in our own terms" 👏 Everyone can end it if they want and it's always the right thing to do, there's nothing ahead for most of us. Just every day misery.
@@monikacorgiand rightly so there then too of course albeit alas
The world alas has nothing really that is nice for some of us so too. I am sadly ill too and you feel that way too alas.
@@ThunderBird-jk6gq how on earth can you make this absurd claim so confidently? What if he’d had a terminal condition and he simply did not want to know? What if he did not want to go through some of the horrifically painful and traumatising ‘diagnostic’ processes? Do you know how many individuals live with medically induced cPTSD/PTSD/permanent trauma? Some ‘therapies’ are unmitigatingly barbaric and brutal, not everyone wants to go through that.
The most upsetting thing about this clip is the cameraman ghoulishly following the grieving mother around as she cries her eyes out.
Devastating for the Family but ultimately it was his decision to end his life on his own terms. Rest in peace Alistair.
Hear, hear! Best comment (reason and sense amid all the phony crocodiles tears from the onslaught of self-righteous control freaks!)
His choice... family needs to accept an adults decision...not the clinics fault
The family miss the point that he didn’t want them there and he told the doctor he couldn’t talk to his family. they should blame themselves not the clinic.
👍
He made the choices right up to the end. It's upsetting the reporter tried blaming Alister's friend Sean. Alister chose Sean to know, no one else.
Exactly he knew why himself that once tell family they ll try to stop him...he choose an understanding nonjudgmental fried..@@lms1068
They seem the type that would have been over bearing and hard to be around. It would have been interesting to know his feelings and thoughts on his family.
He may have been carrying a trauma that he never spoke about , or could find the words , may be the torment was too painful to live . 🤔
Maybe he was gay and couldn't cope with that , he loved them but couldn't share his wanting to leave he can still get to heaven , trust God in this xx♥️
He chose someone else to commit the suicide for him , it would have been done properly . He may not have been in his right mind to contemplate hurting his family in this way x
My thoughts exactly. I feel so badly for his family ,for him and that journey he made.
This entire story, is the reason he did it the way he did. His life, his way, in the way he saw fit. I know it might be hard for his family because suicide is devastating but he wanted peace, this isn't the way to honour his life.
Perhaps his mother needs a bit more time to accept the way her son decided to end his life..
It's a terrible shock for her, I'm sure.
@@margaretr5701 It might have been kinder to leave a letter of explanation…..might have helped the family left behind.
@@clivedunn Yes, I couldnt agree with you more.
If the mother and family hadn't reported him as missing, the shock of receiving her son's ashes in the mail, would've been intolerable. Thankfully, the police tracked her son's activities to the clinic, still awful, but better than not knowing what happened to him.
Very sad
Very sad, my brother took his own life.
We were very close.
The grief is life long.
But I love my brother, and I am sad he felt he couldn't share with me, those last moments before he ended his life.
He did go to a priest, telling him, he was going to end his life.
The priest ignored his cry for help.
A month later, the priest ended his life
And my brothers best friend took his own life, when he heard of my brothers death.
It sounds like he was very depressed
I am very sorry for the mother’s loss. The brothers - where were you ? They clearly did not know him well enough or dismissed him when he tried to talk. He gave up his job, moved back in with his parents, was a loner, losing weight rapidly - how could you not see the possibility of suicide? Clearly from the friend talking on this he did try to speak with his brothers - they dismissed him it seems. Worried over him moving back in with mum - won’t be the first time that was a misunderstood situation by siblings. How sad that families cannot talk to each other HONESTLY.
His choice. The clinic not at fault.
My heart breaks 💔 for the family he was obviously very loved 😭
The comments section is coming harshly for the family because it was his life and his choice but the family has the right to voice their opinion.
How devastating. I would be destroyed if one of my children made this choice.
I don't know how I feel about this. My heart is pounding listening to his case. It's a lot to think about. Especially if this becomes the normal.
The idea that you can do whatever in your own life, however horrific the effect on others is selfish, I think this is one reason why it used to be a sin/crime. I couldn't understand why it was a 'sin' until I came across the idea that you can make the case that every life is in fact hopeless/terminal (we all die after all and we all suffer to some extent) in order to live a good life you need to live with hope DESPITE that, so by the logic of assistedsuicide every one is eligible even if it is a passing mood that would have gone a few days later
His life. His choice. He had no partner, spouse or children.
I feel heart sorry for his mum and the rest of his family but I respect his decision.
This report seems opposed to assisted suicide. Is it not the right of someone who wishes to end his/her own life not to involve family? After all, in this case, he probably knew they would try to talk him out of it and did not want to go through that. No doubt ending ones life is difficult enough without having to deal with loved ones trying to change ones mind. In the end, should it not have been his right to do this alone if he so chose?
Yes our decision alone. If we don't want family to be informed , that's our rights. They should get informed after the fact .
No, it isn't a right, which is why very few countries allow assisted suicide.
@@apebass2215 Sadly.
@@apebass2215 it's only selfish for the ones who want to keep the person in question to ask them to stay on the planet with them. If we did everything for everyone else, we'd all be pretty sad! He'd have done it anyway! Assisted means he can do it as safely as possible, instead of potentially turning himself into a potato! I agree though, that there has to be some hoops to jump through first, for e.g trying a counsellor or going through therapy/rehab or investigative work. But if you can't get through life after all of the requirements, then why shouldn't you be allowed to go? Tbh, people probably wouldn't have that much cash to throw at it anyway. So it's unlikely a lot of people could afford to do it like this. So they'd just end up doing it their own way, then they run the risk of being found by family members which makes this way more devastating.
@@franwilson203 Without counselling, therapy and diagnosis, this seems to be death for money, in my opinion.
His poor mother..she is broken forever.
This is very sad,i hope his family accept his decision
Saying he didn't have mental health issues is misleading and not good for the community sadly .
Anyone who wants to take their own life does have mental health issues. He just wasn't forth coming with it. Mental health is torture
@@franwilson203 do you really think it's so out of left field that someone who doesn't want to live might be of sound mind?
I really don't think the world is so great that only people with mental health issues are fed up with it
@@franwilson203 what a ridiculous assertion re mental health- some individuals simply do not enjoy the world as it is and that is entirely their right to choose to get off the ride.
What a mass generalisation. When my mother was suffering (cancer) weighed less than 6 stone. I vividly recall her saying "you wouldn't leave a dog to suffer like this" She had no mental health issues, was in physical agony. She would have happily (and I mean happily) died weeks before she did. She had to refuse to eat to die, that was the only "control" she had left. It took 2 weeks for her to get her wish. Watch something like that, before making sweeping statements. Alistair was suffering, he too probably didn't want to end up a bedridden frail husk.
I suspect this physical pain was the icing on the cake, and this world probably didn't suit him and he miserable and lonely too.
I get its a sad situation but the clinic and Alister are 100% in the absolute right here. He freely and voluntarily chose how and when he wanted to leave this earth and move on. How many people wish up and down that they get to pass peacefully in their sleep?
The only thing I hope is that he was able go have all of his wishes fully carried out and didn’t feel too constrained. Whether he didn’t want to have to explain himself or he just simply didn’t want them there, he chose to not include his family.
its quite striking their brazen, cavalier attitude at the clinic thinking they deserve some sort of “explaination or information” and the reporter as well: “do you think you’re a better judge than his family?” HELL YES! They’re obviously too close to the situation to have a rational grasp on the situation; rather than being petulant like the reporter. The Aussie guy even said his family knew and they didnt support it; his mom and brother said they would have dragged him back “tooth and nail” no wonder he didn’t want them around. I understand that losing someone, much less someone’s child,is hard, but as much as I may not them to die I would give anything to have my child be able to pass safe in my arms. And I think Alister may have chosen that if he felt truly unconditionally loved.
I think the true tragedy in this case is that he had to leave his home country to do it and pay £11,000 for it. Thank god though Pegasos doesn’t use those infantile “guidelines”: the only guideline should be : “are you of sound mind and do you not want to be on this Earth anymore” simple as; too much of this world is a nanny state and all it gets you is more pain and grief when somone jumps off a building because that’s all they have left.
I completely agree with all you've said here.
As a parent, I can totally understand them wanting answers, to try and make sense of the whole situation. I think anyone who lost a loved one would be asking these same questions
@@chriscody1761 I understand they would want details of their son’s last hours, but what they don’t get to question is the private descison that was made between Alister and the healthcare professionals, nor how they came to their criteria.
I think it is very salient that he didn’t involve, tell, or leave a note to them; if he wanted to he would have. And if we believe the Aussie guy the parents had some awareness of it (more than they let on) and disapproved. Let’s not forget, in Alister’s life, his happiness is the most important thing.
That man he thanked for being his friend - goodness, that shows it all - true understanding from the heart. This exceptional, intelligent man - being of a good, mature age and having lived his own life every single hour of every single day, complete with all its feelings and experiences of other people - must have known his own heart and what he truly needed/wanted - and possibly had known/lived it for years. May he be respected for that and may that be the main consideration. Using him as an example does not capture the enormity of his life and the sanctity of what he lived every day to arrive at a point where this was the only thing he could or wanted to do. xxx
My heart breaks for that mother and this brother 💔 He paid £11k to die this way , so tragic !
He is at peace what's tragic about that...him jumping in front of a train would be more tragic
The family needs counselling and to make peace with it
At least he was in a safe place and comfortable with his decision
Yes it should be available to those who can not afford it either.
Leaving your body to be discovered by someone else,or possibly not discovered (which may be worse) is not something you would want to inflict onto another person
I would have preferred this for my brother than they way he died from suicide. I wish I had known about it. Every mentally sound adult should have the right to end their life. I feel for the family of Alastair and I hope they can find professional support to help process their complicated grief.
In the end ,it was his own decision,heartbreaking as it is... As a family,it must be so,so hard ... 😢😢
Im in tears poor lady and the family 😰🙏💖🇬🇧
Having a friend that joined Pegasos a couple of years ago with a view to going at a time of their choice, I had acquainted myself with their website. I have discussed the matter with my friend, who is not of a mind to change their decision.
As far as I was aware, you couldn't go unless you had somebody with you as a support. I find it interesting that ITV commissioned a report into one chosen death and yet not considered a program about the 6000 or so people that choose to end their lives in the UK each year. In the past couple of months a friend has chosen to end their life. That was a total surprise to everyone that knew the friend. None of us know the demons that are haunting people or can feel their pain if they are suffering. Some people people find it hard to talk to others. Maybe Alastair felt his family would dissuade him, which is why he never told them.
His choice, which should be respected, meant that someone, a friend or family member, didn't have to find him if he had chosen to end his life at home. Witnessing the result of a suicide is a memory that never leaves you.
Oh that DID happen to a most fav person of mine. Her long-time boyfriend was filled with cancer & BEGGED for the same med he had...but in one to swalllw. He was refused which happens in WA State. She left to get groceries for him & when he returned...he'd covered his head & shot himself. She called police or whoever & then me. I was SHOCKED! offered to go there... she said to just talk on the phone.
That was when she told me that she wanted to be the best of friends...more than just FB.
SHE WAS VERY STRONG in her life & then a year or so later came down with the worst 4 degree Pancreatic Cancer. It was what her boyfriend had had those years earlier.
I have other thoughts that anyone I've ever told...just dismiss outright!
Someday...it may be found to be 8:4
true, but I'll never know it.
Oh Well! it doesn't really matter!
He's a "perfect" case study for the sensationalitic journalistic times we live in and the classest society England will always be ..
*He's established Middle class...
*Educated man..
*Still able to produce children...
*Not bad looking, not in anyway hideous looking, looks clean and tidy ...
*Relatively well liked..
Not too bad off financially..
*No history of emotional instability..
*Clean criminal record..
Therefore not a bad past, not looking at a terrible future..
Yet preferred to die than live..
It's seemingly more simplistic for people to grasp than someone who lived a complex set of circumstances in life
It grabs headlines, in a fickle society, his photo is of a relatively attractive man, gives way to a debate, as to whether these clinics should be waiving people through, who aren't suffering a recognised terminal illness ....
It was his choice. He passed in dignity. If it wasn't for this clinic, he might have gone in ways he'd suffered. I'm sorry but it's not the clinics fault, he's a grown man. I truly believe we should have the choice as a grown adult to decide when we'd like to leave and go "home".
Sorry, but he wanted out and he went out. So what?
Would they prefer he made a mess on the walls putting a gun to his head? Or was found dead and rotting on a beach?
Family has nothing to do with it. His life his decision.
Clinic is not to blame and does not have to apologize.
Exactly. He was a grown up man.
@@teachersusan3730 A grown up man with no care for those he left behind.
A coward, who took the easy way out having someone else do it for him.
My thoughts entirely Maria, he paid £11k so one of his family didn't find him OD'd on a bed or hanging lifelessly in the garage - he saved them this trauma and they should be grateful to him!
@@karenhubbard5037choosing your own fate makes you a coward ? He made a decision and knew his family would not accept it and would try to stop him, as a adult it was his life and his right. All the family are talking about is themselves. How they were robbed, what they missed out on, they he said he had a good life. In their opinion. Nothing about how lonely and desperate he must of been feeling to of done what he did. Humans are extremely selfish it's all me, me, me !!
Why did he bother having his ashes sent home? He didn't want them knowing up front but expected them to mourn him. Very strange. Bit of a kick in the teeth for the family.
It's almost incredible that he put his family through that uncertainty. If he didn't want them to know till afterwards, he could have posted a letter.
This breaks my heart. His poor mom and brothers. I understand it was his choice but he could have spoken with his family prior. And his family thought he was missing! I disagree with many of the comments here! Think people, think!
His family might of dismissed how he was feeling, not all of us are lucky enough to have families who care which then leaves you to rely on mental health services which we all know how bad the NHS crisis is now. I've got nowhere going backwards and forwards to my gp and mental health referrals, I can very much understand how he felt.
Can’t imagine the pain of his Mom and his brother. 😢😢😢😢😢
Nobody can make that final decision except the person who wants to end their life
No, your life is not your's to end. If you think it was bad here before you murdered yourself, just wait and see what awaits you.
I believe people should have the choice when they die.
Instead of suffering due to illness, ie cancer, or lack of health care.
I want to die with dignity on my own terms.
and not in the care of some health worker who comes to clean, feed me, at certain time of the day.
I have seen the state amd treatment in the britiah health service and its scares me..
He didn't have cancer or a terminal illness
He didn't even have a diagnosis !
@@duncanhewitt6557 "He didn't have..."
Oh look, a qualified medical and mental health professional.
/s
@@duncanhewitt6557 So?
I absolutely agree with you. NHS have plenty of bullies who like a sick person to suffer. Take that into consideration aswell authority! We ain't having it! We're wanting to pass away with kindness and peace.
My prayers to his family. His poor mama, just absolutely crushing 💔
So what if he didn’t want anyone around? It’s his life, it was his choice.
So he was in pain with no diagnosis.....There was a woman in my country who wrote a book because he ageing mum complained about physical pain and the daughter could only say that these things come with age.....The ageing mom eventually took her own life and it was such a horrid suicide the grown daughter she wished she has listened to her mom and offered to take her to Switzerland if no therapy could be found to ease her physical pain......Loved ones need to NOT say 'No' and to tell them if that is what they want then they just want to know so they can be their with them.....Too many loved ones just say no and this isn't the right option and don't want to hear anything more about it.
Very, very sad he felt this was the only way for him, at such a young age
His poor poor mother and brother. Suicide is not an easy option for anyone, especially those left behind. She will never get over it.
So, if he didnt tell his family beforehand, was the clinic expected to call up the family and tell the he'd ended his life with them??
So the hospital won't have to go through such fate in the future
Image you open a post and ashes in a box. I hope they let the family knows its coming. So sad!
So very sad but the man was 47 not 17.
It doesn't seem old when you are 50 though
He wasn't 107 either, you clown..
Hahahahaha
The fact that it was his choice doesn't make this any easier for his family. The idea of your loved one dying depressed and alone in some cold soulles place is heartbreaking, and the family of suicide victims is tormented with guilt, loss and all kinds of feelings. Have some empathy for his poor mother too.
The guy doing the interview saying “you could’ve persuaded him to change his mind” that’s not their job. When someone comes to them wanting to end their life, that’s their choice. Nobody forced them to do it. I swear families and people that do interviews just wanna find anybody to put the blame on other then themselves. You can never judge a person that wants to leave this world if you never been through real depression before.
I think the television company exploited this family. They are making it look at if they are crusading journalists whereas they are actually wallowing in the family’s tragedy and unfairly trying to apportion blame to the clinic.
He didn’t tell his family bc he didn’t want them to talk him out of it.
Certainly better than traditional methods.
I used to rent rooms in a big house. 5 to be exact. One woman I rented to talked about how awful every day was to her. Me and every other of my tenants alone or together talked sympathetically with her for months. To no end. She was like a black hole of misery. Hated being alive. Eventually everyone avoided her because she only wanted to talk about how pointless life was. Anything you said was wasted energy. She was getting therapy. Was on meds, etc. Nothing worked. Eventually she killed herself after many attempts. 2 in my house. This Swiss sytem seems the most humane one for relieving some people of a relentless existential malaise that blights every second of their being. Like the man in this story life was not gift. But a curse.
Thats incredibly ridiculous
My body, my choice! Why is it so hard to understand and respect individual freedom?
Freedom 😂😂😂
When a story about a someone you dont know,makes you cry😢
His choice no different to him doing it alone at home
He's at peace.
Hopefully his family will find their peace as well 🙏
Oh God bless this Mother and family, It’s tragic and unsettling Will pray for all of you
What about the medical system that didn't find out what was wrong with him physically? sad
The mother would have “dragged him home” and this is why he couldn’t tell her that he wanted/needed to end his pain. Bringing him home would have been for her benefit not his, although her reaction is very understandable.
Sad situation to be in.
The words he said to his mom do sound like a goodbye... I hope he's having a better experience wherever his soul is now.
Yes definitely. She just didn't know it at that time.
I thought someone needs to be terminally ill to end life in such a place. It looks like health system failed to diagnose this poor man and his mental health suffered terribly. He needed help, not death. Life wasted. Yes, it was his decision but I can’t understand how this clinic allowed him to go through it when they knew he was not gravely ill.
Yep
Who cares if he wasn’t gravely ill? He was dealing with chronic pain, and was looking forward to a life of pain. He should be able to make that call.
It's a twisted world. Apparently congratulations is what you say now when someone says they are going to kill themselves.
They still have a protocol to follow even with mental health issues and drs have paperwork to submit as well, it's way more than a 2 page application. Bad one sided reporting.
different places have different laws. Some countries require a fatal diagnosis. I believe Switzerland does not require that. There are many reasons that people want to die and it is not for others to judge. Some people have very happy and lucky lives. Some people's lives are filled with loss and pain. hard knocks after hard knocks does not make you stronger, eventually it breaks you.
People should be under no illusion here. As much as sentiment in the UK has shifted, I am quite certain that most would not be in support of such an unregulated, almost industrial process. What we see in this ITV report is clearly open to abuse and would be a terrible idea if introduced in Britain.
This clinic seemed unethical, in my opinion, giving a fairly young man death, for a very large sum of money.
No counselling, and no diagnosis required.
Ecit: I'd like to add, this is available in Canada, under the term, M.A.I.D., but not without extensive diagnosis and consultation. I would not be surprised if the ending of one's life is eventually offered in the UK, the healthcare is similar, as well as the accompanying struggles.
To not inform the family and then send the man's ashes to his mother without warning is horrifying.
Devastating
Who knows if the ashes are even his 😮
I don't get why the ashes were sent. He obviously didn't want his family knowing beforehand so why bother having them sent unless it was a cruel statement to rub their noses in it. They didn't deserve an explanation up front but he wanted them to mourn him.
It's not the clinics fault. People shouldn't have to leave the UK to do this in secret. Our laws need changing
No
No
You might not think that if you read about what’s going on in Canada.
I see a lot of comments on here feeling that this man didn’t have to let his family know, the problem I see is he may not have wanted to inform them, but he had his ashes sent to them. What do you think that’s going to feel like for the family. that is devastating in itself Outside of learning that your son/brother died by assisted suicide.
This is horrific for the family. It should not be legal when there is no terminal illness. All other options should be explored. These reprobates just want the money. Its disgusting!
You don't know what he was suffering through
Medical treatments and interventions may extend life, however they can't always guarantee a good quality of life. Many people are not being given the support or opportunities to be optimistic about the future or that they will have a good and reasonable quality of life.
May his soul rest in eternal peace my deepest sympathy to the family 😢
What I am surprised by is the substandardness of the clinic/surroundings. Surely a little bit of comfort/luxury in someone's last hours wouldn't go a miss. Surely?!
Being forced to live against your will is more cruel than offering someone the freedom of choosing a peaceful way out. I wish they would offer this in the U.S.
If they offered it in the USA, what would you have done??
I feel for his mother, and I understand why she wanted the opportunity to drag her baby home and not let him take his life. However, he is a grown man, HE felt he could not live with the pain and made his choice and he did not wantbhis family with him at the end.
It was his life and his choice I would do the same thing if I felt the need I am 75 and it would be my choice
$11K to die??
There definitely needs to be checks around the mental wellbeing of an individual requesting this. Thoughts about wanting to 'end things' can often be controlled if they are treated. However, I'm also unsure if family should be informed in all cases. I think individuals also have a right to decide on their own if they wish to die, and it would be hard to assess their true family situation. It could even be very dangerous to inform for instance an abusive family member who is good at pretending to be 'normal' to the public.
Kudos to Alastair who decided to end the suffering he was experiencing.
Kudos ! What is wrong with you People this is evil!
That’s sickening.
If he wanted to die then people should respect his decision. Only he knew of his suffering. Yes his family will have to pick up the pieces but if he had of told them then he would of risked them being open to prosecution thanks to the rubbish legal system here.He should not of had to go through all that journey alone. He should of been able to have talked this through with his family prior. It is a very sad reality for many.
We will
Never know the true facts… but what we do know is he didn’t talk to any of his support network.. if had spoken to someone anyone it could have interrupted his thought cycle and he may still be here
@@pt4005What a lot of judgement.
He said he didn't feel supported and in my opinion they are not intuitive and drove him to it. Better than finding your son hanging as my grandmother did my uncle (same age). My uncle also felt smothered by his mother but at least he had enough distance to move into his own home.
@@Tao_Tologysanctity of life!
@@abtarmiah3799
-sanctity of life- ignoring the person
He clearly didn't want them there. Its not the clinic's fault.
There is literally no point in telling these stories unless they want to tell us his personal life. The fact that nothing was mentioned other than he had a stomach tells makes me think something is off. Does he have a wife or GF, friends, where does he live etc. The way the brother said, I'd have like to been there when died rather than trying to stop him doing it makes me think there is a family issue.
This is a sensationalist, inaccurate report. ITV have misrepresented Pegasos, who do not flout Swiss law. All Swiss voluntary assisted dying clinics are closely monitored to ensure adherence with the law.
Yes, the initial stage of application has relatively short sections on the form. This is followed by an in depth assessment, to ensure the applicant has the mental capacity to make the decision, and a further appointment a day or so before the assisted death.
At the clinic, the lethal dose is self administered. A cannula is inserted into a vein, usually in the arm, which is then linked to a (closed off) dose of a lethal chemical. The person choosing to die has to open the valve themselves - otherwise it would be murder, of course. Every voluntarily aided death has to be recorded on video and the Swiss police attend the clinic very soon after, before the body can be removed.
Pegasos encourage every applicant to discuss their plans with family and/or friends but ultimately it is that person's choice whether they do so or not. Many many attendees at Pegasos are accompanied by family and friends.
Cruel. His poor family first terrified that he may be in trouble and missing. Then the police tell them where he went and when they try to get contact, no response for weeks only to have your son’s ashes show up in the mail. Truly traumatizing for a loving mother. And apparently no note left behind for them with any kind of explanation. As she said in the car, “I wonder what he was thinking.” That wondering could drive a person crazy with all the “Why’s.” He probably thought he was sparing himself and them by going off in secret and not letting them in on how much he felt he was struggling. Unfortunately, the result was more traumatic for them not less. If anyone is thinking of doing something like this and you have a loving family please at least leave a note.
They should be grateful that a clinic helped him do it peacefully instead of him killing himself through other suicide methods.
Heartbreaking as it is he made his choice and did not tell his family because obviously they would try to talk him out of it and he didnt want that.
Regardless of his choice, or the clinics actions, anger is an easier emotion to bear than grief. It is also easier to direct that anger at the clinic, rather than their son/brother who is ultimately responsible for not putting things into place to make them aware of his actions after the fact.