A heartfelt thank-you to Charlotte Naughton for her immensely moving account of the final journey of her aunt, Ann Bruce (A trip to Switzerland in search of a good death: ‘All this instead of just doing it in Brighton’, 20 November). This resonates with many of us who have seen the long, slow decline of a loved one and would hope to avoid a similar fate and pain ourselves. It really is time for our parliamentarians, medical profession and lawyers to address this issue. As Ann’s story shows, the Dutch, Swiss and others demonstrate that the challenges are not insurmountable.
Richard Madge
Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex
• We are fortunate in having been friends with Ann and David Bruce, and while we miss them both, we understand and fully support Ann’s decision to end her suffering on her own terms. Surely it must be an undeniable human right to choose not to continue to live in intolerable conditions? Most of us are not confronted with the certainty of a painful end to life; we just hope we’ll go quickly. God speed Ann and those brave enough to have supported her.
Jeni Smith
Shipton-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire
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