Undercliffe campaigner Debbie Purdie backs Pratchett (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Undercliffe campaigner Debbie Purdie backs Pratchett

4:54pm Tuesday 2nd February 2010 in

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Right-to-die campaigner Debbie Purdy has said there is no-one she would rather have at the forefront of the campaign than best-selling author Sir Terry Pratchett.

Sir Terry called for assisted death to be legalised in a Richard Dimbleby lecture in which he suggested that a “tribunal” should be set up to give seriously-ill people permission to get help to die.

He said he will offer himself as a test case for such a body, which would include a legal expert in family affairs and a doctor who had dealt with serious, long-term illness.

Multiple sclerosis sufferer Miss Purdy, of Undercliffe, Bradford, whose efforts led to new guidelines being brought out for prosecutors in assisted suicide cases, backed Sir Terry’s call and agreed an independent body could have a say on certain matters.

Miss Purdy, 46, said: “If the people who oppose the change in the law think that the courts are a reasonable place to interpret the law, surely they believe a tribunal could be put together that could have adequate compassion, or greater compassion.”

Sir Terry said he wanted to see a tribunal set up where people who have incurable diseases could apply for assistance, and measures would be in place to make sure that they were of sound mind and not being influenced by anyone else.

Miss Purdy said: “He’s an articulate person – he’s so funny and so witty and I think he showed very clearly that the whole thing is not about the right to die, it’s about the right to live.

“A really important point that he makes is if he knew he would be able to die at the last possible moment, every day would be worth a million pounds.

“I have described it as having a law in place which is a safety net – you don’t plan on falling off and testing it’s strength but it makes you feel safer that it is there.

“I think he is such an incredible guy to have on side because he is articulate, intelligent, witty and passionate and I can’t think of anybody I would rather have making a case for me.

“And that is effectively what he is doing – making a case for me and the 800 members of Dignitas in the UK and the thousands of people who can’t afford to contemplate travelling to Switzerland.”

The best-selling author, who has Alzheimer’s disease, told an audience at the Royal College of Physicians: “If I knew that I could die at any time I wanted, then suddenly every day would be as precious as a million pounds.

“If I knew that I could die, I would live. My life, my death, my choice.”

e-mail: james.rush @telegraphandargus.co.uk