Conductor ends his life along with terminally ill wife.
FULL STORY: Conductor dies in suicide centre
This is expected to stir up some shit with the pro assisted-suicide and anti assisted-suicide assisted people because while Edward Downes' wife was terminally ill, he was not.Renowned British conductor Sir Edward Thomas Downes, CBE, has died at the age of 85, after travelling to the assisted suicide centre Dignitas with his wife.
He and his 74-year-old wife Joan, who was terminally ill, chose to end their lives at the Swiss centre, their family said in a statement.
According to the statement, the couple "died peacefully, and under circumstances of their own choosing".
Sir Edward had a 40-year relationship with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
"Our father, who was 85 years old, almost blind and increasingly deaf, had a long, vigorous and distinguished career as a conductor," his family said.
"Our mother, who was 74, started her career as a ballet dancer and subsequently worked as a choreographer and TV producer, before dedicating the last years of her life to working as our father's personal assistant.
"They both lived life to the full and considered themselves to be extremely lucky to have lived such rewarding lives, both professionally and personally.
"After 54 happy years together, they decided to end their own lives rather than continue to struggle with serious health problems."
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said their deaths were being investigated by Greenwich CID, as assisted suicide is illegal in Britain under the Suicide Act.
At least 115 people from the UK have gone to Switzerland to die but, as yet, no-one has been prosecuted.
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I really don't understand the argument against people rationally and willfully choosing the way they want to leave this life.
Suicide, if it's a product of mental illness or reversible circumstances, is unequivocally bad.
Choosing to die because you feel you've lived a long and happy life, though? I don't see what's so wrong with that.
Good for them. Save a little dignity there at the end, it's what I would want if I was lucid and rapidly going blind and deaf and/or dying of a terminal disease.
Man, if I wasn't already depressed as fuck ENOUGH.
This.Originally Posted by Treacle
Having control of your own body is a fundamental human right.
When I saw the title of the thread I thought "train conductor."
Being deaf and blind is undignified?
Sounds like they went out with their dignity. And together, which is sweet.
I think one argument is that someone could be influenced into it.
Also with your point three, choosing to die because you feel you've lived a long and happy life. What if they've lived a short life? What if they choose to commit suicide over something minor?
Being a music conducter, with a loving wife, to being a man alone with no way way to communicate, you might be able to talk, but you wouldnt be able to get responses. also getting around would be almost impossible.
i'd consider that a rather shitty existence.
Even without that though, why should anyone be able to tell another person they can't end their life?
And I don't want a religious answer....
From all that I've read about Sir Edward, his wife and his music meant everything to him. They were his life. I guess going on without his wife, and eventually losing his music was not the life he wanted to live.
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