Overview

• Dame Esther Rantzen, diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer in 2023, has seen her treatments stop working, intensifying calls for assisted dying legislation.
• The Assisted Dying Bill, which narrowly limits eligibility to terminally ill adults, will have its second reading in the UK Parliament on May 16, 2025.
• Rebecca Wilcox, Rantzen’s daughter, has become a prominent advocate, emphasizing the bill’s safeguards, including oversight by a panel of doctors to prevent coercion.
• Rantzen has registered with Switzerland’s Dignitas clinic, citing the need for control over her end-of-life decisions if her suffering becomes unbearable.
• Despite progress, the UK bill’s implementation is delayed until at least 2029, prompting comparisons to the Isle of Man, where similar legislation awaits royal assent.