Diana Rigg made an impassioned plea for legalizing assisted dying in a message recorded shortly before her “truly terrible” and “dehumanizing” death from cancer three years ago.
The actor's statement calling for a law that “gives people real control over their own bodies at the end of life”, published today in the Observeradds to the ongoing debate on assisted dying, with MPs expected to publish recommendations to the government within weeks.
It was released by her actor daughter, Rachael Stirling, who promised the star The Avengers TV series and Game of Thrones that she would share the message with the public.
In the recording, Rigg says: “They don't talk about how terrible, how truly terrible the details of this situation are, and the shame associated with it. Well, it's high time they did. And it is high time that there is some movement in the law to give people in my position choice. This means that people gain real control over their own bodies at the end of their lives. This means that people must be given political autonomy over their own deaths.”
Rigg recorded her statement on a cassette recorder given to her by her son-in-law, musician Guy Garvey.
She vividly describes the last weeks of her illness: 'I have cancer, and it's everywhere, and I have six months to live. And I'm not afraid to describe the least appealing aspects of my condition: the fact is that I have lost control of my bowels. This to meis the most inhumane thing that can happen.
“We were in the bathroom again this morning, my beloved daughter and I, half laughing and half crying, taking a shower together, and it was loving and kind, but it shouldn't have happened. And if I could have beamed myself off this mortal coil at that moment, I certainly would have done it there and then.
“Any palliative care nurse will tell you that patients often end up starving themselves as a means to an end. The body becomes weaker, the organs shut down. It's not that they want to die that way. This is how they take control.
“No one is talking about this.” They talk about the pain and fear, she says, but not the horrible details of the condition.
It is currently illegal in Britain for someone to assist in the death of another person.
Rigg – who was diagnosed with lung cancer in March 2020 and died in September at the age of 82 – explains why she is speaking out: “I have always spoken out. I spoke out when I was very young The Avengers, and discovered I was making less than the cameraman. I spoke for peace in Vietnam, in Northern Ireland. I marched for peace in Iraq. I stood up for what's right. I speak my mind. I always have.
“If I see something is unfair, I will do my best to address it. I think this is unfair. I think it's unfair that I don't have a choice. I think it's unfair that other people don't have a choice.”
Rigg is the latest high-profile figure whose views on the issue have become public. Prue Leith, the restaurateur and Great British bake-off judge, is a passionate advocate for assisted dying after watching her brother David die of bone cancer in 2012 when he “endured weeks of pain.”
Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby and his brother Nicholas, a sculptor who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease earlier this year, recently discussed their shared belief in the right to die on BBC Radio 4.
According to a July Ipsos Mori poll, 65% of people in Britain believe it should become legal for a doctor to voluntarily help a sane adult with less than six months to live to take his own life, subject to confirmation by the Supreme Court. .
The issue is currently being investigated by a select committee of MPs, who have heard testimony from both sides of the debate. The recommendations to the government are expected to be published in the new year.
The Swiss-based charity for the dying told the committee it had helped 540 Britons commit suicide over the past 20 years.
A private member's bill on assisted dying in England and Wales was introduced to the House of Lords by Molly Meacher in May 2021 and passed its second reading, but no progress was made before the end of the parliamentary session. Assisted dying legislation is improving in Scotland, the Isle of Man and Jersey.
Australia, New Zealand and ten US states have legislation that allows choice for terminally ill, mentally competent adults. There are broader laws in force in Switzerland, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada and Colombia. Campaigners against assisted dying have warned that legalizing the practice in Britain would increase the risk of coercion and elder abuse. In Canada, where the law has recently changed, there are reports of people being offered assisted dying if they do not have adequate access to social support and care.
Alistair Thompson, spokesperson for the Make sure you don't kill campaign group believes that the more people hear about what is happening in other countries, the more danger they see in changing the law. “There has been a slow but growing change in public mood. People realize that it is the least fortunate in society, the poorest, those who have no voice, who are much more likely to be pressured to end their lives.
“If there are people who are experiencing pain, we need to treat their pain. If someone is feeling suicidal, we should support and help them, not give them the keys to the drug cabinet.”
Sarah Wootton, the CEO of Dignity in Dying, a charity supporting a change in the law, said: “The Canadian law is much, much broader than the law we are calling for, which is Australia. America and New Zealand. I think the most dangerous thing you can do is nothing. A blanket ban is much more dangerous than arranging what happens in advance, with transparency and supervision of the status quo.”
Some people's suffering is beyond the reach of even good palliative care, she added, but it shouldn't be an “either, or”; more investment should be made in palliative care and in the legalization of assisted dying.
“We must make end-of-life care suitable for the 21st century, and this also includes the choice to accelerate the unbearable dying process for someone. It is a patient-driven movement that will ultimately force that change.”
Referring to prominent supporters of the campaign, she said: “They are giving a voice to the thousands of people across the country, from all walks of life, who are suffering. Even if people are lucky enough to be able to afford the £15,000 to go to Switzerland, that is no substitute for dying at home surrounded by loved ones.”