Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Woman suffering from Crohn’s disease to pay £10,000 to end life in Switzerland after cuts to social care

'Social services are not responsible for my illness or my full decision to die, but their actions, policies and the stress caused encouraged me to do it early'

Lucy Pasha-Robinson
Monday 27 February 2017 16:09 EST
Comments
Maria Lopez says she wants to put 'an end to my misery'
Maria Lopez says she wants to put 'an end to my misery' (Screenshot)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A woman suffering from Crohn’s disease is set to pay £10,000 to a Swiss euthanasia clinic to end her life after Government cuts caused her to lose vital care.

Marie Lopez, who has suffered from the debilitating digestive disorder for more than 30 years, has chosen to travel to the Lifecircle clinic in Basel in about three months' time.

Nearly 10 years ago, social services cuts meant the amount of help she received in her home was reduced from 38 hours a week to seven, forcing her to pay someone to come instead.

However the 54-year-old’s condition has since worsened and she is now seeking “to put an end to my misery".

“Independent living in Britain is one of the biggest cons going. I paid 40 per cent tax in the UK for more than 20 years, but when I fell ill there was no real help,” the former city analyst told the Sunday Mirror.

“The cuts are killing people and I do not want anyone else to suffer the way I have. This is not something I am doing on a whim or as a protest. Social services are not responsible for my illness or my full decision to die, but their actions, policies and the stress caused encouraged me to do it early.”

Doctors ­at the Swiss clinic only agreed to register her after she made a desperate plea to escape her “incurable and progressive” disease. The clinic says it accepts only the most serious cases.

A Buckinghamshire County Council spokesman said: "The council always works to assess and respond to individual needs in accordance with statutory frameworks. We do not comment on individual cases for legal reasons."

It came as a senior advisor to Theresa May said disability benefits should only go to “really disabled people”.

George Freeman, a Conservative MP and head of the Number 10 Downing Street policy unit, was defending plans to cut £3.7bn from personal independence payments (PIP).

Disability charity Scope criticised Mr Freeman's comments and said it was concerned about the Government's "worrying" changes to PIP.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in