Eastenders – Peggy Mitchell storyline

Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying, said:

“Millions of people across the UK have been deeply moved by the story of Peggy Mitchell’s suffering and her heart-wrenching decision to take her own life on tonight’s episode.

“While Peggy’s tragic story is fictional, it highlights a very real issue which will resonate with many people who are suffering with a terminal illness. In England over 350 dying people end their own lives every year.

“No one should be put in the position Peggy was, agonising over whether her loved ones could or should help her to die. Nor should anyone feel forced to take their own lives behind closed doors or to travel to Switzerland to die, for example. Rather than feeling powerless in the face of a terminal illness, we believe, along with 82% of the public, that people should have choice and control at the end of life, including the option of doctor-assisted dying for terminally ill people if they want it.

“Join Dignity in Dying in the campaign to make safe, legal assisted dying an option for terminally ill, mentally competent adults in the UK.”

***ENDS***

For media enquiries please contact ellie.ball@dignityindying.org.uk / 07725 433 025

About Dignity in Dying
Dignity in Dying campaigns for greater choice, control and access to services at the end of life. It advocates providing terminally ill adults with the option of an assisted death, within strict legal safeguards, and for universal access to high quality end-of-life care.