Reaction to the sad news that Dr Ann McPherson CBE, Founder and Chair of Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying and Patron of Dignity in Dying, has died.

Dr Ann McPherson, Dignity in Dying Patron and founder of Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying has died from pancreatic cancer, aged 65. Ann was a powerful advocate for a change in the law on assisted dying and she will be greatly missed.

Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying said:

“All at Dignity in Dying are saddened by Ann’s death. In the two years since she became involved, Ann has done a huge amount for the campaign and she leaves an incredible legacy. The fact that she founded Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying; an organisation that now has over 400 members; was an active Patron of Dignity in Dying and continued to work tirelessly on other projects close to her heart, all at the late stages of terminal cancer, is a testament to her strength and tenacity.”

Joe Collier, Acting Chair, Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying (HPAD) said:

“Ann helped found HPAD expressly because she herself was terminally ill and wanted others in her position to have the choice of dying with dignity. We all knew she would die soon, and could not but be inspired by her courage, her drive, her selflessness and her unstinting leadership in her last years. We will miss her terribly but in her spirit we will work to change the law so that the cruelty (her word) of those who let her suffer horribly will soon be a thing of the past.”

Ends

Notes:

Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying:

• Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying (HPAD) believes that healthcare professionals have a duty of care to their patients, which informs their belief that people should not have to suffer against their wishes at the end of life. Alongside access to good quality end-of-life care and the right to refuse medical treatment, they believe that terminally ill, mentally competent adults should have the choice of an assisted death, subject to legal safeguards. http://www.hpad.org.uk/

Contacts:

For all Dignity in Dying media enquiries, please contact Jo Cartwright on 020 7479 7737 / 07725433025 or at jo.cartwright@dignityindying.org.uk.