It’s the story that’s dividing many people. Did Jeffrey Spector really need to die?
The family snapshot appears to show a regular dinner out at the local curry house.
On one end of the table, 54-year-old Jeffrey Spector smiles at the camera wearing a crisp white shirt; around him, beaming teenage daughters and bespectacled friends pose before their heavily laden plates, as the precious moment is captured on camera.
Looking at the image, you’d never guess it portrayed Mr Spector’s last day on earth.
But the morning after this last supper, Spector took his life.
What’s more, his loving family knew of his plans months in advance.
The reason for this sad conclusion? Spector had an inoperable, though not terminal, tumor on his spinal cord and was facing the choice of either a risky surgery that would most likely end in him being paralysed, or living out his days in pain as he slowly deteriorated, Mail Online reports.
Opting not to live a life lacking in quality — or so he feared — Mr Spector made the difficult decision to euthanise himself.
Euthanasia is illegal in the United Kingdom, and anyone complicit in this ‘suicide’ can be considered a murderer — so the businessman chose to travel abroad to where the act is legal.
Euthanasia: Should an individual have the right to die?
That’s why, on the 20th of May, Mr Spector flew with his wife Elaine, 53, and their three daughters, Keleigh, 21, Courtney, 19, and Camryn, 15, to Switzerland.
The family spent two final days with their dad before accompanying him to the Dignitas clinic in Zurich — a facility they knew he was never going to leave.
There, on May 22, for around $16,640 (8,400 pounds), the clinic assisted Spector to die with the aid of a heavy dose of barbiturates.
Mr Spector’s decision to end his life has refueled debate surrounding right-to-die laws – particularly because the businessman’s condition was not believed to be terminal.
“I am going too early because of the law in the UK,” Spector said in his final days, MailOnline reports. “If the law was changed I would not be doing it today.”
He added that he was “not scared” about his impending death.
“Some people will criticise me but do not judge me. Never judge anyone unless you have worn their shoes,” he added in an interview with the Telegraph UK.
Related content: Tanya Plibersek: “My dad had the right to die with dignity.”
His loving family has acknowledged that Mr Spector had been “absolutely clear in his mind” that euthanasia was the right course for him, and that they “supported and respected Jeffrey’s decision 100 per cent”.
After Mr Spector’s death last week, his grieving family released this statement via their lawyer:
In 2009, Jeffrey Spector was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour at the top of his spine.
Naturally, we were devastated with that news but as was his positive and proactive manner, Jeffrey set about researching ways in which he could obtain the best possible treatment for what was a difficult long term prognosis.
When it became clear that Jeffrey’s condition was not curable, Jeffrey contacted Dignitas shortly after his diagnosis, as he was absolutely clear in his mind that when the time came he wanted to end his own life with dignity.
Jeffrey was particularly clear that he did not want to live a life in which he was paralysed and reliant on his family to care for him.
Earlier this year, Jeffrey’s condition deteriorated to such an extent that he believed he would soon be permanently and completely paralysed. Accordingly, he made an appointment to go to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland to end his own life. Whilst this was, of course, a difficult and painful time, as a family we supported and respected Jeffrey’s decision 100 per cent.
On Wednesday 20 May 2015, Jeffrey travelled to Zurich for that very purpose and on Friday 22 May 2015, Jeffrey ended his own life in exactly the manner and at exactly the time he wanted.
Whilst we are now in a state of all consuming grief and miss Jeffrey very much, we also recognise that he is now at peace and away from the fear which surrounded him in the last few weeks of his life. Jeffrey ended his life with dignity and control which was his overwhelming desire.
Jeffrey leaves a widow, Elaine and three daughters, Keleigh aged 21, Courtney aged 19 and Camryn aged 15. They now ask that they be left to privately grieve as a family.
(Obtained by news.com.au.)
MailOnline reports Mr Spector started exploring the services of the Dignitas clinic a year after his diagnosis. He had his death planned once before, but rescheduled to allow his daughter to study for her school exams.
Dignitas requires its patients to be of sound mind and reasonable health in order to undergo euthanasia.
Our thoughts are with Mr Spector’s family and friends.
Do you think euthanasia should be legalised in Australia?
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Top Comments
Very sad he made this choice. In his head he had 'pictured' the worst case scenarios and made decisions on these I can imagine. He had a big family who I'm sure would have wanted to support him to stay alive over him choosing death.
Also I think that being disabled isn't living without dignity. It cannot be easy of course, I cared for a lady with sever cerebral palsy and she had moments when she did not want to live. But they were small moments in a life that she accomplished so much for someone who had control over only their eye movements (a degree, marriage etc). I think this is such a sad story. I won't get into the debate about euthanasia, but this is a different debate I think. And now I just feel terribly sorry for the family who now have to live with this.
So sad. He might have had a successful operation and lived a long happy life but he decided not to take that chance!