A former RAF engineer and his retired nurse wife have signed up to become the first British couple to use a double suicide pod.
Peter and Christine Scott made the decision after she was recently diagnosed with early-stage vascular dementia.
The couple – married for 46 years – plan to die in each other’s arms in the death capsule after travelling to Switzerland, the Mail on Sunday reports.
Following discussions with their son and daughter, who reluctantly accept their choice, the Scotts said they were motivated by fears of suffering years of infirmity within a failing NHS and losing their home and life savings to pay crippling care costs.
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Mr Scott, 86, and his 80-year-old wife – who have six grandchildren – are now in the process of registering with The Last Resort, a Swiss-based organisation that offers assisted dying in the Sarco pod, unveiled in July.
Mr Scott, of Mellis, Suffolk said: “We have had long, happy, healthy, fulfilled lives but here we are in old age and it does not do nice things to you.
“The idea of watching the slow degradation of Chris’s mental abilities in parallel to my own physical decline is horrific to me.
“Obviously I would care for her to the point I could not, but she has nursed enough people with dementia during her career to be adamant she wants to remain in control of herself and her life. Assisted dying gives her that opportunity and I would not want to go on living without her.
“We understand other people may not share our feelings and we respect their position. What we want is the right to choose. I find it deeply depressing we can’t do that here in the UK.
Mrs Scott, who has already planned her final days, added: “I’d like to go walking with Peter in the Swiss Alps, by a river. I’d have a beautiful plate of fish for my last supper, and enjoy a great bottle of Merlot.
“I’d make a playlist including Wild Cat Blues and The Young Ones by Cliff Richard and I’ve found a poem called Miss Me But Let Me Go, which sums up exactly how I feel.”
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Assisting someone to end their life is currently a criminal offence in England and Wales.
Labour MP Jake Richards last week signalled his intention to bring forward a proposed law to “reform our archaic assisted dying laws” with a Commons debate.
Former Labour justice secretary Lord Falconer of Thoroton has introduced the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill in the House of Lords, which is expected to be debated in mid-November.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also previously acknowledged the need to debate the divisive issue, but said he is “uncharacteristically undecided” on the topic.
