Allowing assisted suicide would be like opening the door to hell

Esther Rantzen’s petition to legalise assisted dying received more than 200,000 signatories, triggering a parliamentary debate. Christian Concern’s Andrea Williams is calling on politicians to protect the sanctity of life

Shortly after she was married, Nikki Kenward contracted Guillain-Barré Syndrome. The condition left her ‘locked in’, with the ability only to blink one eye. Her husband, Merv, was understandably devastated. Nikki says that, at the time, she didn’t want to live: “I think if my family had been asked by the hospital, they would have opted to end my life. I hadn’t seen my son for months and the thought of him being without me broke my heart more than what was happening to me.”

Now, having seen her son grow up and get married, she is grateful that there was not the choice for her or her family to make. “I believe that suicide is not the answer, the answer is to be cared for with absolutely brilliant, palliative care”, she says.

Nikki and Merv shared their story at a Westminster rally organised to protest against a debate to legalise assisted suicide in the UK. If there were a change in the law, said Nikki, it would be “opening the door to hell, and it will change how we see society.”