You’re right , Stefan, that is a lovely story . Here , on the other hand, is a story that is anything but lovely:
A wealthy British couple who both had terminal cancer have committed suicide together at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.
Peter and Penny Duff, from Bath, are the first Britons to die at the controversial clinic since the Lord Chief Justice signalled that anyone helping a terminally ill person to organize an assisted suicide abroad would not be prosecuted . . . . .
Mr Duff, 80, a retired wine consultant, and his 70-year-old wife are believed to have been helped to end their lives last Friday with an overdose of barbiturates. Mr Duff founded, with Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, the Wine Guild of Great Britain and was executive president of the International Wine and Spirit Competition. He also founded the pressure group Alcohol in Moderation (AIM).
The couple’s daughter Helena Conibear, said that her parents had done a “beautiful and remarkable thing”. She said: “It is an amazing story, but because of the legal issues involved we are unable to discuss it at this stage.” She declined to say whether any members of the family accompanied her parents to Zurich.
As Augustine said, “The Devil is the ape of God.” Or, as Gary Larson said, “Welcome to heaven, here is your harp. / Welcome to hell, here is your accordion.” Take your pick.
