Right to die should be an option

A mother's endorsement of her son's choice to die on his own terms is a powerful sentiment.

Victorian firefighter Troy Thornton and wife Christine.

A MOTHER'S endorsement of her son's choice to die on his own terms is a powerful sentiment.

Little Mountain mum Barbara Spencer said she supported terminally-ill people having the right to assisted dying before she learned her son Troy Thornton had developed multiple system atrophy.

The neurodegenerative disorder robbed him of his basic human functions to the point he decided he would take back control of his life through euthanasia.

Mrs Spencer was shocked when he told her two years ago he was going to travel overseas to have an assisted death and he didn't want her to be there.

It took her "a long time" to accept it but was able to make her peace with the decision before her son took off.

She had, after all, been a long-time supporter of euthanasia.

Mr Thornton died last month in a Swiss euthanasia clinic.

The fact he had to leave Australia so as not to break any laws frustrated her.

"He would have liked to have passed away with his family around him," Mrs Spencer said. "He could have done that had the law been right for him."

She said there needed to be laws restricting access to euthanasia so only suitable candidates could take that path.

"I still believe if there is no hope for you whatsoever and you don't want to be on this Earth any longer, you should be able to do that."

Having sat for an hour talking with a woman whose life has been consumed by the issue, it is hard to argue against those words.

Originally published as Right to die should be an option