Woman suffering from Crohn’s disease to pay £10,000 to end life in Switzerland after cuts to social care
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Version 0 of 1. A woman suffering from Crohn’s disease is set to pay £10,000 to a Swiss euthanasia clinic to end her life after Government cuts caused her to lose vital care. Marie Lopez, who has suffered from the debilitating digestive disorder for more than 30 years, has chosen to travel to the Lifecircle clinic in Basel in about three months' time. Nearly 10 years ago, social services cuts meant the amount of help she received in her home was reduced from 38 hours a week to seven, forcing her to pay someone to come instead. However the 54-year-old’s condition has since worsened and she is now seeking “to put an end to my misery". “Independent living in Britain is one of the biggest cons going. I paid 40 per cent tax in the UK for more than 20 years, but when I fell ill there was no real help,” the former city analyst told the Sunday Mirror. “The cuts are killing people and I do not want anyone else to suffer the way I have. This is not something I am doing on a whim or as a protest. Social services are not responsible for my illness or my full decision to die, but their actions, policies and the stress caused encouraged me to do it early.” Doctors at the Swiss clinic only agreed to register her after she made a desperate plea to escape her “incurable and progressive” disease. The clinic says it accepts only the most serious cases. A Buckinghamshire County Council spokesman said: "The council always works to assess and respond to individual needs in accordance with statutory frameworks. We do not comment on individual cases for legal reasons." It came as a senior advisor to Theresa May said disability benefits should only go to “really disabled people”. George Freeman, a Conservative MP and head of the Number 10 Downing Street policy unit, was defending plans to cut £3.7bn from personal independence payments (PIP). Disability charity Scope criticised Mr Freeman's comments and said it was concerned about the Government's "worrying" changes to PIP. |