Simon’s Choice: BBC broadcasts father taking his own life at Swiss suicide clinic

Richard Hartley-Parkinson

Simon holds his wife hand as he plays his final message to his wife (Picture: BBC)

Last night the BBC aired a moving documentary called How to Die: Simon’s Choice, filming the final moments of Simon Binner in a Swiss suicide clinic.
Those who watched it were moved to tears by the businessman’s death with his wife, Debbie, at his side at the clinic in Switzerland.

Simon's final words to his wife

‘Hi Debbie, it’s Simon here, I’ve loved you very, very much Debbie. I haven’t deserved you or Hannah or Zoe. Such loving and caring young ladies, and I’ve been such a grumpy gruffalo for much of the time.
‘But I really love you Debbie. We’ve had such a fun and laughter-filled marriage, we were really blessed to have found one another.
‘The one blessing of a slow decline is that we’ve had time to speak about things over 10 long months, not like losing me in a car smash.
‘We’ve really said everything that needs to be said. You’ve been a truly fantastic wife to me Debbie and I know that you loved me and I’ve loved you.
‘Anyway, time and tide wait for no man, I love you very much Debbie. Goodbye.’

He was suffering from motor neurone disease which had left him unable to speak. There was nothing that could be done to slow or stop the disease.
Towards the end of the documentary, a message is played to his wife and they hold one another’s hand.
In his other hand, Simon holds the drip that will administer the drug to end his life.
The camera pans away from 57-year-old Simon before going to a black screen, not actually showing his body once he has ended his own life.
However, the programme has now ignited a debate about assisted dying, indeed his wife was against his choice, but that it was the lesser of two evils.
The Samaritans are believed to have put pressure on the BBC and some scenes were cut short as a result of this, according to some reports.
The BBC was criticised of ‘advertising’ suicide with spokesman Alister Thompson for Care Not Killing telling the Daily Mail: ‘It raises serious concerns for us.

Simon administers the drugs that kill him before the camera pans away (Picture: BBC)

‘Showing scenes like that on national television risks skewing what people think about assisted suicide and sidelines the alternatives, such as hospice and palliative care.
‘It gives the impression that if you’re disabled or terminally ill your life is somehow worthless and you should kill yourself. Suicide is the biggest killer of young men in this country and the more it is normalised, the more people will think of it as a way out.’
However, in the main, people who aired their views about Simon’s decision were moved by what happened and think it is time for a debate on the issue.

Mel Treloggan @trogmama

Still feeling super emotional after watching How to Die last night. So very sad #SimonBinner #simonschoice http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b070jm26 …

8:07 PM - 11 Feb 2016

How to Die: Simon's Choice - BBC Two

The BBC said: ‘This is a sensitive observational documentary following one family’s experience of assisted death, which explores some of the complex questions at the heart of this deeply divisive issue.
‘he film does not serve to support either argument or intend to wholly represent the debate.’