Hand-in-hand British musician, wife commit suicide

By JILL LAWLESS
updated 10:34 p.m. ET, Tues., July 14, 2009

LONDON - He spent his life conducting world-renowned orchestras, but
was almost blind and growing deaf — the music he loved increasingly
out of reach. His wife of 54 years had been diagnosed with terminal
cancer. So Edward and Joan Downes decided to die together.

Downes — Sir Edward since he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in
1991 — and his wife ended their lives last week at a Zurich clinic run
by the assisted suicide group Dignitas. They drank a small amount of
clear liquid and died hand-in-hand, their two adult children by their
side. He was 85 and she was 74.

The deaths were a poignant coda to Edward Downes' illustrious musical
career, and have reignited a debate in Britain about whether people
should be able to help ailing loved ones end their lives.

continues:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31901344/

On Jul 15, 2:53*pm, twisted <thenited... (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:
So do it.

twisted <thenitedude (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote in news:254111f5-325f-40fb-ac72-
3be12b0bffae (AT) d32g2000yqh (DOT) googlegroups.com:

You ask why can't you do this. The answer is, you can, just
like the British couple: go to Switzerland.

(assisted suicide is illegal in the UK, just like here)

John

John McCoy <igopogo (AT) ix (DOT) netcom.com> wrote in
news:Xns9C49E26678421pogosupernews (AT) 216 (DOT) 168.3.30:

Everything is illegal in the U.S.