A woman who confessed to administering a lethal dosage of morphine to her child in 1981 in order to alleviate his agony has, herself, passed away after committing assisted suicide.
Antonya Cooper, 77, of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, died over the weekend, according to a statement from her family. She had been diagnosed with terminal cancers of the breast, pancreas, and liver.
She had only lately admitted the truth regarding her son Hamish, who was seven years old, in an attempt to influence legislation regarding assisted suicide.
The conduct in question is deemed unlawful in England, and the matter is presently under investigation, according to the police.
Mrs. Cooper was at rest, pain-free, at home with her beloved family, according to Tabitha, her daughter. Her terms defined both her life and her death.
Officers from the Thames Valley Police visited the family, she added, when news of her son’s death broke last Wednesday.
Hamish had a rare and aggressive neuroblastoma, which primarily affects youngsters.
After sixteen months of therapy, she claimed to have gently terminated his life by administering a significant quantity of morphine through his Hickman Catheter.
She stated her firm belief that her son understood what was about to happen when authorities asked her if he knew something about her plans to terminate his life. He has asked his mother for help regarding his agony, and she told him she could take his pain away.
She said she felt he genuinely understood what she was going to do. She added that, as his mother, who loved him very much, she was not going to let him suffer.
“I did the right thing,” she continued.
His pain, along with her health problems, she added, had solidified her views on assisted suicide.
Proponents of the so-called “right to die” have maintained that individuals should have the autonomy to decide on their end-of-life care in order to alleviate unnecessary suffering.
Some worry that vulnerable individuals may feel pressured to take their own lives if the legislation were to be changed since they would be seen as a financial or emotional burden.
During a recent parliamentary discussion, lawmakers deliberated the subject; the administration subsequently stated that it was a question of conscience for lawmakers rather than a policy problem.
