Healthy British mother dies at Swiss suicide clinic aged 56: Former care worker ends her life after she was heartbroken over death of her son in tragic accident

A healthy British mother, too heartbroken to live after the death of her young son, took her own life in Switzerland today, aged just 56.

Wendy Duffy paid out £10,000 of her savings to die at the controversial Pegasos ‘suicide clinic’ in Basel on Friday; this case created a sharp divide in opinion in the UK.

Pegasos’s passing, which he described as a “smart suicide”, took place on the same day that the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was expected to fail because the House of Lords had run out of time to debate the entire bill.

Pegasos founder Ruedi Habegger said today: ‘I can confirm that Wendy Duffy was helped to die at her own request on 24 April and that the procedure was completed without incident and entirely in accordance with her wishes.

‘I can also confirm that neither we nor any team of professionals who assessed his mental capacity have any doubt as to his intention, understanding and independence of both thought and action. ‘Historically, under British law, his was a case of ‘sane suicide’.’

Ms Duffy, a former care worker from the West Midlands, was in good health and thought to be of sound mind before she died.

But four years ago she lost her only child, 23-year-old Marcus, in shocking circumstances. His ‘beautiful son’ choked on a tomato that got into his windpipe while eating a sandwich, leaving his brain deprived of oxygen.

Wendy chose to die wearing one of his T-shirts because “it still carries his scent,” he said.

“I’m going to see Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars sing Die With A Smile,” she added with a smile, speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail this week.

Read Wendy’s full exclusive interview with the Daily Mail’s Jenny Johnston here; Here, Wendy explains in heartbreaking detail the reasons behind her year-long decision.

His only child, 23-year-old Marcus, died under shocking circumstances four years ago. He choked on a tomato that got into his windpipe while eating a sandwich.

The mother of one emphasized that her decision to take her own life was a ‘happy’ decision because her ‘soul could be free’.

‘It will be difficult for everyone. But I want to die. There will be a smile on my face when I do this, so please be happy for me. My life; “It’s my choice,” Wendy said.

‘If only this was available in the UK then I wouldn’t have to go to Switzerland.’

Pegasos insists the application process for dying at his clinic is strict.

A panel of experts, including psychiatrists, accepted his application after months of evaluation and access to all his medical records.

Wendy boarded a plane to Switzerland with a one-way ticket and passed away this morning.

He insisted that his ‘beautiful son’ Marcus would understand his decision.

Wendy revealed her plans to die because she said she wanted to draw attention to the ‘unfairness’ of the current system on her family.

‘I could jump off a motorway bridge or a skyscraper, but that would make everyone see me dealing with this for the rest of their lives,’ he said.

Marcus’ death and the fact that Wendy, who had medical training, tried to perform CPR on him has also haunted him ever since.

When asked what she would think of the decision to die this way, Wendy said poignantly: ‘I think he’ll probably say, ‘Take that dog, Mum, develop your ideas,’ but he’ll understand eventually.’

Wendy says she already tried to take her own life and failed. It left him on a ventilator but he recovered.

His four sisters and two brothers were aware of his decision to go to Switzerland.

However, for their own protection, he did not inform his family about the timeline; if anyone had traveled with him or in any way aided his suicide they would have risked a police investigation, if not prosecution in the UK.

Profiting from assisted dying is prohibited under Swiss law and Pegasos is a non-profit organisation.

Clients pay for medication, doctor fees (they are capped at earning no more than at the hospital), and funeral expenses. Some of the funds also go to the Swiss state.

Growing concerns about taxpayers spending money on ‘death tourism’ has led to a deal being reached between clinics and authorities; Thus, police and coroner fees, which are routine in every death, are covered by the clinics.

Pegasos founder Ruedi Habegger told the Daily Mail: ‘There is a red line we cannot cross, otherwise it would not be assisted suicide; In fact, you could call it murder.’

Wendy was so devastated by the loss of her only son, Marcus, that she decided to complete the application process for assisted dying in Switzerland.

Wendy isn’t the first Brit to go to the Pegasos clinic, but no one has spoken so openly before.

Last year, a Welsh woman named Anne secretly ended her life at the Pegasos clinic after telling her family that she was going on holiday.

Opponents of any change to the law on assisted dying in the UK have long held the view that if terminally ill people are given the ‘right’ to die under any circumstances, then it will not be long before those who are not nearing the end of life can demand the same right.

Alistair Thompson, spokesman for Care Not Killing, told the Daily Mail: ‘This is a tragic case that highlights the real dangers of legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia.

‘In recent years we have seen people with diabetes, eating disorders and even disfigured people applying to end their lives under assisted dying legislation.

‘We think there is no safe system anywhere in the world and that is why the House of Lords looks set to reject assisted dying legislation in Parliament this week.

‘What we need to do is focus on good palliative care rather than turning a blind eye to the deaths of people who are clearly suffering in different ways.

‘We have seen cases in the past where people have had their hearts broken. We saw a case in Canada where a man resorted to assisted dying because he was homeless, there are many tragic cases like this.

That’s the problem. ‘When you legalize assisted killing, it’s just a matter of who is eligible and when they are eligible, and you end up with tragic and heartbreaking cases like this.’

Labor MP Rachel Maskell, who voted against assisted dying, said: ‘Complex grief needs to be much better understood and supported.

‘Nothing is more tragic than losing your own child in unexpected circumstances, but Wendy’s story highlights why there needs to be much more investment in trauma management; The answer is not to take your own life.

‘While investing in trauma-informed approaches to bereavement is vital, services need to be improved rapidly for those with persistent mental health problems.

‘However, I believe we have another mission; ‘The Pegasos clinic in Switzerland should alarm us and if we, the Parliament, want to protect people at their most vulnerable, we must explore ways to protect them from using their ‘services’.’

There have been protests outside Parliament this week by dying supporters; Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter says she is ‘furious’ at the House of Lords after accusing them of obstructing the vote through ‘democratic vandalism’.

Wendy applied to the Pegasos clinic in Switzerland. Pegasos insist application process for dying at their clinic is strict

Rebecca Wilcox said: ‘There is a real human cost to this delay, this lack of voting, this lack of choice.

‘It truly is a sea of ​​warmth, pink, smiles and love here today, but I can’t help but feel incredibly angry that we’re here again when we should be celebrating a vote.’

Dame Esther, 85, has been a leading voice in support of assisted dying since she was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2023, but was unable to attend the protest herself because she was in palliative care.

MP Kim Leadbeater, who first proposed the legislation to Parliament as a Private Members’ Bill in October 2024, told protesters it was “democratically and morally wrong for the House of Lords to consider the bill and allow it to fall.”

Opponents of assisted dying have been accused of using ‘procedural tactics’ to block the bill after more than 1,000 amendments were tabled in the upper house.

The bill passed the House of Commons twice, but received a narrower majority the second time.

For the current bill to become law, further revision stages had to be completed in the House of Lords by Friday for both Houses to agree on the final text to be written into the statute book.

Publisher Prue Leith, who attended the protest, also said she was “furious” and that what the House of Lords “did” was “criminal”.

Supporters of the bill claimed there were ‘plenty’ of backbench MPs willing to revive it after the next parliamentary session, which starts on May 13.

A survey last year found that three-quarters of Britons support assisted dying, while more than half say they would consider going to Switzerland for assisted dying if they were terminally ill.

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