Assisted suicide ‘warrior’ lauded

Cape Town-150507-The funeral service of Robin Stransham-Ford in the St Bernard's Catholic Church in Claremont: His sons Berkeley (left) and Ainslie Ford lead the pall bearers from the church. At the back are daughters Epiphany (left) and Felicity with his brother Michael. Picture Jeffrey Abrahams

Cape Town-150507-The funeral service of Robin Stransham-Ford in the St Bernard's Catholic Church in Claremont: His sons Berkeley (left) and Ainslie Ford lead the pall bearers from the church. At the back are daughters Epiphany (left) and Felicity with his brother Michael. Picture Jeffrey Abrahams

Published May 8, 2015

Share

Cape Town - A true comrade and a warrior who was enigmatic, charismatic and charming.

These are words which moved the St Bernard’s Catholic Church congregation to tears on Thursday as Michael Ford paid tribute to his younger brother, Robin James Stransham-Ford, who died last Thursday.

He died just hours before the high court in Pretoria ruled in favour of his application to be allowed an assisted suicide.

On Thursday Ford told friends and family about Stransham-Ford’s painful battle with prostate cancer. “He was in pain, but his final battle was to enshrine one’s right to dignity in our constitution and law.

“He believed that love overcomes hate and showed immense courage towards an outcome that will not benefit South Africa but the entire world. He believed that everyone should have the right to a dignified death and the courage he showed has made our family very proud.”

Professor Sean Davison served a five-month detention in New Zealand in 2010 after he helped his 85-year-old mother in an assisted suicide. She had terminal cancer.

Davison said Stransham-Ford had approached him for help at Human Dignity SA as he sought to take his plight to court.

“My thoughts are very much with the courage of Robin. He made a tremendous sacrifice for the benefit of others. By taking his death to the high court, he was sharing it with the world. He was a warrior until the end, and he set a precedent for anyone else who seeks the same ruling in future,” he said.

Davison said Stransham-Ford was suffering and in pain in the last week before his death, but “chose to hold on” to see the court process through to the end.

He said Human Dignity SA was busy preparing more cases to take to the high court this year.

Also at the funeral was IFP head Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who met Stransham-Ford in 2014 via his adviser, Dr Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, who committed suicide in 2014 after a long battle with lung cancer.

“I developed a massive respect for him and Mario. It was their own personal struggle with cancer that challenged them to turn their attention to this disease,” said Buthelezi.

“I respect the courage they showed and Robin especially, who has brought about a debate that may be very controversial, but that needs to be engaged as an issue of human dignity. The Medical Innovation Bill may yet become his greatest legacy, but it won’t be his only legacy.”

[email protected]

Cape Times

Related Topics: