British TV Makes A Killing In The Ratings

Britain's obsession with reality television reached new heights-- or a new low-- on Wednesday night when Sky TV broadcast the assisted suicide a 59-year-old terminally ill American at a Swiss clinic. Near the end of the documentary, Craig Ewert, a former computer scientist from Chicago, is shown lying in bed with his wife at his side; after he takes barbiturates, he uses his teeth to turn off his ventilator — and dies on camera.

Showing the final moment of death had long been a final taboo, even for no-holds-barred British TV, where sex and violence are common, and the broadcast unleashed debate on an issue that strongly divides public opinion.

Photographs of Ewert's final moments dominated Britain's newspaper front pages Wednesday — "SUICIDE TV" screamed one tabloid — and prompted a debate in Parliament, where Prime Minister Gordon Brown was quizzed about the propriety of the decision to air the program.

In the film, Ewert says he wanted to take action before the disease, which destroys cells that control essential muscle activity such as speaking, walking, breathing and swallowing, left him completely incapacitated.

The documentary shows Ewert and his wife going about their daily routine: Mary cleans her husband's teeth, bathes, shaves and feeds him as he bows his head.

Speaking in a reedy voice and breathing deeply from plastic tubes attached to his nose, Ewert said he felt like "empty shell." He said some people might say: "No, suicide is wrong, God has forbidden it. Fine, but you know what? This ventilator is God."

Before the pair leave for Switzerland, he is wheeled through a local park. "I see the plants, and they're dying, and I'm dying too," he muses. "They'll be coming back next spring — I'm unlikely to. I think I can take my bow, and say: Thanks, it's been fun."

In an emotional message to his adult son and daughter, who appear in the program, Ewert asked for understanding. "I would hope that this is not a cause of major distress to those who love me," he said, using a voice-activated computer to speak. "This is a journey I must make."

At the same time, he acknowledged, "My dear sweet wife will have the greatest loss, as we have been together for 37 years in the greatest intimacy."

The program shows Ewert being interviewed by Dr. Hans-Jurg Schweizer in Zurich, Switzerland. Schweizer, who is responsible for filling out the lethal prescriptions, gives his approval and wishes him a "happy journey."

Later, Ewert is set up on a small yellow bed in a nondescript room; as the technicians get ready, his wife says her goodbyes. "Have a safe journey," she says, tearing up. "See you sometime."

Ewert chokes down the lethal cocktail, slurping apple juice through a pink straw to blot out the taste as the ninth movement of Beethoven's symphony plays in the background. His wife holds his hand as he begins dying.