Coronation Street storyline puts focus on assisted suicide debate

Categories: In The Media.

The emotional portrayal of Hayley’s illness and subsequent decision to commit suicide has catapulted the issue into the public eye and, in turn, has brought focus on assisted suicide and the ‘right to die’ debate.

In last night’s double bill – which attracted  more than nine million viewers – Hayley brought her suffering to an end before the treatment for cancer rendered her incapable of doing so.

Determined not to implicate her husband Roy in her suicide, Hayley had planned everything and even his last minute pleas for her to change her mind did not soften her resolve.

In a recent Radio Times interview, actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, who played Hayley Cropper, spoke about the effect the story may have on viewers of the show:

“I hope that people are going to be able to stick with it. If you’re going to show someone dying of a really terrible kind of cancer then you can’t shy away from how horrible it is. In a way, viewers are happier to see a brutal murder because it doesn’t say anything to them about their lives, but Hayley’s story and cancer in general touches so many people.”

“I know some people are finding some comfort from seeing their experiences portrayed on screen,” she added:

In an emotional clip on YouTube taken from last night’s episode, the couple can be seen saying goodbye.

Hayley tells Roy: “I’d not swap the few years we’ve had for a thousand of anyone else’s, because I know what it is to be loved, truly loved … I’m so sorry that I have to go.”


 

The assisted suicide debate

The soap has explored both sides of the suicide debate.

And the show will continue to follow the aftermath in the coming weeks as Roy struggles to deal with the fact that Hayley took her own life against his wishes.

Coronation Street Producer Stuart Blackburn explained the decision to explore this difficult and often controversial issue.

He said: “Hayley has been through such a lot in her life and is very concerned about losing control as the disease progresses. The palliative care Hayley receives is superb but she is scared and fears that pain relief could cause confusion and a loss of clarity. She feels taking control is the right thing for her to do.

“This is a very sensitive issue and we will be exploring the effects of her decision on husband Roy who has a huge emotional and moral dilemma over her choice to die this way.

“Not everyone will feel Hayley’s decision is the right one and we fully respect this, for that reason we will be exploring both sides of the debate on screen.”

The producer has been forced to defend the storyline against claims that the story was used to increase ratings of the ITV evening show.

Speaking to the Metro, Mr Blackburn said: “… of course we’re conscious of viewers but this story came from a very different place and the decisions we made every step of the way have been made to try and get truth and depth, actually knowing that sometimes that level of emotion could put viewers off but I’d rather take that risk than cheat it.

“There’s no doubt some of the story telling has been agonising, there’s been some such painful, painful moments and I do respect that.

“It would have been easy for us to look away from some of those moments; really, really easy. I think that’s when we would have been rightly accused of exploiting the subject matter and going for viewers if we’d taken the easy option. We’ve almost taken the reverse decision in a way.

Care Not Killing is an organisation that strongly opposes euthanasia.

Campaign Director, Dr Peter Saunders has vocalised his concerns about the media portrayal of suicide in an online article stating that “all media portrayal of suicide or assisted suicide has to be done with the utmost care and sensitivity so as not inadvertently to steer vulnerable people toward suicide.”

Dr Saunders continues to reference the World Health Organization international guidelines on suicide portrayal in the media.

He was keen to point out that bad media portrayal of suicide runs the very real risk of putting the lives of very vulnerable people in danger.

The Samaritans however, who offered advice to the programme in how to portray Hayley’s suicide, said their aim was always to help Coronation Street cover the issue “as safely as possible”.

The charity added: “Samaritans believes that shutting down coverage of suicide is unhelpful, as this could drive discussion underground and deter people from talking about their problems.”

The Samaritans have published their own media guidelines for reporting suicide which can be found online.

Hospice response

Ahead of last night’s episodes, St Helena Hospice in Essex responded to the heartbreaking storyline in the local press.

Mark Jarman-Howe, hospice Chief Executive, said: “The current storyline on Coronation Street relating to cancer sufferer Hayley and her decision to pursue an assisted suicide raises awareness of the difficult circumstances and decisions that people often have to face at the end of life.”

Following Hayley’s death on the show last night, however, two further hospices have spoken out.

St Nicholas Hospice Care in Suffolk said they were “saddened” by the fact that the character in the storyline chose to end her own life. Chief Executive, Barbara Gale added: …”we know that with the right care and support this can be an important and fulfilling time for patients and their families. Like many other hospices we aim to provide practical and emotional support for patients and families and we strive for dignity in dying.”

St Ann’s Hospice in Greater Manchester has also been very vocal in Manchester Evening News about its stance on assisted suicide, stating that it does not support the Assisted Dying Bill.

Clinical directors Dr Phillip Lomax and Rachel McMillan said in a statement: “St Ann’s Hospice is committed to the hospice care ethos which is to maximise the quality of life of people living with life-limiting illnesses and enhance patient dignity towards end of life. Experience shows that good hospice care can dramatically and positively change the way a person feels about their life.

“Naturally we are concerned about any legislation that would impact on a vulnerable person’s perception of the value of their life.”

They added: “Our priority is the patients in our care and their families and carers. Our care extends beyond the treatment of physical symptoms to consider the emotional, psychological, spiritual and social needs of our patients and their families, children and carers.

“At St Ann’s Hospice we believe there is much more that can be done to improve access and services for people living with life-limiting illnesses. The real debate should be centred on increased access to ‘assisted living’ not assisted dying.”

Assisted Dying Bill

The conclusion of Hayley’s story comes at a time when Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill is set to be debated in The House of Lords later this year.

The bill would enable terminally ill patients deemed to have no more than six months to live to be prescribed a fatal dose of drugs if they demonstrated that they have reached a “clear and settled intention” to end their life.

Speaking on the issue of assisted suicide, Jonathan Ellis, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Help the Hospices, said:

“Assisted dying is a complex subject that raises challenging ethical questions for hospice care. Help the Hospices recognises that across society there is a range of different views, and respects the right of everyone to take an individual position. It is our view that the question of whether there should be a change in the law is one for society to consider and for the Parliaments and Assemblies across the UK to decide.”

This article was updated at 10.55 am on 21 January.

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