Dame Esther Rantzen, the renowned broadcaster and founder of Childline, has urged advocates for assisted dying to continue their campaign, leaving a final message ahead of her private funeral last week. Dame Esther, who died at her home in the New Forest, Hampshire, last month at age 86, had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2023.

Her daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, shared a poignant letter written by Dame Esther in which she expressed frustration over the lack of legal choice for terminally ill patients like herself. She praised the care she received from Oakhaven Hospice but lamented the constraints of current law, which she described as “messy” and criminalizing assisted dying.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, introduced in Parliament earlier this year, sought to legalize assisted dying but ultimately did not pass into law. While such legislation would not have taken effect in time to benefit Dame Esther, she voiced hope that it might aid future generations.

“To those who have opposed it and blocked the new Bill, rest assured I will not come back to haunt you,” she wrote. “I believe you too have the right to choose, but not the right to impose your choice on the most vulnerable people such as dying frail little old ladies like me.” She pledged ongoing support for those continuing to campaign for reform, as well as for patients and their families urgently awaiting change.

Dame Esther described how legal reform could have transformed her final days by offering “the hope and confidence of a swift, pain-free death,” even if she personally would not have exercised that option. She emphasized that assisted dying legislation was about easing the suffering of death rather than shortening life itself, noting the pain her family endured witnessing her final decline.

In her letter, she also acknowledged her inability to travel to Dignitas in Switzerland due to physical frailty, expressing gratitude to the assisted dying organization for their support.

Rebecca Wilcox reflected on the global outpouring of support for her mother’s stance, calling it “hugely comforting.” The family has asked that donations in Dame Esther’s memory be made to charities including Oakhaven Hospice, Childline, The Silver Line, and Cats Protection. While a small funeral was held in private, plans for a larger memorial service have yet to be announced.