Anne Canning, 51, had been struggling with grief following the sudden death of her son and secretly travelled to Switzerland to end her life at the Pegasos clinic
The heartbroken family of a “healthy” British woman who ended her life at a controversial Swiss clinic have slammed the facility after being informed of her death via a blunt, two-line email. Anne Canning, 51, kept her tragic plans a total secret before travelling to the Pegasos clinic near Basel in January 2025.
Her family, who believed she was simply enjoying a holiday, were left in “shock and horror” to discover she had undergone assisted suicide despite being in good physical health.
Anne, originally from Haverfordwest, Wales, had reportedly been struggling with grief following the sudden death of her son just months earlier.
Anne’s sister, Delia, 54, has spoken out more than a year after the tragedy, expressing her “disgust” at the clinic’s failure to notify the family. The alarm was only raised when Anne sent a goodbye letter from Switzerland.
Using postmarks on the letters, the family desperately tracked her to the clinic. It was only then that the facility sent a brief, two-line email confirming she was gone.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Delia said: “The impact Anne’s decision had on us was more about the shock and horror that such a thing could be arranged and executed in such a short timeframe, in absolute secret from all loved ones, with no other avenues being explored first.”
The grandmother-of-two reportedly changed “dramatically” after losing her son. Delia believes her sister was not in the right headspace to make such a permanent decision.
She said: “How could she have been in the right frame of mind to not think that the whole family would be completely torn apart and devastated? Somebody who is thinking that way is not very well. They need help, not a lethal injection.”
Under Swiss law, assisted suicide is legal provided it isn’t done for selfish reasons. Clinics are meant to prove a patient’s condition is “persistent, resistant to treatment and severe.”
While the Swiss Medical Association urged clinics in 2022 to inform relatives before a death, the guidance is not legally binding, leaving families like Anne’s in the dark.
Delia added: “I just wish she could have talked to somebody, one of the family or a professional, to persuade her to give it a little more time.”
The case mirrors the story of Wendy Duffy, from the West Midlands, who paid £10,000 to die at the same Pegasos clinic four years after her 23-year-old son, Marcus, choked to death on a sandwich.
Unlike Anne, Wendy informed her siblings of her plans, telling them: “I won’t change my mind…I’ll have a smile on my face when I do, so please be happy for me. My life; my choice.”
Pegasos founder Ruedi Habegger previously defended the clinic’s actions, describing Wendy’s death as a “sane suicide.”
Following an ITV investigation, the clinic said: “Pegasos has always respected the applicable Swiss law without exception and continues to do so.”
The clinic added that staff had “no doubt” regarding the mental capacity and independence of those seeking their services.
If you are affected by issues discussed within this article, you may contact Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org