April 21, 2024

The Swiss Program History: Condensed

After joining Exit in December 2022, Sean Davison was eager to get started.

However, his skills set was hard to place. After trying all manner of tasks, the fit remained frustrating, for him and for Exit.

Sean would later put this down to being in the university all his working life.

In his resignation letter on 21 April 2024, he wrote:

Reflecting on my time at Exit, I realise that I was not the right person for the role you envisaged for me. Although we kept tweaking the job description until we found something that was as close as possible to a good fit, there were still niggling gaps of the duties you hoped I would fulfill.

This lack of a match was no one’s fault. You didn’t know me well enough to know my strengths and weaknesses, and I didn’t have the skillset required for the job you offered me. The reason I didn’t fit the job was largely because my entire working career has been as an academic in two universities running laboratories, and giving lectures; this meant my skillset was narrowly focused for a university position.

However, in January 2023, Sean thought he had hit upon a good idea.

He wanted to help Pegasos do their job better, while remaining an Exit person.

On 6 January 2023, Sean wrote:

Clearly Pegasos don’t have the manpower to appropriately, and considerately, deal with all the applications they receive, consequently they are robotically responding to requests without applying their brains (and hearts) to them.

One solution could be to actively get involved in the processing of Pegasos applications from Exit members. On the surface it.

One solution could be to actively get involved in the processing of Pegasos applications from Exit members. On the surface it seems unlikely that Ruedi would agree to this, however if I was the Exit person to do this processing he may buy in to it.

If so I would require some training at Pegasos on the processing of applications. Pegasos would gain from the (small) reduction in applications to process.

Exit would lose if this was considered a waste of my time, however if we take the attitude that Pegasos is an important part of the service we offer, then we have a win-win situation (and our members going to Pegasos wouldn’t be treated so badly).

The Swiss Programs were duly rolled out at Sean’s suggestion

From the time the Swiss programs launched in September, Sean did his own thing.

After some months, it was suggested that a weekly paragraph could be sent so the team had some idea of what he did.

Sean held his cards close to his chest and used his personal protonmail address for correspondence with his clients.

In the October 23 Exit Internationalist Newsletter, Sean said that he had played witness for 12 people using the ID witness program.

In September the same year, Sean wrote that his work was overwhelming and that he had begun passing some off it to his wife to help out.

An assistant for Sean was suggested around this time. She started to work with him in November.

And what a breath of fresh air she was.

Kaya’s involvement, however, caused panic through the Exit team as Sean’s modus operandi was uncovered.

Sean’s idea of the Swiss programs had morphed into something way beyond what had been envisaged.

A helping hand with applications had become a program which encompassed every aspect of the Swiss assisted suicide, save for needle in the arm including guaranteeing clients a green light, chasing ashes and death certificates and so on.

The clients loved Sean’s hands-on approach, the Exit team less so as presented unacceptable levels of legal risk.

Pegasos loved it as they were relieved of taking responsibility for their own short-comings.

Indeed, Exit even started to be blamed for the Swiss clinic’s mishaps: a situation which only heightened concerns.

It was only through Kaya that the inside picture of just how integrated the two organisations had become under Sean, became obvious.

By early 2024, changes had to be made.

Sean needed to control his urge to help. He needed to consider the legal boundaries that exist in the UK, especially in regard to what are known as the Starmer guidelines of prosecution.

However, Sean didn’t share the vision, and he didn’t want to share his months of correspondence with Exit members with the Exit team.

While Sean was only ever a contractor to the organisation, he had been for some months a director.

His approach to his work at Pegasos seemed inconsistent.

Sean had become a Pegasos company man, yet was paid for by Exit.

The situation came to a head when Sean represented Pegasos and Exit on ITV after the death of Alistair Hamilton at the Swiss clinic.

The first the Exit team knew about this clandestine interview (which turned out to be a set-up) was on TV, along with everyone else.

Sean’s freelancing had reached new limits.

It is hard to be angry at Sean, but it is easy to be exasperated.

In behaviour which seemed increasingly without limits, and in a sensitive political environment, Sean and Philip both decided that it was time to part ways.

In his April resignation letter Sean wrote:

I do not have another job lined up. I intend to take a complete break for a few months over the summer to consider my options. This will also give me an opportunity to spend some quality time with my children, who have been somewhat neglected due to my long working hours.

I will be forever grateful to you and Fiona for not only giving me the opportunity to serve Exit International, but for being the driving force for getting my family (and dogs) out of South Africa, to the safe and secure environment of England.

I will always remain totally loyal to you and Exit International.

And your friend,

Yours in gratitude,

Sean

Twists and Turns

But on 28 July 2024 Exit read, with everyone else, that Sean was about to take up a position as head of Pegasos.

Sean had resigned 21 April and finished his contract with Exit at the end of May.

Sean’s contract with Exit contained no exclusivity clause. Lack of honesty at this level was never envisaged.

Nor was Sean’s arrest by British police on 9 July after, unbeknownst to Exit, he had accompanied yet another Exit member Pegasos.

This accompaniment took place some 4 weeks after he had left Exit.

…

DRAFT