AIM could not be reached for comment Friday . The Press Association said Penelope Duff was 70 . Her condition , GIST , stands for gastrointestinal stromal tumor , a rare type of cancer found in the digestive system . Dignity in Dying , a British charity that advocates the choice of assisted death for terminally ill patients , said it was `` extremely sad '' that the Duffs had to travel abroad to die . `` Had they had the option of an assisted death in this country they may still be alive , as their physical ability to travel would not have been a factor , '' said Sarah Wootton , chief executive of Dignity in Dying . Wootton called on Parliament to modernize laws on suicide to allow for assisted dying . Phyllis Bowman , executive director of Right to Life , which opposes euthanasia , also said the Duffs ' case was sad . `` I think it 's very sad , particularly as they could have gone together into a hospice . A hospice with cancer -- there is not uncontrollable pain , '' Bowman told CNN . `` I think that with the euthanasia
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An elderly British couple who died together at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland died `` peacefully '' after receiving `` wonderful and humbling care '' from their doctors , the couple 's family said . Peter and Penelope Duff from Bath , England , died in Zurich on February 27 , according to a statement released Thursday by their family and reported by Britain 's Press Association . Both had terminal cancer , the statement said . `` Penny had fought a rare cancer , GIST , since 1992 and Peter 's colon cancer had spread to his liver , '' the statement said . `` Their decision in no way reflected on the wonderful and humbling care they have received from their consultant , doctors and nurses , for which the family , and they , were so appreciative . '' Peter Duff , who was reported to be 80 , was the executive chairman of Alcohol in Moderation , a nonprofit group that advocates a `` sensible drinking ethos . '' His daughter , Helena Conibear , is executive director of AIM Digest , a monthly publication . Conibear and