Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Dignitas - a story
I just read this story http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8149166.stm and I am left confused as to what I believe about this. A couple choosing to die together after 54 years, is in many ways a wonderful story of love. But I often struggle to accept the role of Dignitas... I was once in favour, until my parents died. The pressures of these experiences, both very different, led me increasingly to see the dangers of assisted suicide. What do you think of this?
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3 comments:
Do you know, the NHS allow people to die in Hospital if they believe they can do no more for the patient. By withdrawing medication, food and fluids. My mum-in-law has just passed away like this. How would her children have reacted if they were offered something to help end her life by a couple of days? Did she suffer more by very slowly dying of thirst? Was she in pain? The children could have been with her when the time came, my partner missed the end by half an hour and feels so bad abut that. Siobhan
It appears that many people are against allowing people to die with dignity and speak very loudly about it. What a pity those same people do not speak so loudly about others not being allowed to die with dignity, (soldiers, murder victims etc.) or even live in dignity. (This list is endless) The world perhaps, could then move toward being a much more pleasant place, whatever our circumstance.
Thank you both for commenting here. These comments add to my belief that this topic is extraordinarily complex.
I agree that living with dignity is of paramount importance. And dying with dignity is an element of living with dignity. Having witnessed the way elderly patients were treated in my mother's ward 3.5 years ago, I do know that aspects of the NHS make the dying process appear to lack dignity (I say appear, because I believe that our dignity is something we personally control, regardless of the circumstances around us.)
I used to have strong views in favour of euthanasia and personal choice, but having seen death up close, and more importantly, the difficult months leading up to death, I know that there are huge dangers here. We could end up in a society where people feel obliged to choose early death to make life for those around them easier. If we get to a time where choosing life makes us feel guilty, we are in a bad place.
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