Right to die

'i will make sure the patient does not suffer.'

That the consolation offered by doctors to the relatives of the dying throughout the world. It's a confession that morphine will be used ostensibly to kill pain but in quantities that are lethal. 

We are indebted to Debbie Purdy for her brave successful campaign.  Her eloquent testimony that she is fighting for life eclipses the sour faces of those  that are denying  the majority the right to die at times and in circumstances of their own choice.. 

In 2001 I asked Tony Blair at PM Question Time to intervene to help Mrs Diane Pretty. She had motor neurone disease and was paralysed from the neck down. She was challenging the refusal of the Director of Public Prosecutions to rule out taking criminal proceedings against her husband if he helped her die.

I asked Tony “Should Mrs Pretty have the right to die in the manner and time of her choice. Do you think it's time for review of the Suicide Act?" His reply was "I'm not in favour of reviewing that legislation. I understand the very strong feelings it arouses."

I presume his judgment was determined by his strong religious views that were undeclared then. There is no objection to anyone’s conscientious objection to euthanasia.  They have that right for themselves and their loved ones. I question their right to impose those views on all the rest of us. Diane Pretty died a year later in circumstances that were not of her choice.

At various times over the past 20 years, I have taken part in debates on this subject in Malta, Iceland, Ireland and Canada. Every time I have quoted the  family doctor that my relative did not suffer.  In each of those countries others said that their doctors had said the same thing to them

Euthanasia is widely practiced in the Western World uncontrolled and unregulated. Those countries that have introduced humane end of life laws are all strengthening them. In Oregon in the USA their controversial Death with Dignity laws were twice approved by an overwhelmingly majority. The Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland have legal frameworks that allow assisted dying.

A series of opinion polls in Britain has always proved than 80% of the population would like a law to allow euthanasia under controlled conditions. Other countries have pioneered this bold step.  In every instance public support has grown because the feared abuse of the reforms did not happen.

We hear a great deal about many of our human rights. An important one that our timid politicians have neglected is our right to die in dignity.

Comments

[John]

Paul thought you might be interested in this great article in yesterdays FT

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/486fb0d8-7ca3-11de-a7bf-00144feabdc0.html

Why it’s time to end the war on drugs

brilliant cogent argument

[Paul Flynn]

That's a great story John. My hopes have been raised so often in the past by brilliant arguments like this, I am reluctant about getting too excited.

[Kay Tie]

"My hopes have been raised so often in the past by brilliant arguments like this"

Maybe it's confirmation bias, but I am noticing more and more anti-prohibition articles surfacing in the media. It's hard to tell. Google Trends for the US media shows a big burst of stories about it in the early '90s.

http://www.google.com/archivesearch?q=drug+legalization&as_ldate=all&as_hdate=all&nav=m&scoring=t

Maybe it will be different this time: maybe the public purse will be under such pressure this time that the dam will burst.

[Irene Fearn]

Thank you for your "Right to Die" views. I totally agree. Terry Pratchet-The Mail On Sunday (2/8/09) - expresses how most old people feel. A Living Will, signed by your doctor should be legal. I am a Conservative member and will be advising my MP Mike Penning what I think of Nadine Dorries' views. Would her family like to see her on a peg feed or placed in a home that stinks of urine? I think not. Die in Dignity.

[Paul Flynn]

Thank you Irene Fearn. I hope you are successful with Mike Penning. Your voice should be heard. There are other strident voices that dominate the debate now - even though they are in a minority. The great majority of us share your view. Parliament may well reach a decision in the next few months.