Dimbelby Lecture: Terry Pratchet's assisted dying

A subject that is quite close to my heart.
I too lost a partner to a terminal illness. Aged 22.

On my medical records, there is a short paragraph to the effect that, “if in the event of permanent brain damage or injury, resulting in severe or total loss of faculties – DNR.” (I forget the exact wording).

..If you can read it without wanting to kill them both and burn down their palaces you are better people than I…

No. That is exactly the way I felt.

Moggy, I am sorry for your loss. And thank you for posting those links.

The Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. feels the same way…I guess it just falls in line with their views on birth control and abortion.
(Please notice how I added no additional editorial comment…:D)

I can’t understand why they, like the Church of England, who are usually very socially liberal, still stick their heads in the sand on this issue.
I like consistency in views, obviously I’m not going to get it from them.

My state in the US allows such actions. After the first year it was used by a very small number, so I think that put an end to any coercion nonsense.

A few years ago, an elderly rescued basset hound we adopted had a massive stroke. We took her to the vet and she went peacefully. If we offer that compassion to animals, why do some fight it for people who are in the right minds and suffering?

Moggy, I’m sorry for your loss and the obvious pain you still feel.

Thank you for having the courage to share that Moggy.Listening to such courage and dignity reduced me to tears.
As a religious type and church-going Christian ( Baptist ),can I say that I’ve nothing but contempt for the attitude of the Archbishop and the Cardinal.
I’ve been having some long conversations with my minister lately on the question of suffering,and he himself admits to being as mystified as I am.The usual platitude that’s trotted out is that ” God suffers along with you “,but if that’s so,then why would He have afflicted my Mum with a neurological disease that’s slowly destroyed her life,given my daughter a life-long painful condition at the age of seventeen,and treated me to many years of childlessness ? It just doesn’t make sense.
Anyway,if this law was already in place,then I would no longer have a mother because when she was in hospital three months ago she asked me over and over to help her to die.Her illness isn’t terminal,but to my mind she has no quality of life at all – bed-ridden,paralysed,incontinent,nearly deaf and blind,who in their right mind would want to live like that ?
And yet,she can enjoy a joke with her carers,take pride in her grand-daughter,reminisce with Dad about when she was in the WAAF and he was in the RAF,and appreciate the minister’s praying for her when he visits now she’s home again.
Would it have been right for me to authorise the doctors to end her life when she asked,if she wanted it and the law allowed it ? I honestly don’t know,because her illness isn’t “terminal ” as such.
My brother-in -law,on the other hand,faded away from terminal cancer and I believe would have welcomed the chance to make a dignified exit at the time of his own choosing.
It’s just so terribly complicated.

Partner rather than wife, but thank you.

That is a very, very moving post. At least the interviewer had the courtesy to use your wife’s name, more than once. Those two priests should be put in the stocks for their utter lack of understanding of human sensibilities.

I so closely empathise with your feelings and what you must have gone through. And somehow legislators must come to their senses and enable the legislation some of us so desperately crave.

Addendum.

I can’t listen to this. It still make me cry.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/audio/sally_mackintosh.ram

The link downloads the file (A BBC one) and you’ll need Real Player

Moggy

I must admit to having a personal interest in this.

My beautiful, and still much-loved Ex died of a horrible cancer after far too much suffering, particularly when you consider that she was a believer and attended a church quite regularly.

When the bill on assisted dying was discussed in The Lords a few years ago the BBC R4 programme interviewed her about her terminal illness. In the key 8.10am slot, right before they went to the Archbishop Rowan Williams and Cardinal Cormack Murphy O’Connor.

The only thing stopping her going to Dignitas in Switzerland, was her inability to travel in the later stages of her illness – she didn’t want to die at a time when she was fit to travel (The great Catch-22 of the issue)

An edited transcript of the discussion that followed with the two clerics is available here.

http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/664

If you can read it without wanting to kill them both and burn down their palaces you are better people than I – and bear in mind that edited out of the transcript was the moment when one of them referred to Sally as “The woman you had on before” He didn’t even have the decency to remember and use her name.

I had a small revenge, reading her eulogy to a packed church and launching an attack on their tired dogma and inability to listen to simple english from one of their own pulpits.

Sorry, this was really a rant for my benefit, not yours. I feel better now. (A little)

Moggy

If “thou shalt not kill” is so important, why doesn’t the church insist on “thou shalt not commit adultery” being enshrined in law? Is it just because they don’t want to lose half their congregation (and clergy) to the penal system? I will always remember the final few days of my great aunt, who died of cancer. She told us how every morning she woke up bitterly disappointed that she hadn’t died during the night. How can it possibly be humane to force someone to endure that sort of suffering or even worse?

Unfortunately you are right and they seem to hold strong sway. More with “imaginary friends” than without, I fear.

I agree totally with the sentiment and it needs as much debate and publicity as it can get. Its not a “vote winner” so if the law were to change it would be along the lines of a private members bill I would imagine.

Its possible technically, a panel of doctors to verify as detailed below, lawyers as well (and the cost of these would surely be less than a bed, full time care, drugs etc for X period of time)

Any thinking person knows that requested assisted dying for the terminally ill makes so much sense as to be not even worth arguing about; just get on and change the law.

But unfortunately there are far too many religious-types around who are convinced that their imaginary best friend wouldn’t like it.

Moggy

I didn’t see the programme but echo its sentiments and your post wholeheartedly. I too have been through it and would not wish it to be repeated for another family member. Once was enough.