Terry Pratchett: my case for a euthanasia tribunal

Description:

The Guardian has printed an edited extract of Terry Pratchett's Richard Dimbleby lecture, Shaking Hands With Death, which was broadcast on BBC1 on 1 February. Two excerpts follow:

In fact, by now, I have reached the conclusion that a person may make a decision to die because the balance of their mind is level, realistic, pragmatic, stoic and sharp. And that is why I dislike the term "assisted suicide" applied to the carefully thought-out and weighed-up process of having one's life ended by gentle medical means. The people who thus far have made the harrowing trip to Dignitas in Switzerland to die seemed to me to be very firm and methodical of purpose, with a clear prima-face case for wanting their death to be on their own terms. In short, their minds may well be in better balance than the world around them.

That is why I and others have suggested some kind of strictly non-aggressive tribunal that would establish the facts of the case well before the assisted death takes place. This might make some people, including me, a little uneasy as it suggests the government has the power to tell you whether you can live or die. But, that said, the government cannot sidestep the responsibility to ensure the protection of the vulnerable and we must respect that. It grieves me that those against assisted death seem to assume, as a matter of course, that those of us who support it have not thought long and hard about this very issue. It is, in fact, at the soul and centre of my argument.

[Note: Some other recent stories related to this topic are in the Links: section below.]

Links:

To read the full article click on one of these links, both of which go to the same destination. A short link is provided for the convenience of readers. Also, readers may search and browse past advisories on the web (see bottom.)

  • http://tinyurl.com/yd2mn4g

  • http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/feb/02/terry-pratchett-assisted-suicide-tribunal

    Also see:

  • Britain: "A death worth dying for" [The Herald]
    http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/health/a-death-worth-dying-for-1.1003151

    Sir Terry Pratchett, the best-selling author who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, made an impassioned plea for assisted death for seriously ill people last night. Actor Tony Robinson delivered Sir Terry's Richard Dimbleby Lecture, a task that appeared to be beyond the author's powers of endurance. He sat nearby as Mr Robinson spoke.

    This report includes comments from Libby Wilson of Friends at the End: I am a strong supporter of Assisted Dying, principally on ethical grounds. I believe in the right of individuals to chose when, where and how they die, if that is practically possible. In the nineteenth century women became free at last of the tyranny of belonging, first to their fathers and then to their husbands. In the last century we were eventually allowed the freedom to decide whether and when to have a child. It is surely logical that if we can now control the start of life, somebody else's life, at that, we should also be able to choose the time and manner of its ending? In the Netherlands, where assisted dying has been legal, under strict regulations, for over 10 years, less than 2% of all deaths are legally assisted. It is not as though there will be a queue of elderly people demanding an Exit Certificate.

  • Britain: Archbishop of York condemns the push for mercy killings [Daily Mail]
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247860/Assisted-suicide-Archbishop-York-condemns-celebrity-campaign.html

    Mercy killing is being legalised on the back of a celebrity-driven campaign and without reference to Parliament, the Archbishop of York claimed yesterday. Dr John Sentamu condemned the current bandwagon of fashionable opinion seeking to allow relatives to help the sick and dying commit suicide without fear of prosecution.

  • Britain: Guernsey deputy backs "right to die" calls [BBC News]
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/guernsey/8493208.stm

    Health and Social Services member Deputy Barry Brehaut said he would support a move to change the law to make assisted suicide legal in the island Bailiwick of Guernsey. Also see http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=481162

  • Britain: Dr Crippen: Legalising assisted suicide is fraught with dilemmas [Guardian]
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/feb/02/dr-crippen-legalising-assisted-suicide

    The Guardian's blogger ("An NHS doctor writes") points out some of the problems of legalizing assisted suicide and goes on to say that "I want no part of euthanasia."

  • Britain: No assisted suicide charges over Lewes novelist's death [The Argus]
    http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4886041.No_assisted_suicide_charges_over_Lewes_novelist_s_death/

    Nobody is to be charged with assisting the suicide of an elderly novelist who killed herself by taking an overdose of prescription drugs, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said today. Police launched an investigation after Jane Aiken Hodge, 91, died at her home in Lewes, East Sussex, on June 17 last year. Her death was referred to the coroner as a suicide but a file of evidence was submitted to the CPS to consider whether any of the four people who were with her when she died had assisted her in ending her life.

  • Britain: Let nation decide on legal right to assisted suicide says Bristol campaigner [thisisbristol.co.uk]
    http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Let-nation-decide-legal-right-assisted-suicide-says-Bristol-campaigner/article-1796708-detail/article.html

    A terminally ill woman who is campaigning for the right to end her life believes the time has come for the Government to hold a national ballot of views about assisted suicide. Kelly Taylor, of Stapleton, thinks the nation should be given their say on the subject and if a vote reflects the views of recent surveys a change of law should be considered. The 33-year-old does not have the quality of life expected of people her age and believes she and other terminally ill people should be allowed to end their lives legally rather than endure their daily suffering.

  • Undercliffe campaigner Debbie Purdie backs Pratchett [Telegraph & Argus]
    http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/4886240.Sir_Terry__ideal_to_lead_right_to_die_campaign_/

    Right-to-die campaigner Debbie Purdy has said there is no-one she would rather have at the forefront of the campaign than best-selling author Sir Terry Pratchett. . . . "I think he is such an incredible guy to have on side because he is articulate, intelligent, witty and passionate and I can't think of anybody I would rather have making a case for me. And that is effectively what he is doing — making a case for me and the 800 members of Dignitas in the UK and the thousands of people who can't afford to contemplate travelling to Switzerland."

Source:

Pratchett, Terry. "Terry Pratchett: my case for a euthanasia tribunal". The Guardian. The Guardian, Tuesday 2 February 2010. <www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/feb/02/terry-pratchett-assisted-suicide-tribunal>. Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU.

Tags:

Tags (or keywords) briefly indicate some major topics of the report.

  • Terry Pratchett

  • assisted suicide

  • euthanasia

  • tribunal

  • Britain

ID:

The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201002029910.
Mailed: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 14:17:31 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Etcetera:

EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>. 

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