Can an Alzheimer's victim end their own life?

Description: [of the article from the Blog of Derek Humphry]

Derek Humphry begins his reaction to Monday's story on the Connecticut assisted suicide prosecution:

By far the worst and most wrenching dilemma in the field of a person's right to choose to die involves victims of Alzheimer's Disease. Once the disease has got hold, are they ever able to make a decision about ending their life? Suicide is not a crime, but assistance in the act is.

After reviewing the coverage, he says: Perhaps this court case will publicly highlight the controversial and tragic situation of Alzheimer's victims who want to end it. In the early stages of Alzheimers, there are spells when the patient goes in and out of being competent. - D.H.

[Note: See the links below for a piece by Terry Pratchett, the author with Alzheimer's disease, who calls for euthanasia tribunals.]

[There is information in the Notes section below.]
[There are other related stories 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 and future advisories on the web (see bottom.)

  • http://tinyurl.com/45vqsld

  • http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2011/01/10/can-an-alzheimers-victim-end-their-own-life/

    Also see:

  • Britain: Sir Terry Pratchett calls for euthanasia tribunals [EuthaNEWSia, Feb. 1, 2010]
    http://www.euthanewsia.ca/archive/2010/02/enid201002014865.4.html

    Terry Pratchett is a best-selling author, who has Alzheimer's disease:
    The author Sir Terry Pratchett is calling for euthanasia tribunals to give sufferers from incurable diseases the right to medical help to end their lives. Pratchett will insist in his Dimbleby lecture, to be broadcast tonight, that "the time is really coming" for legalising assisted death. . . . Pratchett is the first novelist invited to deliver the annual BBC lecture, the 34th in honour of the veteran broadcaster Richard Dimbleby.

    [Note: Also see the 4 other stories in this advisory.]

  • Connecticut: In Alleged Assisted Suicide, A Question Of Ethics [EuthaNEWSia, Jan. 10, 2011]
    http://www.euthanewsia.ca/archive/2011/01/enid201101109565.4.html

    This is the original story from Monday.

  • Assisted Suicide In West Hartford Shows Need For Law On Difficult Decision [Hartford Courant]
    http://www.courant.com/community/west-hartford/hc-green-suicide0111-20110110,0,6276477.column

    Columnist Rick Green quotes Kathryn Tucker from Compassion & Choices:
    "The physician could fully address the condition and circumstances of the patient in a counseling mode and fully explore treatment options,'' said Kathryn Tucker, legal director at Compassion and Choices, a nonprofit group that advocates for patients' rights and end-of-life choices.

    "Even if [Brodigan] wasn't terminally ill, he could have made choices such as forgoing treatment that would be life-prolonging,'' Tucker said. "Mr. Brodigan would have been fully within his rights to stop eating and drinking. The choice of a dying patient for a peaceful death is not any kind of suicide."

Source:

Humphry, Derek. "Can an Alzheimer's victim end their own life?". Assisted-Suicide Blog. Jan 10th, 2011. <assistedsuicide.org/blog/2011/01/10/can-an-alzheimers-victim-end-their-own-life/>. etc

Tags:

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

  • assisted suicide

  • Alzheimer's disease

  • suicide

  • Derek Humphry

Notes:

  • Other stories on the Pending Advisories page include:

    • Book Review of "What You Wish For"

    • Canada: Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care receives input in Montreal

    • Britain: Eminent surgeon joins right-to-die campaign

    • Barcelona man commits "assisted suicide" in Switzerland

    • USA: Hello Patients Rights Council

    • Wisconsin: Quadriplegic fighting for right to die moving to care facility

    • Scotland: Call for less aggressive treatment for elderly

    • Wisconsin: State should ration health care, doctor association proposes

    • Taiwan approves law to allow relatives to end life support

    • Australia: Parents raised possibility of euthanasia for disabled child, inquest told

    • Australia: Euthanasia was raised by dead girl's distraught parents

ID:

The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201101120697.
Mailed: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 13:46:39 -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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