Death With Dignity, And Death With Out Dignity

Comment By Bob L.
Nov. 30th 2013

Government and Special Interest Groups think they have the right to tell people how to live, the only person that has that right is that person themselves, but the Churches, Government, and Special Interest have gone to the point to say who can Die with Dignity and who can not, a good example of this is, a person who is being kept alive because it is in human to let them Die With Dignity.

Look at the other hand, now you have a baby who is not given that choice to live with dignity because the Government now wants to make the Taxpayer pay for abortions, not the people who want it done, and Seniors are being kept alive by the Taxpayer, and are being told they don’t know what is good for them, so you must suffer until you die, but why is a person being kept alive on life support instead of letting them die, but on the other hand a baby is not allowed to live.

When it comes down to it, why are the Taxpayers being held responsible to pay for Birth Control, and Abortion, keeping people alive when they are dying, and Killing Babies, should be the responsibility of the individual person to pay for it themselves, not the Taxpayers.

Government keeps a person alive until they have exhausted all their funds to a nursing home, and then does nothing about protecting them from abuse, and the same thing goes for babies, they don’t protect their right to live, if a person wants to get Pregnant, take Birth Control, or have an abortion, it is not up to the taxpayer to fun it.

When it comes to it, no one has the right to tell people how to run their lives, that goes for the Government, Churches, or Special Interest, and that is how it is going today, they think that they know better than you, every one is different and has different beliefs, no one person is the same.

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Another blog, another perspective.

We all deserve to die with dignity

Beverley Broadbent
Posted on November 13, 2013

You’re probably familiar with the name because, back in February, she brought the issue of voluntary euthanasia back into the spotlight when she took her own life.

She was not depressed, terminally ill nor unhappy. However, at the age of 83, Broadbent concluded that the ageing process was starting to take its toll on the quality of her life.

“I’m not stupid, I’m not sad. I’m having a good life that I’m enjoying right to the last minute.”, she stated.

Then there was Tracey Spicer’s piece in The Age.

It was titled: ‘Dear mum, sorry I didn’t kill you’ – a letter to her mum, who had passed away from cancer.

Filled with regret, Spicer wrote about her self-resentment after refusing to assist her terminally ill mother end the excruciating pain she was enduring.

It was a letter to her mum, apologising for her “cowardly” behaviour through her refusal to euthanise her.

“But in the end, I couldn’t do it. I was weak. A coward. Not my mother’s daughter.”

It was eerie. It was blunt. But one thing the letter undoubtedly achieved was shed light on the crux of every pro-euthanasia individual’s argument: everybody deserves to die in peace.

For as long as I can remember, I have been an ambassador for voluntary euthanasia – in regards to only the terminally ill. And according to recent polls, I contribute to the 80% of Australians who support it too.

However, the fact that it remains illegal throughout the nation shows that euthanasia is a political hot potato.

In 2003, Broadbent wrote to The Age:  ‘Terminally ill people being tube fed, despite clearly expressed wishes not to have their life prolonged, is undoubtedly cruel. It should also be illegal.”

And like many fellow Australians, I agree.

Patients, who rely on life support machines, rely on them to do the innate bodily functions that we cannot live without – such as breathing.  Yet, though their bodies are dysfunctional, in most cases, the minds of these patients have not been affected- meaning they are full aware at having lost all source of independency.

They are aware. They just can’t do anything about their situation.

Who would ever want to live in this paralysed exterior? To not be able to communicate with the world that is communicating with you?

Most of us don’t choose (or even want ponder on) how we might die. For the terminally ill however, death is a looming certainty that cannot simply be thrown under the rug.

And while I am only advocating for the voluntary euthanasia of the terminally ill, I believe Broadbent’s story – though she was not suffering, adds fluidity to the fact that it is a serene form of death.

A friend of Beverley Broadbent – who only wanted to be known as Amanda, was with Broadbent the day she drank a lethal dose of Nembutal – the barbiturate euthanasia advocates call the ”peaceful pill.”

A short time later, Ms Broadbent proceeded eating a peppermint chocolate frog – one of her favourite foods – and drifted off to sleep.

Amanda wanted to ensure that Beverley had a peaceful and calm end –exactly what she witnessed.

The following morning Beverley was found in a most tranquil sleep – with her peppermint chocolate frog still in hand.

That is a peaceful death. And that is the peaceful death we, as Australians, should be fighting for – on behalf of our voiceless and vulnerable patients.

Since 1967, voluntary Euthanasia has been illegal in Australia. Since 1967, we have been forcing our sickly patients to live against their own will.

What gives anyone the power to dictate the lives of others?

Quite simply – nothing.

It’s high time our community started to debate euthanasia for the terminally ill – in a logical manner. No one should have to fight this battle against their own will.

Why?

Because we all deserve to die in dignity.

You can read Tracey Spicer’s ‘Dear Mum, sorry I didn’t kill you’ at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/dear-mum-sorry-i-didnt-kill-you-20130612-2o4a1.html

Related articles

• Belgium close to agreeing euthanasia for children (sbs.com.au)