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music, art and culture / Re: Assisted Dying, UK Parliament
« Last post by Oldmanmatt on Today at 09:35:45 am »This morning at 08:15am BBC R4 had a thought provoking item with Esther Rantzen and Amy Proffitt talking for and against the assisted dying bill being debated in UK Parliament today.It’s not as simple as indignity, it’s often pain and suffering. I know my wife would have taken the option, many months before she died and I would have carried out myself.
I was uncomfortable with Esther Rantzen's comment that she thought her dog's death was better than her mother or husband's had been. I know she means well and also that it was a light hearted comment. It made me reflect though that my fish at work are one stage further along than her dog in terms of luxury/"dignity". Her dog had to endure old age. My fish all get euthanised before they become elderly and that is (rightly) insisted on by animal welfare officers etc for lab animals.
Perhaps what is messed up is people seeing it as somehow being undignified to be demented and incontinent or whatever. When we are new born babies, we are like that and everyone is fine with that.
I'm throwing this out there because I've got very limited experience, knowledge or insight on this and am keen to hear others' perspectives.
The whole thing is a nightmare though and far from simple, unless we want a “Logan’s run” world.