I recently applauded the province of Quebec, which is attempting to legalize assisted death. An example of what’s wrong with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is that it does not allow freedom from pain on the deathbed. I did not ask for reader response, but I got plenty.
A Times Colonist reader says: “My thanks for bringing this issue forward, a courageous act and a rare public statement by a physician. Probably you will be attacked by enemies you didn’t know you had.”
From W.P. in Kelowna: “I couldn’t agree more on assisted suicide. I’m a counsellor at a hospice. The problem is families will not let go although the patient is ready for the big trip. I have seen them rescind “do not resuscitate” orders and have to remind them this decision is not theirs, but the wishes of the patient.”
From Medicine Hat, Alta.: “Thank you, oh thank you. As a veterinarian, I watched in horror the last days of my dying mother. She was for assisted death, but we could do nothing because of our country’s religious rule of government. But if it had been a dog, cat or cow, I would have to euthanize because it is the law!”
Not everyone sends roses. From Toronto: “The good doctor is skipping a step. We need more palliative care centres to allow quality of life at the end of life. … Pain can be managed.”
Another said: “You ignore the abuses in Holland, Belgium and elsewhere. Please open your mind and investigate before you write. People in Holland carry cards asking not to be killed when taken to a hospital.”
From Ottawa: “I despair at what you have written. People must die like Christ did on the cross.”
G.S. writes from Winnipeg: “What about those who suffer from unbearable non-terminal illness? We should be focusing on the degree of suffering a person is willing to live with. I’ve been tormented by depression and anxiety for more than 20 years. If we live in a compassionate society, I should be allowed to end my life by assisted suicide rather than resorting to do-it-yourself methods that may end in more suffering if botched.”
From Thunder Bay, Ont.: “I hope your article generates a groundswell of like-minded opinion. At night, my 96-year-old mother moans and cries to be released from this life. The doctor is unable to relieve her great discomfort. We would not allow a pet to suffer this way, nor should my mother have to endure such a long parting from this world.”
V.S. says: “As a former nurse I have seen patients die in inhumane ways. For those who argue we are playing God, we already do that by replacing body parts.”
From L.K. in Niagara Falls, Ont.: “Several years ago, my 90-year-old mother was dying and in severe pain. The doctors started a morphine drip and asked if we wanted to keep increasing the dose. We agreed, and she finally died peacefully.”
Some readers severely criticized me for not recognizing the Beatitudes taught by Christ and the laws given to Moses by God. But for the most part, readers were pleased to see that Quebec was taking a stance on this controversial issue and hoped that other provinces would do so. The final tally showed that about 70 per cent agreed with assisted death, but the others were dead-set against it.
Woody Allen once remarked, “I’m not afraid of dying. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Unfortunately, we have to be there and, at the moment, accept what fate has to offer. Assisted death will not happen tomorrow.
Dr. W. Gifford-Jones can be reached at [email protected].
