Posted on February 1st, 2010 at 6:34 pm by 
Again the debate is on… the right to assisted suicide, what would you do… last week Kay Gilderdale was cleared of attempting to murder her daughter Lynn, who was paralysed by ME. I have heard interviews on the radio with people who have made that decision, my heart goes out to them and in particular Mrs Gilderdale.. but which side are you on…was she brave, is breaking the law in that way brave. She will live with that for the rest of her life… isn’t that enough.
Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, who is opposed to change, said that she feared the DPP’s new guidelines would be the thin end of the wedge to legalised assisted suicide…. is she right
I understand the other side and if a license is granted to the carer of a terminally ill person, who is to stop that carer from taking the step too early… maybe out of tiredness of constantly being the nurse, Dr, cleaner, counsellor, having the full responsibility of a loved one… sheer despair may hinder the decision making!!… how can it be stopped from being abused.
Could you do it, could I … a close friend of ours, whose father was diagnosed with MND (motor neuron disease) was in a complete state… he had always said he would never “be mucked around with in hospital” he had lost both parents, they both died in hospital, but when it came nearer to his end he fought tooth and nail to stay alive just an extra day… tried anything and everything the medical profession suggested…
The best-selling author, Sir Terry Pratchett has joined in the debate…he has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, he will be using the annual Dimbleby Lecture to call for a radical change of the law, offer himself as a “test case” for an assisted suicide tribunal, a body that he believes should be set up to give people legal permission to end their life with medical help, but who are they giving the permission to…. the carer or the cared for.
I understand if you see your most precious loved one suffering and with no quality of life it must be the hardest thing in the world.. but I am not sure I would have the courage to take that life… I am not talking about fear of the law… but the process of taking the life… having said that if I had MND and knew that the end of my life was going to be a terrible time full of physical suffering and lost of all dignity… would I, could I expect someone to help me take my own life and live with the consequences.
I can see this is going to be a hard debate with passion and rights on both sides of the issue.
