it’s my life. don’t you forget.
So sang the enigmatic and greatly undervalued singer-songwriter, Mark Hollis, before his premature, Beatles-inspired, demise at the age of only sixty-four. I remain confident, however, that he would’ve had an insightful opinion or two wrt today’s assisted-death discussion. Now, I fully appreciate the main concern of those who are dying is for those they love above themselves. To argue that it is an individual choice is false as decisions are influenced by the dying person’s perception of the needs of those they love.
At the risk of stating the bleedin’ obvious, life is precious and should be used well by all of us. But it does not follow that a person who is terminally ill, suffering greatly and who wishes to gently shuffle off this mortal coil, should be forced to carry on living in pain against their will. There is nothing sacred about suffering, and assisted dying is not about shortening life, but about shortening death, and suffering.
I find it curious that those who oppose assisted dying proclaim dire warnings about its risks and consequences, yet choose to ignore that any evidence has never materialised. Switzerland has allowed medically assisted dying for more than eighty years and there is no evidence whatsoever of coercion or forced actions. Furthermore, there is no evidence of any ‘slippery slope’ where ‘only’ chronic conditions, or no conditions, have come into play. In fact, they also ignore the potential risk that not only may individuals be pressured into an early assisted death but that terminally ill patients may be overtly pressured into arduous, intrusive and, ultimately, unsuccessful treatments. Let’s not forget the continued use of collective term ‘cancer industry’ and, perhaps, for good reason.
Safety lies in properly drafted and written legislation together with the clearly stated will of Parliament. To protect everyone, any assisted dying law must therefore include cast-iron safeguards, stark objectivity, independent assessments and the transparent mandatory reporting of conflicts of interest. In the meantime, and until legislation permits, Mr Hollis reminded us in his 1985 follow-up to the initial hit that, Life’s What You Make It. Can’t Escape It.
