Our Father died in 1996.
Father was ill for his last three years. He broke his foot and it did not heal well. His bone marrow did not produce red blood cells, and thus he needed transfusions in order to get enough oxygen to his muscles. So he was tired all the time, until he got another transfusion. My brother visited him on a Thursday on his way to vacation. Father was communicating reasonably and said that they would go visit the doctor the next day, Friday. On Saturday he went into the hospital and my oldest sister visited and stayed. We now assume that the doctor had told him on Friday that no permanent recovery was possible.
Father decided that enough was enough and ordered my sister and the hospital not to give him any food, drink or medicine. He was transferred to a separate smaller room, and the hospital complied with his orders. My sister called me and I drove in from South Germany on Tuesday. When I entered his room, after saying hello, the nurse came in and said: “we have to give him insulin, otherwise he may slip into a coma.” We, my sister and I, mentioned who we were, oldest son and oldest daughter, and said: “No, food, no water, no medicine.” The nurse repeated the request formally, and we repeated the answer formally. The nurse wrote this in her protocol.
That was all that was needed. You do comply with the wishes of someone who in life was a Sea-Captain (Merchant Marine), a position of great authority, and we carried that authority.
Father died the Saturday thereafter early in the morning at 6. He wanted that; we all simply did what he wanted.
So Americans, whatever would give anyone, including the state, the authority to halt these events? He is my Father; I do what he says and wants, and no one is allowed to come between me and my authority.
In turn, at 80 years, I wish to make up my own mind when my time comes to die, to determine how and when I wish to die. Neither my children, my wife, and definitely not the State will tell me or them otherwise.
Note that my Father was reasonably religious. He had to make up his own mind about his religion; that is not ours, and no one else could do it for him.
This is the way the Dutch (and Belgian and Luxembourg and Swiss) societies define the right of the individual.
All other countries may define it differently but it means, in our opinion, a reduction in the rights of the individual. This is not acceptable, specifically in comparison to America which errantly boasts about its freedoms. Reality is different.
Note, within Dutch society the above described treatment is almost universally accepted.
Religious fanatics do not have a place in the law or in the society. Open and free elections, where all people are able to vote, rule the society and its laws.
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At 81, Jack does not have an active life unless you count that he and his wife Nancy are co-parenting their three grand-daughters, 9, 8 and 5 (the five year old knows everything there is to know). He loves it, but he needs that glass of wine in the evening.
During his career, Jack was a marketer and salesman, mainly in the computer field. He did that work in The Netherlands, USA, Britain and Germany. Jack has a BS in Civil Engineering and an MBA. He notes that those degrees are slightly old. His will and living will are all in order, but he has no plans to go anytime soon (as in, he “ain’t going”).
