“If no one is encouraging those opposed to hastening their death, I don’t understand why there is so much antagonism from the medical, religious, and legal communities?” — Jim Van Buskirk
A family practice physician explains why she changed her mind about Medical Aid in Dying.
The article discusses democratic discrepancies in the UK regarding Capital Punishment and Assisted Dying laws, highlighting shifts in public opinion and legal challenges faced by supporters of Assisted Dying.
“Look at this book and let’s talk,” I imagine people saying. Or, “Read the story on page (X) and know that’s what I envision for myself.”
“Opponents of Death-with-Dignity (DWD) laws use several falsehoods in their attempts to prevent legislation from passing. We believe policy decisions affecting people with terminal illness should be made based on evidence and the actual content of the legislation.”
“So you think you’re free. You are part of a democratic society, so you have the freedom of choice in how you live – and die. Well, you don’t.”
“New legislation and court judgments are further expanding access to MAID, some bringing new and different twists.”
“One facility used the term “provider-hastened death” and stated that it encompasses euthanasia.”
“There should be a JLMA form: Just Leave Me Alone, for those of us who concede that we’re actually going to die some day and work to keep our end-times as inexpensive and comfortable as possible.”
“What is fundamentally the difference between a doctor pulling a plug on a machine that provides lifesaving nutrients to a person that could potentially stay ‘alive’ on it for years, and a doctor prescribing pills to a person with mere days or months to live to end their unnecessary suffering?”