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What is “Unbearable”?

The Economist 6/8/16 reports research done in USA which interviewed patients aged over 60 who were admitted to hospital suffering from serious illness. They were asked to compare various symptoms to death to say how it compared to death. Half or more thought incontinence, being unable to get out of bed, or relying on a breathing machine were all “fates worse than death”. Over 30% thought living in a nursing home was worse than death.

Although a small scale study, MDMD agrees with the Economist that this type of research is really important as it begins to show real attitudes towards living and dying for those who are close to that point themselves. None of the conditions tested were necessarily “terminal” illnesses.

The Economist article is available here. Though you will need to apply for a free subscription.

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Two BMJ Blog posts on assisted dying in Dementia and Psychiatric cases.

Richard Smith, former editor of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) writes a moving personal story of his mother who suffers from dementia, arguing the case for assisted suicide for early stage dementia patients – as he and his mother did 10 years before.

Colin Brewer, former psychiatrist and current associate coordinator of MDMD, follows this up with another BMJ blog expanding and clarifying the case for Medically Assisted Rational Suicide (MARS) for dementia cases. He expands the arguments to include severe incurable psychiatric cases. Among many important issues he raises, he usefully points out the illogical and cruel limitations of any “terminally ill” time constraint on permitting legal MARS.

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Lord Rix changes his mind in support of legalised euthanasia

In 2006 Lord Rix, who was president of Mencap, voted against an assisted dying bill in the House of Lords. Now, aged 92, and terminally ill himself, he has changed his mind, and has called on the speaker of the House of Lords to open the debate again: “I can only ask that once again the House of Lords brings the UK up to date by allowing legal euthanasia after all other avenues have been pursued. Please raise the question again in the House of Lords so that people like me do not continue to suffer untold misery for want of a kind alternative.”

What changed his mind? “As a dying man, who has been dying now for several weeks, I am only too conscious that the laws of this country make it impossible for people like me to be helped on their way, even though the family is supportive of this position and everything that needs to be done has been dealt with. Unhappily, my body seems to be constructed in such a way that it keeps me alive in great discomfort when all I want is to be allowed to slip into a sleep, peacefully, legally and without any threat to the medical or nursing profession. I am sure there are many others like me who having finished with life wish their life to finish.”

Daily Telegraph Report

Daily Mail Report

His phrase referring to people like him “who having finished with life wish their life to finish” is a clear example of the MDMD description of a completed life.

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