The Netherlands’ highest court has ruled that doctors can honour euthanasia requests for adults with advanced Alzheimer's, provided they have signed a written request beforehand. Although it has always been possible in the Netherlands for a patient unable to express their will at the moment of death, to receive assistance to die, this ruling has [...]
Leila Bell, an 85 year old Canadian, suffered from early stage Alzheimer's disease. She died in August 2019 using the Canadian Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) legislation. However, in an in depth interview shortly before her death, she explains that she is angry that she had to end her life as soon as she did, [...]
MDMD commented recently on how the current Canadian Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) legislation was now starting to be used in some early stage dementia cases. A recent 30-minute radio programme broadcast by CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) discusses another case in depth. The programme and a detailed summary are available on their website. This is [...]
Canadians have had legal access to medical aid in dying (MAID), the preferred term there, since June 2016. The Canadian law does not limit MAID to those who are expected to die within six months, as is the case in those USA and Australian states that permit assisted dying, (the 'Oregon model'). Instead their law [...]
Latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the number of deaths attributed to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia continues to rise. 1 in 8 of all deaths in England and Wales were caused by dementia in 2018. For women over 80 the figure rises to 1 in 4. A defining [...]
LBC's Nick Ferrari interviewed Alzheimer's sufferer Alex Pandolfo about his plans to end his life in Switzerland. The moving video is available on line. Nick gently probes Alex's motivation for wanting to end his life, and discusses how he will decide when the time is right for him. Alex is clear: I don't want to [...]
Endgame is a documentary made over 18 months in 2017/8 by independent film maker Andi Reiss. It has been shown, with much praise, at many film festivals and at independent venues. He has now made it available to view on his Vimeo site. A link is embedded at the bottom of this page. The film, [...]
A new medical organisation in favour of assisted dying has been formed in the UK and will work to change the law on assisted dying to allow people in the UK who want the option of a safe and dignified assisted death. Announced in a column in the British Medical Journal today, “MDMD Medical Group” [...]
A BBC story discusses the assisted death of dementia sufferers, in particular the case of Annie Zwijnenberg in the Netherlands. Annie was never in any doubt that she wanted euthanasia, once she had her Alzheimer diagnosis. She delayed as long as she felt she could but she knew that if she waited for too long [...]
My Death, My Decision's Campaigns and Communication Manager, Keiron McCabe, responds to the latest Guardian long-read "Death on demand: has euthanasia gone too far?" Christopher Bellaigue raises an important question for those of us who advocate for assisted dying reform. In a society which permits euthanasia, what are the acceptable limits to autonomy? [...]