I originally made this comment on facebook in response to an article about voluntary euthenasia and would like to widen the field to which it is available.....
I'm 76 and, for the time being, enjoy reasonably good health; and a significant reason for this is the NHS's commendable policy of putting emphasis on prevention rather than cure. So, for example, it's almost certain that (like my father was before me) I might be chronically bronchitic, by now, and would never have realised (until it might be too late) that I have Type 2 Diabetes. So, I'm obviously grateful for what is being done to keep me healthy.
What I might not be grateful for, however, is finding myself permanently bedridden and entirely reliant on others in order to carry out every function associated with staying alive. Accordingly, if that situation arose and I remain of sound mind and express an obvious desire to be relieved of the indignity of those circumstances, I believe it is the profound duty of the medical profession to stop prescribing medication which prolongs an individual's misery.
I'm 76 and, for the time being, enjoy reasonably good health; and a significant reason for this is the NHS's commendable policy of putting emphasis on prevention rather than cure. So, for example, it's almost certain that (like my father was before me) I might be chronically bronchitic, by now, and would never have realised (until it might be too late) that I have Type 2 Diabetes. So, I'm obviously grateful for what is being done to keep me healthy.
What I might not be grateful for, however, is finding myself permanently bedridden and entirely reliant on others in order to carry out every function associated with staying alive. Accordingly, if that situation arose and I remain of sound mind and express an obvious desire to be relieved of the indignity of those circumstances, I believe it is the profound duty of the medical profession to stop prescribing medication which prolongs an individual's misery.
