Susan Potts.
Think that you know where you stand on the euthanasia debate?
Think again.
Channel 7′s Sunday Night program went to air last night with a story that was both controversial and deeply confronting.
Susan Potts was a healthy 89-year-old. She was fit, physically mobile and by all accounts living a happy and enjoyable life; unencumbered by the illness and disease that plague many others her age.
The former model lived an existence that Elizabeth Taylor would have been proud of. Susan was married three times, she was a wildly successful businesswoman whose wealth mean she could live a life of luxury on the Gold Coast (complete with a vintage Rolls Royce to drive around).
On 19 October this year Susan Potts gave an interview, which was put to air on yesterday’s program. She didn’t tell her friends or family that she had given the interview. She didn’t tell them what her plans were. She didn’t say goodbye.
And then, on 23 October, she took her own life.
Sunday Night reported that:
Potts’ sister was the famous author Sara Henderson, who died a lingering and painful death Potts witnessed and did not want for herself.
Despite being in good health, sprightly and with all her mental faculties, Potts simply wanted to check out, on her terms, to her own timetable.
She also wanted her decision to become a talking point for the euthanasia debate.
Susan Potts’ story is sure to spark debate after she recorded a video interview on her decision to choose when to die.
Potts’ remarkable interview will polarise views about the right to choose your demise, particularly in the case of those who are fit and healthy.
The program also spoke with so-called ‘Doctor Death’ Philip Nitshke, who run an organisation that champions people’s right to die at a time of their choosing. Nitscke met Susan before she died and admits to assisting her and ‘thousands’ of others to access the drug they need to kill themselves painlessly.
He defends the right of someone to take their own life, even when fit and healthy. In fact, Nitschke goes to far as to argue that legally the Government should allow people to access the necessary drugs from the age of 50, if they so choose.
Philip Nitshke.
Sunday Night: What advice did you give her:
Nitschke: She wanted to know about drugs – ones that work, not ones that might work. And so we gave her the information she wanted – what are the best drugs and where do you get them.
Sunday Night: Do you understand that some people will see in the case of Susan – a healthy woman – that helping her to die was a slippery slope? She wasn’t sick.
Nitschke: No she wasn’t sick. But she was clear of mind. She had considered all of the options. And then she made a rational, informed decision that now was the time to die. Now who is going to criticize that? What am I supposed to say to her ‘I’m sorry…?’
Sunday Night: I think lots of people will criticize that. You’ve crossed a line here, haven’t you?
Nitschke: Yes I’ve crossed a line. I remember crossing it. I know exactly when I crossed it. As I crossed that line I could see that was a line that one should cross. I’ve heard increasingly now from elderly people – they’re not sick, but they still want to be able to make that choice when they get to a point when they feel that this is an appropriate time to die. You can call it a ‘tired of life phenomenon’ if you like. A point is reached, they set a date. And that’s the day they want that peaceful, reliable death.
Sunday Night: Where do you draw the line? She was 89, would it be a different situation if she was 39?
Nitschke: We’ve set an age of 50.
Euthanasia is not legal in Australia. This was of great concern to Susan Potts, who did not want to be forced into a situation where she was incapacitated and unable to access the resources she would need to end her life. And it seems that this concern is shared by a significant number of Australians:
Opinion polling conducted for the Australia Institute in November 2010 (1,294 respondents) recorded a total 75 per cent said ‘yes’ to the question: “If someone with a terminal illness, who is experiencing un-relievable suffering asks to die, should a doctor be allowed to assist them to die?” Sixty-five per cent of the respondents who said ‘yes’ declared themselves to be Christians.
Newspoll (1,201 respondents) found 85 per cent of Australians believe in the right of the terminally or incurably ill to obtain medical assistance to end their lives. A 2007 survey (2,423 respondents) found 80 per cent support including 75 per cent declaring themselves to be Christian.
Yet in the 12 attempts to get voluntary euthanasia through any Australian state parliament since Marshall Perron’s Northern Territory Rights of the Terminally Ill Act was expunged by Kevin Andrews’ 1997 Federal Parliament private member’s bill, all have failed on the numbers.
While most Australians support euthanasia in some circumstances, the right of someone to die when they are fit and healthy and may have years of quality life ahead of them – blurs the lines considerably.
Last night’s program was intensely difficult to watch and at times distressing. Susan’s calm demeanor and healthy and bright appearance was particularly disarming.
The euthanasia debate has been quiet in recent years, this is sure to reignite it.
Loading ...If you are concerned about the mental health of yourself or a loved one, seek support and information by calling Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14 or beyondblue: the national depression initiative 1300 22 4636.
Comments
103 Comments so far
Suicide is suicide (homicide of oneself)
Homicide is homicide (homicide of someone else)
Homicide (legal or illegal) is the removal of compassion
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whoul you prefer to witness a loved one die slowly and pianfully against their will? to see them get tube fed and not have any independance?? personally i believe that it is noe’s own choice and decision. it is their life and they have the choice to end it how they please. irf they wish to die painlessly and peacefully by their own means, they have my blessing.
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I’m not opposed to euthanasia but don’t think euthanasia legislation should be considered until we have comprehensive palliative care centres in every capital city AND properly funded mental health services for the elderly INCLUDING strategies for combatting the social isolation of elderly people AND a national campaign to ensure that people understand what their legal rights are already if they were to become permanently incapacitated. I just don’t think we are ready, as a country, to be offering death as a solution when other solutions are not properly explored.
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When I first heard of my Great Aunt Susan Potts death (yep I am some of the ‘poor’ family many of you are all going on about), I was told she died peacefully in her sleep. I was pretty shocked when I heard that she had been fit and healthy and chose to end her life. Then I watched the interview. Now I understand what she was thinking. If euthanasia was a legal option, she would probably stuck it out and lived on, safe in the knowledge she wouldn’t be forced to live her last days/months/years in agony as have some of our other relatives. RIP Aunt Susan.
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Re Jenna’s comment: I have spent months in a nursing home, tending to my mother who had Alzheimer’s, and whose child-like joy in life was cut short when, after a mild stroke, and the decision of the relative with legal authority, she was deprived of food and water for 6 days until she died of starvation and dehydration. I have also spent many hours as an entertainer in nursing homes, watching the delight of those with dementia and Alzheimer’s when they remember the words of an old once-familiar song. Jenna, spend some real time in a nursing home, get to know the girls and young fellows these “people” once were, and still are. Give of yourself, see them smile and respond to the touch of a gentle hand. Perhaps YOU will change YOUR mind.
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Maybe those who are pro-euthenasia should have a look at what is happening in the Netherlands. They not only have legalised euthenasia but mobile ‘death squads’. They will come to your house and administer the required drugs. There are very few limitations on who can be assisted. There is also mounting evidence that those considered ‘unworthy’ of continued life (terminally ill, physically or mentally disabled, etc) are being co-erced into euthenasia for various reasons, including providing body parts for organ donation. Do we really want that here? Also, 50 is not old. My youngest child will only be 9 at that time and Dr Nitschke expects me to be old enough to check out? All I can say is his life must be very unfulfilling. For those who are concerned about being unable to choose to die themselves, discuss it with your family. My grandmother had DNR on her medical records. That means Do Not Resuscitate. She had pre-chosen to not receive care if she had a heart attack, stroke, etc. I think most people don’t realise there are already many choices available without resorting to euthenasia.
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Refusing all medical treatment and opting for palliative care is the only solution for somebody who is old or very ill and wishes to end their life. Others have stated that this is a very modern issue arising from advanced techniques for prolonging life but there are other factors to be considered. Another important factor is that WE NO LONGER CARE FOR OR ACCOMMODATE OUR ELDERS, within the family unit. This phenomenon is just as ugly as euthanasia (or suicide, for those who wish to call it so).
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I don’t agree with euthanasia or suicide. But I also don’t believe in the prolonging of life ‘just because’. Just because the health system can enable a person be kept alive, doesn’t mean that it has to happen. People can make living wills stating that if they end up in a position where the suffering outweighs the benefit of life they refuse treatment for the prolonging of life. They can receive treatment for pain, but not for other purposes. Basically, palliative care. Treating them with dignity, and allowing them to die with dignity. Not forcing them into a situation where they suffer undignified.
And, really, 50? How old is Phillip Nitschke? I wonder how he will feel if he is terminally ill. Will he want euthanasia, or will he realise how much he likes living.
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The slippery slope is why I have never liked euthanasia, over time the line moves bit by bit until eventualy you can not even see where the line started.
I worry that people will die because they feel obligated to, seems far fetched now but give it 20 yrs….
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I wonder what Japanese people would say. They have the highest number of people who are over 100! Has the fear of growing old become so prominent in our society, death is preferred?
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This is a hard subject. I guess people are against it as it may be abused; which I guess it could be.
But I do think if a patient is terminally ill, their doctor should be able to make the decision to give them the choice for euthanasia. I mean, it would have to be informed consent and all that, and be seen as the last choice in a line of medical decisions… but still, the choice should be there.
I don’t think it should be available to just anyone, as I can see people with mental illnesses using it as a way out when they could be treated and end up happy, productive members of society.
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I think what really troubles me is the disregard for those people, most likely loved ones or Neighbours that find someone once they have suicided. Speaking from experience, this is absolutely horrific and no one should ever have to discover someone after they have decided to suicide. Euthanasia, at the very least gives family notice of a friend or loved ones planned death. In this instance, I would have to say it was an extremely selfish way to end what was a beautiful life.
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The population controllers in the world must be very pleased. All the social engineering that they have been implementing over the years is bearing fruit for them. The idea is to increase the level of unhappiness on a grand scale. For example when the unemployment rate gets high like it is in many European countries instead of lowering the retirement age to hand over the jobs to the younger people, the idea is to raise the retirement age. That way the older workers are unhappy and miserable and the young people are unemployed and also unhappy and miserable. Both groups will surely yield a good supply of people who want to end their lives. If we want to resist euthanasia for the evil that it is then we must get involved in politics and resist the social engineering behind it. Every human being has the right to live, work and be happy
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my great aunt is 95. she is in fairly good health for her age. she can get around with a walking stick and despite series of strokes she has a very sharp mind. but she’s tired. i remember he saying when my son was born 5 years ago, that now he had joined our family, she could go. she said the same when my daughter was born 2 years ago.
maybe people just get tired and are ready to go. 89 years is a long life, i guess she was done. RIP
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Rabbi David Feldman (no relation) stated that is just one tiny step from saying that you have the RIGHT to die to saying that you have a DUTY to die. Humanity beware!!!
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You are a sane man, Rabbi.
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Again you’re missing the point. Euthanasia is not an option when it is illegal. The point is some of us would like it to be an option. Some of us like to have the power to have some kind of control over our own lives & not be held to ransom by the irrelevant belief systems of others. There is nothing selfish or cowardly about this. The selfish & cowardly thing to do is for our society to continue to turn a blind eye to the needs & very real fears of our elderly.
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Your point, Adam, is anything but the point. I am fed-up with you whiners and cry-babies holding the greater population ransom, to get laws passed for your now Global Terrorist-Network of euthanasia (under an umbrella of names and organizaitons).
Your lecture that there is nothing selfish or cowardly, demanding laws which result in the perpetual murders of people who never endorsed your laws, is an act of Terrorism.
It’s now well-documented that Belgium now murders so many people who never solicited their executions, that 50% of the murders are not even reported.
Your contempt for our “belief systems” just happens to be why your cry-babies have so many fears. Who gave them those fears?–Your Duty-to-Die Societies did.
Your population consists of the most miserable, God-mockers and Christian-executioners. They might be dead, but there is no proof that they are not suffering now since they died.–And there is no evidence to suggest that their fears vanished, after they died.
The best option your suckers could opt for, without “laws” being passed, is to beg and cry out to God for foriveness.–And to plead for Jesus to have mercy on your souls.
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I suppport Euthanasia of very terminally ill adults, I watched my grandfather die very slowly and painfully from cancer, it was awful!! But this is not euthanasia this is suicide and there is a huge difference
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what a selfish and cowardly thing to do.
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Why is it cowardly? I actually think it’s quite brave.
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So do I. I don’t think I would ever have the guts to end things like that.
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brave? brave is facing everyday of your life, good or bad!
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I watched my father die slowly from a degerneative disease, he was a fit n healthy man 3 months earlier and lost his muscle mass, wasn’t able to clean himself in the toilet, or shower alone, wasn’t able to hold half a glass of water without shaking n spilling it on himself because he had no strength left. He eventually stopped breathing because his lungs weren’t strong enough.
When he was diagnosed his dignity was disappearing but by the 3rd week or so when he was unable to walk without a walker you could see clearly his dignity took a huge hit, culminating in tears when he tripped n fell back when he couldn’t lift his own foot 15cm for a single step into the house. This is someone who helped me paint a room 3 months earlier!
I am extremely thankful his disease progressed so quick so he didn’t have to suffer any longer, if I ever get a terminal illness I will be taking a bullet because there’s no way in hell I’ll let myself go through any of that. I told my relatives that they MUST kill me if I become a “vegetable”, or I’ll find a way to haunt them. The only life I want is one of being fit, healthy, n able to be independent. If the chance at that disappears, then that is not living, that is existing and I’ve seen in others how destructive that is to the mental state.
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I have watched a number of my relatives die recently in various ways. I sat holding my father’s hand as he faded away from me into a place that I had no access to. Each relative’s death had a profound meaning in its own. My Grand Mother in Law endured sufferring as cancer took her, yet she held onto life until she knew her death would not affect the celebrations in any of her grandkids birthdays, then she just gave up and faded quickly. I think the way we handle death speaks a lot about who we are. I would say that your father never lost an ounce of dignity. You do not lose dignity from the things you describe. He may have lost pride but as you approach death, that is not a bad thing. In fact, it is a tremendously powerful thing
I hope you can see a different way of looking at death.
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Let me add something else to this discussion.
There are a lot of people tht would benefit – even just psychologically – with the legalisation of VE.
Yet there are very few healthy adults that take part in trying to promote the issue – to try to get it legalised.
You can’t leave it up to the elderly or the sick – and I’m one of the latter – because we can’t get up and protest down the main streets of the city trying to get the attention of the public or the politicians. Many elderly don’t even own a computeer to email their local politician – not that it would help. But every Australian is going to benefit from the legalisation – because they’ll have a family member or friend that will agree with it and maybe try to utilise it. Even if you’re a “religious right” you’ll have a family member or a friend who supports it ……. so, yes, EVERY australian is affected.
Yet the public continue to just watch what is/isn’t happening.
Change won’t happen unless Australians work for the change.
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There seems to be a lot of people missing the point here. Susan took her life while she was healthy because euthanasia is illegal. She was scared of losing her health & independence. She may have prefered to have the option of an assisted suicide when she became infirm but she obviously didn’t have that option available legally. Why? I find it hard to understand why people feel more comfortable with the elderly ending their lives in misery in a nursing home rather than on their own terms. I respect her decision.
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What has it got to do with any of you people? Stop sticking your nose into other people’s life or death choices, if you don’t like it , don’t agree with it then don’t flipping do it, you have no right what so ever to chose how another person lives so what gives you the right to chose how they die????
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Dr Nitschke has advocated voluntary euthanasia for the “”troubled teen”", involuntary euthanasia for seriously ill newborn babies and voluntary euthanasia for prisoners.
A quote from Nitchscke’s book Killing Me Softly:
“”One can but wonder when a government will have the guts to stop digging the fiscal black hole that is their ever-deepening legacy for future generations. While the enabling of end-of-life choices will not fix the economic woes of the next forty years, it would not hurt, given half a chance.
So the next time you hear a government minister trying to argue why this or that payment or welfare program for single mothers or war veterans must be cut, counter their argument with their fiscal irresponsibility on end-of-life choices. “”
If I was elderly and ill, I would be very worried at the prospect of euthanasia being made legal. It will create a society where the elderly, ill, disabled are seen as a disposable burden.Some People may feel that they have a duty to die so as to save the taxpayer money.
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My father also suicided, (supposedly) for this reason, but at 64.
In reality he was depressed and alone. If we’d had euthanasia laws and he sought professional assistance to die there’s a possibility he would have been referred to a shrink and still be alive today.
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This is suicide, not euthanasia but whilst we’re talking about it I’ll say that euthanasia should always be ILLEGAL. If made legal, it will be abused& misused.
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I think when you’re 89 you can do whatever the heck you want.
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No one is saying that people do not have the right to commit suicide if they want to. At least I don’t think they are. It’s only when the insurance lobby seeks to enact laws enabling or requiring the assistance of a physician that things get sticky. That infringes on the rights of all the rest of us that do not want to be exposed to risky situations at a hospital created by the availability of such laws, or pressured into kicking the bucket for the benefit of our heirs under threat that the estate will be siphoned by doctors. This reminds me of Cong. Alan Grayson’s comment that the RIght Wing’s health care plan consists of: “don’t get sick, but if you do get sick, die quickly.”
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I don’t think this woman’s suicide contributed anything to the euthanasia cause.
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Really hope that when my day comes i too can say that I’m ready to accept death. Looks like she had a great life and hope she rests in peace. I wonder if her family would have tried to stop her if she had come to them?
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This isn’t euthanasia this is suicide. And why is 50 suddenly the magic number? I’m pro euthanasia and I think this story will do nothing but set back the euthanasia debate significantly. Could this be termed ‘extremist euthanasia’?
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I find 50 to be quite young
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I’m sorry but when did a ‘suicide’, which this was, become euthanasia? This was not someone taking their life because they were too ill too live anymore and didn’t want to live through the pain. This was an elderly person who knowingly took her life regardless of her healthy life. Selfish.
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This wasn’t Euthanasia, this was suicide.
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Suicide is NOT euthanasia – as a nurse who works with the dying it is offensive that you would consider the planned suicide of a person in the same context as euthanasia
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All those people below who said “Her poor family, not being told what she was going to do” – are you kidding?
At 89 she could still have died suddenly at any time and most people with a relative of this age wouldn’t be surprised at their death, regardless of their apparent good health.
Just saying.
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Yes that could happen but, when they find out she chose to go this way without telling anyone as a pre-meditated idea, that is what I see as ‘the poor family’.
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It is still a shock for your relative who is physically well to DELIBERATELY choose to die. You might expect an apparently healthy elderly relative to die suddenly, without warning but you don’t expect them to choose to kill themselves
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I want to do this when I reach a certain age. I have 2 grandparents who died not knowing their own names and 2 who were fit and healthy one day and vegetables the next (major strokes). One of my first jobs was working in an high care aged care home (a super swanky one filled with millionaires, not some terrible dump) and god it was depressing. Everyone there was alive, but they sure weren’t living. Everyone was constantly in and out of hospital, being kept alive when their body was fighting for an end to it all. I don’t want to end up like that.
It worries me that we see an increased life span as a wonderful thing. In a lot of cases it really isn’t. Often all it means is instead of dying 10 years earlier, you spend the last 10 years of your life being shuttled between high care and the hospital. Being fed, bathed and having your ass wiped by carers. What’s the point? Especially when you’ve outlived family and friends. At that point what are you actually living for? The next ambulance ride? The next surgery? That’s not living, that’s just marking off days. No thanks, not for me.
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I have heard it is a statistical fact that while we’re living longer that it isn’t actually a better quality of life, so what you’ve seen is actually part of a modern phenomenon.
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A modern phenomenon requires modern solutions.
I say there is a place for euthanasia.
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Kate, the story I linked to about Phillippe, the quadriplegic man showed that some people consider their life is worth living despite ‘ being fed. bathed and having their arse wiped by carers’. He is enjoying his relationships, his writing, his music, the scenery, art etc
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That’s awesome – for those people. If other people would rather be dead than be in that position, why does anyone have any right to legislate against that?
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I agree it is possible that some people ( if in Phillipe’s position) might wish to be dead, but legalizing euthanasia can lead to a situation where those who do not wish to die, are subtly pressured/coerced into doing so.People can be made to made to feel guilty they are consuming society’s resources, people can feel bad that their relatives are distressed. ( e.g. I should die and end my distress so I am not distressing my relatives) and as horrific as it sounds some people may be pressured to choose to die by relatives who do not want to see their inheritance going on hospital bills.
The ill/disabled/elderly do require a significant amount of resources. People make judgements about other people’s quality of life. e.g. “‘ I wouldnt want to live like that”, and assume that if they wouldn’t noone else would. Certainly in Nazi Germany people were killed for being psychiatrically ill, mentally disabled etc because they were non-productive burdens.
Having a major illness or disability is very difficult. However, research has shown that people have the ability to adjust to their new circumstances and after a period of time return to their usual level of happiness. Yes, people may say that want to die in times of pain and suffering. I have worked with chronic pain sufferers and many people say this but when push comes to shove they dont want to die. They want people to commiserate with them, to comfort them, to find meaning in life. If these psychological needs are met, they generally want to live. But if we offer them euthanasia when they are in a moment of despair, they may as Phillipe pointed out, may miss out on many years of life which are enjoyable
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I’m concerned that this is not being called suicide.
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I was wondering what age is the cut off for it to be called suicide?
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I had the same thought.
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I think we all have the right to choose when we die. My life, my choice. No different to being able to choose to have an abortion.
The thing that I find incredibly disturbing is societies reluctance to let the very sick and elderly die. Keeping people alive that do not want to be here and have no quality of life is not kind, it’s horribly cruel. I agree totally with euthanasia as long as they are assessed to be clear of mind and assessed by at least two medical professionals, one of them a Psychiatrist. As long as they are assessed by medical professionals and there is clearance from the courts (you do have to take into consideration of medical power of attorney with family members if money is involved) then I think it should be legal.
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Sometimes when people say they want to die it is because they are in pain that has not be adequately treated. If their pain is relieved they no longer wish to die.. I dont believe there can be enough safeguards to make euthanasia provision abuse proof, but people should have to be assessed by pain specialists too ( gps and other medical specialists are not trained in pain medicine)
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This is not euthanasia….it is simply suicide.
And what about “50″ being a somehow acceptable age to simply be “tired of life”???? Good grief, I’m 50 in two years, and I’m just getting started!
How have we become so lacking in the wonder and joy of life that we think it’s okay to die because life is suddenly not fulfilling enough?
We jump up and down about our climbing youth suicide rate, and try to encourage young people that there is a reason to live, that difficult times can get better, that there is hope, help and support. And then this fellow treats life as though it has no more value than a disposable food container.
I know it is hard to watch loved ones die. I have done it. but in the vast majority of cases, pain can be managed, and death can be a dignified exit from this life, with opportunity for friends and family to walk alongside in that journey. Using horror stories to set a pattern is an unwise and dangerous precedent. And this latest story is even more dangerous.
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50 can be a long time if your life was never filled with the wonder and joy of life though Kate.
You do reaise a valid point about the example this would be setting for younger people though. Thought provoking comment on how one would handle justifying that.
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Ironically if euthanasia was legal Susan would not have had to end her life when she was fit and healthy. Her main concern was that she would have a stroke etc & be so incapacitated that she would not have been physically capable of taking her own life.
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I would be compassionate and have my cat put down if he was very ill and in pain but I would never do that to a healthy animal. I feel the same way about people and euthanasia.
I don’t think helping healthy people to kill themselves is compassionate.
I think physically healthy people who want to die are depressed and it would be better to help them access psychiatric treatment rather than help them commit suicide.
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I think one main point to consider when calling this suicide, is that Susan was not mentally ill, nor wanting to end her life for the same reasons most suicides occur. Does that make a difference? I don’t know, but I think it is very important to take into account?
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I think the reason people are saying it is suicide is because it is not euthanasia by its definition, she was not terminally ill or suffering an incurable disease, she was an independent person and did it herself, with advice about medications to use, she didn’t have someone administer the drugs to her. And what do you mean the same reasons most suicides occur? she ended her life because she no longer wanted to live, is that not the same for all suicides?
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A physically healthy person who decides to end their life is suffering a mental illness? Are they not?
I agree, this is not euthanasia, this is suicide.
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I agree, Louise. Not necessarily a mental illness, but perhaps something equally as perception altering. She has lead a lot of people (her loved ones) into a long, deep and difficult pain-journey.
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As someone said above, if euthanasia was legal she wouldn’t have needed to do this to be sure that she could go with dignity by her own terms. She could have waited until she was sick, and then made a choice at that stage. But given that the choice isn’t there, she didn’t want to wait until that decision wasn’t hers to make.
I’d agree that it’s not euthanasia, it’s suicide, but it’s suicide because euthanasia isn’t an option. I don’t believe it changes the euthanasia debate though.
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So a healthy person who is suicidal is mentally ill but a disabled person who is suicidal that is what, reasonable? So are you suggesting those of us with disabilities are immune from depression or that are lives are so pathetic we are better off dead?
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Most, but not all all suicides are due to mental illness.
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Why do we romanticize life and death like we do? And why do we think that we have a right to tell someone else whether their life is worth living or not? Surely, it is their life, their experience and they are the only person who can judge?
I know a person that has lived past their one hundredth birthday and they are still fit and mentally competent. Living a long life is a great thing right? Except, all their friends are dead. They have outlived their spouse by thirty years, they have lived through two world wars and have lived to see the death of their own children. Life is wonderful when you have your mental and physical health and people you love to share it with. However, what is so precious, so joyous, about being alive when everybody you want to share it with is gone? Why is it SO important to stay alive when you feel you are finished, you have outstayed your welcome on this earth, achieved all you want and feel your time is done?
What is so great about a “natural” death? Most people aren’t afforded the good fortune of dying in their sleep. In the case of my great grandmother who lived well into her nineties while staying mobile, she eventually fell out of her bed in the night, had a stroke and eventually died in a hospital bed while physically disabled and without her mental faculties. Is this supposed to be the preferable outcome?
If I ever get to a place in my life where I feel that I am done I want the choice. I want to be able to die with dignity, to say goodbye to my loved ones. I would want to be able to have access to the best methods to make the ending of my life as peaceful and painless as possible. I would also like the added protection from the law so that nobody was in danger of being prosecuted for assisting me.
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Great comment! completely agree.
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i second that, great comment, I agree with everything
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Well Said.
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I’ll third that, completely agree too, very well said.
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so true, well done
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thankyou, my thoughts exactly.
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Do we know if this woman was in fact assessed by 2 independent mental health practitioners who had no vested interest in euthanasia?
It is hard to believe that someone who is physically healthy wants to kill themself.
I was reading this article about the real “The Intouchables” movie man who has quadriplegia and terrible chronic pain. He said he wanted to die when he was depressed but he was glad he didnt die as he has enjoyed the subsequent 19 years. He said he didn’t like feeling he was a burden ( but surely it is up to family members, friends, society, governments to make the ill and disabled feel valued and provide necessary support, treatment etc).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/9509665/Untouchable-the-true-story-that-inspired-a-box-office-hit.html
He commented that he didnt think it was a good idea to legalise euthanasia.
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Since being paralysed and in terrible pain, Phillippe has written books and in the process of writing one. He has remarried, he loves reading and art. He still has friends.He does not want to die.
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I think if a person is terminally ill, are suffering/in pain they should be allowed to die. Even if they are not in pain but still terminally ill i think euthanasia should be an option- if they want it and have been assessed by doctors.
Last year we put our beloved family dog to sleep because she had inoperable cancer- it would have been cruel to keep her alive. We did this out of love and kindness, why shouldn’t it be the same for people?
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This case is not one of euthanasia; this is a suicide. Big difference.
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That’s just semantics. Suicide it may be, but in the context of this situation, its really about a persons CHOICE not to live their life anymore.
I do feel terribly sad for Susan’s family and for all families of persons who have decided to end their lives, but ultimately, this is their choice. And for someone of Susan’s age, I think its a choice that they deserve to be able to make.
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I completely support euthanasia. I had not thought about it before, that an elderly healthy person may choose it as an option. And I also understand why having watched it.
Whilst I may not make that same choice for myself when I am at that life stage, I feel it is the right of the individual to make that choice for ourselves.
I think it is clearer cut when a terminal illness is involved or quality of life has been destroyed. But watching Sue opened up my mind more, as sad as it was to know she killed herself.
I think we have the right to tattoo ourselves, to pierce ourselves, to dress ourselves how we want, eat what we want, pursue the vocation we ‘want’, marry who we want (understanding that is not true for all cultures), we have freedom of speech, freedom of life, why should we not be able to choose when we want to die when we feel our quality of life has diminished, or most certainly will diminish due to old age?
Who has the right to force us to stay alive? Who has that permission in our lives? To think someone else can make choices for me, when I am a fully functioning adult triggers me. As a child my parents, elders and teachers had that right. Why should people outside of me have that right now or in the future if I was ill or old?
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I believe we all have a right to choose as much of life as we can. We cannot choose our family, or the circumstances we were born into but after that..that’s what being an adult living in a democratic country in the 21st century is all about.
I’m watching my mother wither with age – not terminally ill – but dreadfully weary of life nonetheless. I just hope by the time I get to that stage of age I get the choice. From the arrogance of (relative) youth I would choose euthanasia. And I understand that may well change as I age. But I still want the choice – and that level of control over my life.
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I support euthanasia – which to me means people who are facing a painful, debilitating illness which is terminal. I do not support healthy people deciding to end their life. That to me isn’t euthanasia, it is suicide. And I can’t support that. We should be offering community and mental health supports, not an easier way to end it all.
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I think she was being incredibly selfish.
I do believe that if there are health reasons that people should have the choice and assistance made available to them but in this case there were no health issues & it was just plain old suicide. If it was a cause she believed in she would of spoken to family & friends & said goodbye instead of leaving them to deal with the shock & questions.
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Well , I agree one should consider the impact one”s behaviour has on others.
if one chooses to suicide, which is basically what she did, one is choosing to deprive one’s family , friends of oneself.
However, I assume Susan Pott’s was terribly fearful of pain and disability given the story refers to her sister’s death. Maybe she needed more reassurance that (a) what she feared might never have happened ( e.g. she might have died peacefully in her sleep) and (b)that if she was disabled/ill she would cope and people would be by her side
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I don’t support euthanasia (although definitely believe there is a point where medications, medical support etc should stop). Where does a case like this leave those who are working to stop suicide?? Where do u decide that a person is of sound mind and its “ok” especially considering that being at risk of harm to yourself is one of the only 2 criteria for enforced admission to a mental health facility.
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I’ve suffered with suicidal depression most of my life. I’ve been hospitalised several times for suicide attempts. My first suicide note was written when I was 9 years old, and I gave it to my younger sister to keep to give it to our parents when I was gone. A couple of years ago, we found that note, still in the battery compartment of her teddy bear.
When you have diagnosed clinical depression, and you have a really really low episode that results in suicidal feelings, you do want to die. You feel like you can’t keep living. You can’t handle the pain. It’s not really something you can understand unless you’ve been there.
It’s weird, because those are exactly the same reasons you hear being given for why euthanasia should be available.
At age 25, and doing really well at the moment, I’m glad none of my suicide attempts succeeded. I’m glad that there were people to stop me. I’m glad I was put into hospital and monitored through the darkest times.
I’m glad that I am alive. My life is very precious.
I hope that I have many more years of life, although I know it’s almost certain I will be back in that dark place many more times in my life. I pray that I never succeed.
People say that euthanasia is “dying with dignity”. I don’t think what this lady did (whether it was suicide or euthanasia) is dignified. I don’t think it’s dignified to give up. I think it’s really sad. I see young people and old with terminal illness fighting for every last minute of life. That is courageous and dignified.
I don’t care how I die, but I hope I never die by my own hand. I hope that I will fight for my life for every last second.
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That’s all well n all for your progress but why not legalize it? Because some may be like you and be glad they didn’t die? What about the others who’s life gets progressively worse?
Humans should have the right to choose when they die. I’m glad your life is getting better but you have no right to impose restrictions on others because of your own feelings on the matter, their life is different to yours, you have no idea of their individual struggles so you don’t get to tell them their death is undignified! Dignity is for the individual in question, not the relatives, not the random strangers, but the person living the life and if they feel their dignity is gone then that is all that matters.
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Watching my nan go through terminal cancer was the worst thing Ive seen! Euthanasia should be legal in the right circumstances. I think what this lady has done was a touch selfish. Not sick, no goodbyes…her poor family!!
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