Dear editor,
Applause and “bravos” to Dr. Jonathan Reggler for the courageous stand on Medical Assistance in Dying (Doctor resigns from ethics committee, Oct. 20 Record).
My sister and I are 84 years old and agonized for years over the deaths, from Alzheimer’s Disease, of our three beloved older sisters. To have to stand by, unable to help, and watch a loved one slowly disintegrate, both mentally and physically, before your eyes is a devastating experience. I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
In today’s world, we don’t allow prolonged suffering, whatever the cause, for our household pets and other animals - that’s cruelty to animals - and the bleeding hearts come out in droves to protest such inhumane treatment. Why is it then that those same people condemn the practice of “assisted dying” for human beings, even after this thing we call “quality of life” ceases to exist?
Surely, most of us, whether able or unable, would prefer, given a choice, to die peacefully and with dignity.
I. Berry
I. Nobbs
Courtenay