comment, opinion

THANK you Annie for your thoughtful article: "Euthanasia: Let us decide" (Young at Heart, May 1) .  Yes - it is indeed time that our politicians in every state and territory listened to their electors and gave us choice in dying when faced with a terminal or hopeless illness.  Yes – experience in Oregon, the US, Belgium and other jurisdictions demonstrates legislation for choice in assisted dying does work well.  Yes - the truly vulnerable are those who are dying yet still have to endure futile and unnecessary treatment.  Yes – palliative care can be excellent but it does not help all.   The last resort is "terminal sedation" where the dying person is put into a coma until they die of starvation or dehydration.  We must ask why this slow death is considered acceptable, yet to request death within minutes using a higher dose of medication is illegal. What's your opinion? Do you have some thoughts on this issue? Click here to send a letter to the editor. Preference is given to letters of no more than 350 words.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/storypad-32rse5BRqstWuuyRkpR55UC/fbeb0131-a730-4d92-83ac-55aabc674d12.jpg/r7_6_3328_1882_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg