Re: My mum wanted assisted dying but we watched her die slowly and in pain
Not many BMJ articles leave me with tears in my eyes, but this one did.
As a GP of 23 years standing I am all too familiar with the scenario described so bravely by Anne before her death and now by her daughter- that of a life extending well beyond when it is worth living.
The problem is that allowing a GP or other Doctor to actively shorten life fundamentally alters the relationship between Doctor and patient. I do not wish to be called upon to kill a patient for whom I may have spent decades caring. Many patients do not wish to be a burden and may perceive a pressure , real or imagined, to die quickly and cleanly rather than causing their families work and distress.
The current situation where a Doctor may provide potentially life shortening treatment to a patient as long as their aim is to relieve suffering rather than to shorten life and where the courts generally deal leniently with relatives who have ended the life of a loved one or helped them to end their own life, where it is clear that their motives where pure, is probably the best that we can achieve.
The Dignitas alternative of assisting patients to take their own lives may seem tempting, but in my experience, most patients feel that life is worth living until they are beyond having the ability to end their own lives and they therefore may be encouraged to seek death whilst they are still fit enough to travel and take action themselves and when they may well still have weeks of worthwhile living ahead of them.
Ultimately there is a conflict between the right of a patient to request death and the right of a caring professional not to be asked to kill. Sadly, as often in life, those who are prepared to kill are probably the ones who should not be allowed to do so.
Rapid Response:
Re: My mum wanted assisted dying but we watched her die slowly and in pain
Not many BMJ articles leave me with tears in my eyes, but this one did.
As a GP of 23 years standing I am all too familiar with the scenario described so bravely by Anne before her death and now by her daughter- that of a life extending well beyond when it is worth living.
The problem is that allowing a GP or other Doctor to actively shorten life fundamentally alters the relationship between Doctor and patient. I do not wish to be called upon to kill a patient for whom I may have spent decades caring. Many patients do not wish to be a burden and may perceive a pressure , real or imagined, to die quickly and cleanly rather than causing their families work and distress.
The current situation where a Doctor may provide potentially life shortening treatment to a patient as long as their aim is to relieve suffering rather than to shorten life and where the courts generally deal leniently with relatives who have ended the life of a loved one or helped them to end their own life, where it is clear that their motives where pure, is probably the best that we can achieve.
The Dignitas alternative of assisting patients to take their own lives may seem tempting, but in my experience, most patients feel that life is worth living until they are beyond having the ability to end their own lives and they therefore may be encouraged to seek death whilst they are still fit enough to travel and take action themselves and when they may well still have weeks of worthwhile living ahead of them.
Ultimately there is a conflict between the right of a patient to request death and the right of a caring professional not to be asked to kill. Sadly, as often in life, those who are prepared to kill are probably the ones who should not be allowed to do so.
Competing interests: No competing interests