Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Editor's Choice

Assisted dying: it’s time to poll UK doctors

BMJ 2018; 360 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k593 (Published 08 February 2018) Cite this as: BMJ 2018;360:k593

Rapid Response:

Re: Assisted dying: it’s time to poll UK doctors

I believe that legislation about assisted dying is an issue for society in general.

I do believe that we should encourage people to talk more about end of life issues, which people in the UK generally find quite difficult. Getting care right at the end of life is so important: we only have one chance. So often, we don't talk about it, because we're too scared: we don't want to cause upset or pain. Yet having that conversation can be one of the most loving things you can do for those close to you.

Recently I did a TED talk titled “ We need to talk about dying”,
you can find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zOi6Z_0au8

Competing interests: No competing interests

03 April 2018
Joanna E \ Withers
GP
Dr
Wendover Health Centre, Aylesbury Rd, Wendover, Bucks