The Beech Group

Should we be able to decide when to die?
When I watched the very moving Terry Pratchett lecture a couple of days ago, it struck a chord with me and I was certain that if I had a debilitating illness that required someone else to look after my every bodily need, I would want to leave this world. If I was unable to achieve this alone and one of my loved ones bravely agreed to carry out this final service for me, I would certainly not want them prosecuted.
I wasn’t sure about the deciding body being a Tribunal, but I was definitely clear that I would like to be able to decide when the time was right to go.
Then I watched Question Time and was shocked that three out of the four members of the panel were absolutely against such a decision. The thing that struck a chord with me, this time, was the point raised by one of the members who said that sometimes people who are deeply depressed or suffering from bipolar, regardless of age, may decide they have had enough and, at that moment, want to die. The important words are “at that moment” because, as a Therapist, I have worked with clients who have been at this point.
I work a lot with depression and am aware that a number of them, not the majority, I am pleased to say, talk to me about ending it all and escaping from the terrible hopelessness that they feel.
It takes enormous courage to end a life, even at that low point, they say that they haven’t the courage. However, supposing they could ask someone else to do it for them – I wonder if they would.
I view this prospect with great concern, because my experience is that if I can stay with them and encourage them to do even the smallest task the chances are that they will start to see a glimmer at the end of the tunnel. Additionally, although I am not a pill fan, modern science has now produced a number of short-term antidepressants, that are not addictive and can lift the person’s spirits just enough so that they can start to benefit from the therapy.
Where does that leave me? Two opposing views, both with great merit. Depression aside, I still believe that one should be able to end a life which has lost its quality and will inevitably end in complete disablement and or death.

Madeleine Richardson