
‘Hospices give a dignified death’
Julie
My husband became ill with Parkinson’s and epilepsy in his 70s and lost the power to walk. As his wife, I became his carer. A couple of times he told me he didn’t think he could go on with life. I explained that if he wanted to, we could talk to our GP, my husband could stop taking all his medication and our GP would arrange medication to keep him comfortable until he died, as they do for people with terminal cancer. Neither time did my husband continue the conversation.
I’m so glad there was no option of assisted suicide. I watched Terry Pratchett’s programme about it and the horrible death of the man who chose Dignitas, when he briefly cried out for a drink before dying. I see how the numbers go on creeping up in countries where assisted suicide is legal. We need more hospices not assisted suicide so that everyone can die with dignity.