Assisted Dying in England and Wales – one step closer.
A profound and radical shift took place last week, and at the Good Funeral Guide, we feel it is essential to acknowledge it. On Friday 29th November, the Private Members Bill sponsored by Kim Leadbeater MP, The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, passed its second reading in the House of Commons with 330 votes in […]
Why am I still here?
When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me. First there was the cancer diary. Nigella Lawson’s husband John Diamond wrote one, you remember. Since the advent of the self-published blog countless people have died out loud. Next, boomers started writing about the slow and distressing decline of their parents. […]
So it goes
Posted by Vale Have you ever thought what it is to be a King or a Queen? You are, usually, born to it: it is your life and your duty. Our own Queen clearly feels this keenly. As far as a commoner can tell, for her, the coronation oath confirmed what birth had bestowed: she […]
Never say die
The Falconer Bill on assisted dying is making its way through the Lords before going on to the Commons, and the familiar debate rages once more. The usual suspects oppose it. They include senior doctors and lawyers and, you probably think, a lot of religious people, yes? And disabled people? Actually, the stats show support […]
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace…
An average 68 per cent of Canadians favour the legalisation of assisted suicide, but the Court of Appeal in British Columbia has just rejected it. Read more here. The arguments for and against assisted dying, assisted suicide, dying with dignity, call it want you will, will be with us for some time to come, but […]
When death is no longer the worst thing that can happen to you
It’s not the worthy efforts of the members of the Dying Matters coalition that have raised awareness of the need to talk about death and dying. What’s actually got more and more of us talking is our personal experiences of the difficult and protracted end-of-life suffering of members of our families. Alongside twenty-first century death […]
How do you define ‘dying’?
Sarah Wootton, chief exec of Dignity in Dying, wrote in Friday’s Times about the case of Paul Lamb, who wants to be allowed to die: Dignity in Dying is not fighting for an unfettered right to die, but for the right of dying people to die well. We believe that right must be based on two core […]
Weighing the End of Life
ONE weekend last year, we asked our vet how we would know when it was time to put down Byron, our elderly dog. Byron was 14, half blind, partly deaf, with dementia, arthritis and an enlarged prostate. He often walked into walls, stood staring vacantly with his tail down, and had begun wandering and whining […]
Way To Go
From the Daily Mail, an emollient newspaper for those who like to keep their blood pressure low: The BBC came under fire today for a new sitcom which makes light of assisted suicide. A new series starring Blake Harrison, of the Inbetweeners, tells the story of three young men who build a suicide machine and […]
The unintended consequence of promoting longevity
Michael Wolff describes caring for his eldery, dementing mother in New York magazine. It’s a long piece and it will concentrate your mind. You’ll brood on it. Warning: once you start, you won’t be able to put it down. …what I feel most intensely when I sit by my mother’s bed is a crushing sense […]
