The title for this article is taken from an autobiography from Linda Bellingham, an actress who wrote about her experience of living with terminal cancer: the difficult and at times awkward feelings and sense of taboo that comes from facing one’s death. It is this taboo that drew me to write this piece.
The inevitability of death is exactly why it should be discussed.
It is natural to avoid thinking about dying, particularly for young people. If you are young and healthy, why do you need to think about dying anyway? It is normal to put it to the back of your mind, and if you do think about it, to presume it will be a good death – one where you die peacefully, surrounded by loved ones and a pain-free and gentle end to a long, happy life. It can be, and for some people it will be. But this is not a guarantee. The inevitability of death is exactly why it should be discussed. To live your best life, it is important to consider your best death, and one of the ways to ensure a good death is the principle of assisted dying.
You are probably familiar with euthanasia but perhaps not with assisted dying. Maybe you think it is the same thing? The distinction between euthanasia and assisted dying is that the former is a deliberate act to end a person’s life for them, whereas the latter enables them to do it themselves. For example, euthanasia is like a doctor turning off someone’s life support machine, while assisted dying is providing a dying relative access to a lethal dose of medication. Both practices are currently illegal in UK law.
However, in March this year, Liam McArthur, a Liberal Democrat MP, tabled the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which he expects to be debated in Autumn this year. This bill would make it legal for eligible adults to be provided with assistance to lawfully end their own life. However, it would only apply to those living in Scotland. It is worth noting that assisted dying is legal in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and several US states. A recent poll from a campaign organisation, Dignity in Dying, revealed that 75% of the public supports assisted dying, with only 14% opposing.
It is time to stop assuming that everyone wants to stay alive whatever the cost, and do what we can to ensure people can have a good death.
One of the concerns is that if the law were to change, rather than giving vulnerable people – those in pain or with long-term conditions – more autonomy and control over their bodies, it could have the opposite effect. It might add a sense of pressure on them to die, to remove their burden. There are also safeguarding concerns that the law could be exploited to coerce people into killing themselves, particularly women.
Fundamentally, assisted dying concerns only one thing – autonomy. It gives people the right to make their own choices. It is not about an obligation or justification for suicide, rather, it is about taking an honest, candid approach to one’s health. The reality is that there are people currently in terrible situations without any chance of getting better. They know this, and they understand this and decide that this is not the future that they want. However, they are forced to endure it because they have no choice. They are met with various arguments like life is precious, and that their symptoms can be managed. But if the pain is unbearable, surely it is more humane to respect their choices than reduce their symptoms and suffering.
As people are living longer, what was once a taboo, uncomfortable topic of conversation is now being rightfully discussed. Much like how cancer was once stigmatised and referred to as ‘the Big C’, it is time to stop assuming that everyone wants to stay alive whatever the cost, and do what we can to ensure people can have a good death. It is the responsibility of any modern state.