Letter: Right to decide
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: I read with interest the piece by Jeremy Laurance on 30 March ("Choosing not to go gently"). I am an octogenarian - my age is nearer 90 than 80 - and I certainly do not want to die just yet, although I had polio when I was a boy of nine and have not been untouched by my advancing age in other respects.
When discussing voluntary euthanasia with people of my own age, we do not find that support for it declines with advancing age. It is inevitable that with advancing years one has more and more often the opportunity to watch physical and mental deterioration and consequent pain and distress, often leading gradually to an agonising end.
I am aware of the very serious arguments against euthanasia. But they lose much of their persuasive power when compared with the cruelty of watching the suffering of an agonising death.
Mr Laurance asks whether pain is a sufficient reason for ending a life. Yes, it is, when it is unbearable and continuous, or almost so, and the condition of the patient is hopeless. Moreover, steadily increasing morphine injections to ease the pain have other disagreeable side effects apart from shortening what is left of the patient's life expectancy.
Incidentally, I have never understood why doctors, when agreeing to shorten a hopelessly suffering patient's life, prefer to withdraw nutrition and hydration to giving a lethal injection; the intention is the same in both cases. Dying because of a lack of food and water is horrible.
The system concerning voluntary euthanasia in the Netherlands may not be perfect, but it does suggest that a humane solution of this harrowing problem is possible.
In the end, I think, the problem is one for the lawyers rather than the doctors.
K K SCHILLER
Knutsford, Cheshire
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments