tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2737958958704332431.post3875743796722215908..comments2023-09-10T23:05:39.369-07:00Comments on Dignity Blog: We've still got a lot of work to do...Dying With Dignity Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16999963207577746664noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2737958958704332431.post-38146234431588853292010-10-15T20:43:06.619-07:002010-10-15T20:43:06.619-07:00I follow the rationale of making clearer what is a...I follow the rationale of making clearer what is available at the end of life, but the term "assisted dying" surely means different things to different people. It seemed to me for example that if refusal of food and fluids by the patient is included in the general presentation, in which no punitive therapeutic measures are instituted as a reactive pattern by physicians or care givers, then a good death is certainly being assisted. <br /><br />Perhaps the term assisted dying should be left nebulous. On Page 18 the paper touches on these issues. In the quote by David Praill one is left with the question of where does one find the 10% of palliative care doctors in UK who are NOT opposed to assisted suicide. It would be helpful to know the exact question which was asked in the survey. If a patient refuses therapy, fluids and food is it considered to be suicide? If one gorges on high cholesterol foods, smokes and drinks excessive amounts of alcohol is this suicide? The concepts merge into fuzzy issues.John Thomsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2737958958704332431.post-15475542389716161202010-09-17T09:16:52.065-07:002010-09-17T09:16:52.065-07:00It is very important to note that the availability...It is very important to note that the availability of assisted dying is not reflected in the Economist Quality of Death Index. The rationale is that this only affects a small minority of patients. Perhaps the Economist needs to do some more thinking in this area, since, for many people, knowing that the option is available, even if they do not make use of it, is a great relief to those who are dying. Since they know they can opt for assistance in dying, they do not need to worry about unbearable pain at the end of life. The Economist Intelligence Unit obviously did not factor this into their calculations, and so the Netherlands is ranked near Canada on the scale. This cannot be right.Greywizardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04125006513512601904noreply@blogger.com