Dying Made Easy

A copy of a letter to the Age Editor
Published May 29, 2005

We spend endless time devising rules to make football matches run smoothly, to make roads safer and to protect us against other pain and suffering, so why isn’t more thought given to legislation that will give us the comfort of dying without stress and pain, and with dignity (22/5).

The preamble to the Medical Treat Act states that the object is “to ensure that dying patients receive maximum relief from pain and suffering”. This should be followed with the words, “even if this palliative treatment results in an earlier death”. It is as simple as that.

Jim Vickers-Willis
Quality of Life, East Brighton

(for those scratching their head, trying to recall the name, Jim was the famous square dance caller for years bringing much pleasure to many people) 

If you cannot see the menu, click here for an alternate menu