I see on the beeb today that Jack Kevorkian has ended his eight-year prison sentence…and seems determined as ever to press the powers that be to once again debate the concepts of legal euthanasia/assisted suicide.

Kevorkian’s “suicide machine” became notorious in Catholic and other similarly minded God-bothering circles back in the 1990′s, when Kervorkian himself was dubbed: “Dr Death”.

OK – can someone explain this to me…

If we had an animal (especially a much loved family pet) in a great deal of pain as the result of a terminal illness, wouldn’t we consider it “humane” to put the animal to sleep as quickly and painlessly as possible?

…so why don’t we believe in giving the same “humanity” to human beings in the same circumstances? Especially when the patient requests (and sometimes begs) to be spared the agony and the loss of dignity that long term palliative care often involves.

And even when you find a sympathetic doctor, who will turn off your life support at your request, you better hope your church won’t add insult to injury by denying you the right to a religious funeral as was the case for Piergiorgio Welby last December (just 3 days before Christmas to boot!)

Certainly, the whole issue of euthanasia is fraught with legal and moral difficulties, but it’s time we stopped playing ostrich and started talking about it in all seriousness.

I for one will be interested in what Jack has to say…just for starters.

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