Shaking Hands With Death

I fear I may be writing this post whilst in the grip of emotion but it somehow seems right that that should indeed be the case. I have just finished watching this years Richard Dimbleby lecture, something I was no previously aware of - and had it not been for my recent trend of listening to the Discworld dramatisations on BBC7, I doubt I would have come across it. The title of the lecture is Shaking Hands With Death, written by Sir Terry Pratchett and whilst I can't exactly say it is a subject close to my heart, I do feel I have a stronger connection than many others with the central topic of the debate and, however controversial it may be, I am a supporter of his proposals.

It was an immensely moving speech, despite not being performed by Sir Terry himself which although was odd for the first few minutes, quickly became very real and normal. Tony Robinson did an exceptional job of reading the words on his behalf and captured his words in such detail that you could almost hear him speaking them himself. I wish I had found it sooner as the programme is due to expire tomorrow but if you have read this in time, I would strongly suggest you watch it because even if you have only the slightest inkling of interest in the subject, it is a witty, superbly written piece which puts forth the argument is a very compelling light that I think anyone would find it difficult to oppose.

This weeks episode of Charlie Brooker's Newswipe featured a section from a journalist about the rise of celebrities backing charities and causes that they often know little about and she mentioned Joanna Lumley's campaign for the Gurkas as one of the rare examples of how it should be done. I believe that Sir Terry is in a unique standing point to bring about the greater awareness, not only of Alzheimer's and dementia, but finally bringing forward the debate about assisted death. It is something that has been avoided by those who make the rules despite evidence suggesting that most people agree to a certain extent that it should be made legal.

The case earlier last year where a woman simply wanted the law clarified with regards to whether or not her husband would face a murder charge if he travelled with her to Dignitas in Switzerland to end her life ended in a bizarre judgement that the law was clear enough on the subject so as not to have to be further clarified. She did eventually manage to get some sort of clarification although it is still considered unclear, other than the fact the whilst she is technically breaking the law she is unlikely to be prosecuted because it is not in the public interest. I think it is crazy that despite calls for changes in the law there has been very little done about it so far and if it takes the backing of a respected and well known figure to finally get the figures that count to start discussing the issue then that can only be a good thing.

Of course I'm aware of the potential problems and the counter arguments that come with any ethical debate but until I watched this, I had no idea about the success of the laws in countries / states where assisted death is legal. There are apparently no reported incidents of families encouraging their elderly relatives to put themselves forward because they have become a burden and I think it says something about our faith in human nature that we think otherwise. In fact, what tends to happen - and if you think about it, something that makes far more sense - is that families often petition their relatives to stay. What kind of twisted individual do you have to be to want your relatives dead? Of course you want them to stay around for as long as is possible but at the same time, you want them to be happy, to have their mind intact.

Speaking from a personal point of view, if I ever get to the stage where I am being kept alive by a life support machine, I'd want someone to switch it off. I fully agree with his sentiment that life is not a blip on an oscilloscope, what it is to be human is to be able to do things, communicate, laugh and cry. Without these what have we got left? Hopefully I have a few more years left in me before this situation will directly affect me, but there is a chance it could affect my parents and I would hope that if such a tragedy did strike, that there would be a system in place that would let them go peacefully. It would be horrible to have to sit and watch helplessly as a loved one looses their faculties, no longer recognises you or cannot do anything for themselves any more and it is even more painful if you know that person as someone who is normally bright, clever and funny.

I will try and keep the sombre posts to a minimum but every now and then it's nice to get away from the tedium and deal with something a bit more real. It doesn't have to be as hard hitting as this but it gives life a bit more perspective to know that there is more out there than just TV and inane ramblings.