Voluntary Euthanasia / Assisted Dying
I have read numerous articles and comments regarding the introduction of the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill into SA Parliament recently. This discussion is very close to my heart as back in 1983 my Father passed away from the then little known disease Motor Neuron Disease. Put simply MND is one of the most cruel diseases that us humans can suffer from. The key word here is suffer. My Father was only 40 when he passed away. He was a strong and vibrant man who loved teaching, classical music, photography and trains. This bastard of a disease reduced him to nothing. We all watched helplessly over a period of 18 months waste away. At first the symptoms made him look and sound as if he were drunk, but quickly the disease took hold and he lost the ability to speak and look after himself. After nearly 12 months from diagnosis he was reduced to being totally bedridden, fed liquid food only, unable to communicate, loss of bodily functions. Then there i...