Rosie Jones

The man who once said ‘writing is the most fun you can have by yourself‘ is chatting about other things apart from writing lately.  Sadly.

Sir Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld series, has been in the media speaking eloquently about the concept of assisted suicide.  Some people refer to it as ‘dying with dignity’, others ‘passing peacefully’.  I prefer to call it ‘the right to die.’

The author is confronting the inevitability of father time, has been diagnosed with something degenerative and terminal, and is seeking to pen his own final chapter with the text of a peaceful conclusion.

It’s a world-wide, ethically-based, religiously-debated, governmentally-handled, roaring, emotional, difficult issue is euthanasia.  We know this word is derived from the Greek language meaning ‘good death’.  We know that it is a humanely practised routine bestowed upon our failing animal friends at their time of need.  We also (probably) know what we would do if confronted with the choice – dying within the strictures of a Victorian-like setting, where pain, suffering, prolonged agony was part of the deal (worst case scenario).  Or passing peacefully, perhaps assisted.

There are so many elements to take into account, aren’t there?  Modern medicine, miraculous recoveries, the control of an invalid’s life (and possible death) in the wrong hands, the notion that the ill person might be incoherent and unable to make a decision for themselves.

We know this.  As surely as we know the ‘arguments’ for dying with dignity.  As with most of these contentious issues, I defer judgement.  I understand what I would (probably) do in Terry Pratchett’s situation, but believe that we only really know if we face the same enormity – whether we be the person confronting our mortality, or the beloved carer of the suffering and dying.

Life is for the living.  Death is for everyone.  They are both unavoidable, but I hope Terry Pratchett gets his brandy and iPod on the lawn.

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Please welcome guest blogger Fiona, from Squirt Baby, this Friday as she shares some of her words with Fangirl Sings the Blues.  It will be my pleasure to visit her blog on that day in accordance with the ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbo(u)r’ initiative started at Amy’s Never True Tales.