Retired teacher ends life at Dignitas

[Gleadly]

An 89-year-old British woman has killed herself at the Dignitas assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland, in part because she had become fed up with the modern world of emails, TVs, computers and supermarket ready meals.

 

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Whilst I do feel sorry for her, and I sincerely hope others don't follow in her footsteps, however, I wonder how many other people think life is far too complicated nowadays?

 

I have enough problems using a normal mobile phone let alone a smart phone.

 

You get instructions written in gobbly-de-gook by someone who thinks they know what they are talking about but totally incomprehensible for normal human beings.

 

The list is endless.

[aliceBB]

An 89-year-old British woman has killed herself at the Dignitas assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland, in part because she had become fed up with the modern world of emails, TVs, computers and supermarket ready meals.

 

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Whilst some aspects of the modern world can indeed be irritating, we are still able to embrace - or shun - whichever aspects of it we wish, more or less. There is no obligation to have a computer, access the internet or even own a TV or telephone, if you do not want to. My niece has a landline but no mobile, uses the internet for work but doesn't have a facebook or twitter account, and reads real books and newspapers. As a result, I think she is far better company than many people these days.

 

It sounds as though there was more to it than just feeling overpowered by technology, in this poor woman's case.

[Alien52]

This is why I never use the internet.

[ivanava]

 

It sounds as though there was more to it than just feeling overpowered by technology, in this poor woman's case.

 

There was.

 

She had recently found her strength and health fading and feared the prospect of a prolonged period in hospital or a nursing home.

 

I don't blame her for ending it all, and hope one day the UK adopt a more humane approach to people wanting to end their lives.

[Anna B]

I would like the choice of when I shuffle off this mortal coil, (a pill please) but realise all sorts of safeguards are necessary to protect people. I also wonder if when it actually came to it, I would have the courage.

 

I also still have problems with suicide being a mortal sin, daft probably, but I just can't help it.

[hauxwell]

I think assisted suicide should be made legal. I feel it is wrong to make people, who probably are in pain, travel all that way to Dignitas.

[Anna B]

I think assisted suicide should be made legal. I feel it is wrong to make people, who probably are in pain, travel all that way to Dignitas.

 

I agree. The last thing I'd want at such a time is the unfamiliar surroundings of a strange place.

 

However I do think we need to proceed with great caution, not only because of the possibility of pressure from grasping relatives, but also from society in general who will no doubt sooner or later decide that paying for resources for OAPs is 'no longer viable.'

 

That sort of attitude (rather too prevalent on SF) is very hard to legislate against and difficult to oppose.

[hauxwell]

I agree. The last thing I'd want at such a time is the unfamiliar surroundings of a strange place.

 

However I do think we need to proceed with great caution, not only because of the possibility of pressure from grasping relatives, but also from society in general who will no doubt sooner or later decide that paying for resources for OAPs is 'no longer viable.'

 

That sort of attitude (rather too prevalent on SF) is very hard to legislate against and difficult to oppose.

 

I agree with what you are saying. However I am sure there are ways to make sure that this does not happen. I wonder if we could learn from other countries who do have assisted suicide.

[Happ Hazzard]

No-one really expects 89 year olds to use email. And TVs have been around since she was a child.

[Tier]

to end your life there you need proof of your condition like a doctors note.it was on a documentry