“At Peace”

When my dog Jasmine closed her eyes for the last time, the attending veterinarian said something that struck a chord. “She is at peace.” Her passing was peaceful. Her suffering was over. If we allow our pets to pass peacefully, why can’t humans do so?

Last week, the UK Parliament passed a bill decriminalizing euthanasia. A Conservative lawmaker voted in favor of the bill saying. “I’m a believer in the sanctity of life, but I’m also against torture and misery at the end of life.” That also struck a chord. I would love to still have Jasmine in my life, but she was in misery, barely able to rise and walk, uninterested in food, clearly suffering.

If the bill becomes law, the UK will join eight countries and nine US states plus D.C. that have decriminalized euthanasia under certain circumstances. The UK law is based on an Oregon law that requires the patient:

Be terminally ill with less than 6 months to live

Demonstrate a “clear wish” for euthanasia

Administer the fatal injection themselves

Obtain approval from two physicians and a judge

If all this happens, the UK law allows their National Health Service to pay for the drugs. That would never happen in America. We can’t even offer free insulin to diabetics.

Switzerland simplified euthanasia. Its law requires only that it “not be driven by selfish intent such as financial gain by survivors.” The Dignitas Clinic in Zurich has been in existence since 1998 and has assisted in 3,900 deaths in that time. That number would be higher except for the fact that a family member or anyone else “assisting in any way” can be prosecuted back in their home country and face up to 14 years in prison. A person suffering from ALS would have to somehow get to Zurich unassisted or risk having their helper imprisoned.

When my time comes, I want to be “at peace” just like Jasmine.

By Ed Dufton