This updated version (of an October 2010 issues backgrounder) takes account of the recent introduction of the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill in NSW. Recent cases in Australia are canvassed as are proposed reforms and recommendations in selected jurisdictions, notably South Australia, Tasmania and the United Kingdom. New sections…
The Very Reverend David Giuliano, Former Moderator of The United Church of Canada, speaks out in support of choice. “Because I believe that all of life – including the natural process of death and even suffering – is sacred and holds the possibility of experiencing the fullness of life promised…
Years ago, Charlie, a highly respected orthopedist and a mentor of mine, found a lump in his stomach. It was diagnosed as pancreatic cancer by one of the best surgeons in the country, who had developed a procedure that could triple a patient’s five-year-survival odds—from 5% to 15%—albeit with a…
The humor in many of comedian Steven Wright’s famous one-liners is that they are simultaneously familiar and absurd. At some level we all know that we are going to die, but as long as we are still alive (or a loved-one is alive) we can cling to the irrational hope,…
I have the paradoxical privilege of being an emergency medical contact for dozens of people. Have you completed a healthcare medical directive with durable power of attorney? While reviewing a DPA with others, I strive to understand their choices in delicate life-or-death situations. This has me confronting death more often…
This video is American but is just as relevant here – you can make similar arrangements in the ACT through the Respecting Patient Choices Program at the Canberra Hospital.Watch the video » …
