Posted on 10/20/2014 10:50:40 AM PDT by wagglebee
A long-term pro-euthanasia campaigner has starved herself to death over five weeks because she could not have her life ended legally.
Jean Davies, 86, did not suffer from a terminal illness but said her life had become ‘intolerable’ after a series of fainting spells. She died at home in Oxford on 1 October after giving an extensive interview to the Sunday Times.
Mrs Davies became involved in the right-to-die campaign as far back as the 1970s and was president of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies from 1990 to 1992 and was chair of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society UK (now Dignity in Dying).
In 1997, her book Choice in Dying argued for British law to allow doctors to end their patients’ lives. According to her daughter she died peacefully and was ‘smiling at everyone’ the day before.
I was asked to comment on this story by the Sunday Times and my comments have been picked up in several follow up accounts in other papers (eg. Times, Express, Guardian, Daily Mail).
Essentially here, we have a long-time euthanasia campaigner attempting to use her own death to further the cause she has championed throughout her life.
Ironically her own daughter said in an interview that her case proves those who want to die already have power to take their own lives and that the law therefore does not need to be changed.
Her GP, a Christian who does not believe in assisted dying, told the Sunday Times he had treated her symptoms after consulting his defence union.
The full quote I gave the Sunday Times is below. They chose to major on the part about ‘emotional blackmail’ and not to include the reference to Helga Kuhse. But Kuhse’s comments deserve wider circulation:
‘It is not illegal to starve and dehydrate oneself to death but neither is it right. My fear is that this unusual and tragic case will be seized upon by the pro-euthanasia lobby to further their agenda of legalising assisted suicide and euthanasia.
It is the same technique used by Helga Kuhse, then President of the World Federation of Societies for the Right to Die at their 5th Biennial Congress on the Right to Die held in Nice, France, September 1984 when she said, ’If we can get people to accept the removal of all treatment and care – especially the removal of all food and fluids – they will see what a painful way this is to die and then, in the patient’s best interests, they will accept the lethal injection.’
We should recognise this ploy for what it is and reject it. However we might sympathise with this woman’s condition, by deliberating choosing to go public with it she is adopting a campaigning stance in the footsteps of Kuhse. It is, if you like, a subtle form of emotional blackmail aimed at softening opposition to a change in the law to allow assisted suicide or euthanasia.
There are good reasons for keeping the law as it is. Any change in the law to allow assisted suicide or euthanasia would place pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a financial, emotional or care burden upon others. This would especially affect people who are disabled, elderly, sick or depressed.
The present law making assisted suicide and euthanasia illegal is clear and right and does not need changing. The penalties it holds in reserve act as a strong deterrent to exploitation and abuse whilst giving discretion to prosecutors and judges in hard cases.
Persistent requests for euthanasia are extremely rare if people are properly cared for so our priority must be to ensure that good care addressing people’s physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs is accessible to all.’
LifeNews.com Note: Dr. Peter Saunders is a doctor and the CEO of Christian Medical Fellowship, a British organization with 4,500 doctors and 1,000 medical students as members. This article originally appeared on his blog. He is also associated with the Care Not Killing Alliance in the UK.
For some odd reason, “Curly Bill Brocius” comes to mind ...
and want to abolish Freedom, Life and the Pursuit of Happiness by enslaving an entire population known as America. Some the liberals have already enslaved but many could be waking up. Time will tell. Don't Be A Slave to Government. Government is the People's Slave. Believe in Miracles. I believe in God's Angels. May the Angels Swing their Swords! Angels only swing for the fences enslaving us. Angels swing for Freedom. Freedom from Government.
Oh irony, where is thy sting? ;)
44 seconds ...
No, what they want to do is to corrupt the whole medical community from one that saves lives or tries to, to one that helps you die
Intolerable because of fainting spells. rolling eyes. What a wuss! She doesn’t know what intolerable is!!
GMTA strikes again. ;^)
I hope she is influential in LIB/DIM circles.
“Something for everyone in the wellness-crowd to look forward too. Being thin, having clear lungs and liver only increases the chance you’ll have an extended life of decrepitude.”
I’ll drink to that!
Good one! Dark, but good.
She made her point, and now she’s worm food.
There are much quicker ways than dragging it out for 5 weeks. Seems she didn’t cut out the water.
I was hoping to see that photo here. Thanks!
I got question
Okay she had adult daughter perhaps grandchildren where her rest of immediate family
Maybe daughter might be selfish b***H did she had another children might be concern about MOM and how their other grandchildren
You won’t get any argument from me on that — except you should have started your sentence with: “Yes, and what they ...”.
Me Too!
If only we could get the rest of the hate America could that want to impose some major changes to the culture to lead the way as this idiot, uh activist, did. More power to her and congratulations on taking her activism to the appropriate level. At least we wont have to listen to her dribble anymore.
She spent her life advocating suicide and she ultimately ended her own life. Now she is on the other side of eternity forevermore weeping and nashing her teeth in bitterness at how wrong she was and what she has now missed out on.
Tragic.
Not surprised.
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