Let’s control pain

I feel society fails the terminally ill, not Nikki Gemmell (“I felt like I’d failed Mum at the last hurdle”, AWW, March). My mother talked about euthanasia when suffering cancer. She said, “I’m not afraid of dying; I’m afraid of what might come before.” With a GP, Mum’s pain wasn’t managed well, but under hospice care, she was comfortable until she passed away. My mum wanted to live. She just didn’t want to live with unbearable pain. The question ought to be “How can we get pain under control?” not “Why is euthanasia illegal?” Let’s search for better pain relief and provide hospice care for all who need it. Name and address withheld.