A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

In our March issue, we published Charlotte Fenton’s moving account of her dad’s journey to assisted dying in Switzerland and it struck a chord. @Aniadurose tweeted: ‘Charlotte’s article on assisted dying has moved me to tears.’ Another reader, Bonny, wrote: ‘It is vital that we recognise the rights of people like Keith to die peacefully and on their own terms. The article has inspired me to become more active in the campaign.’

NHS consultant Dr Sarah Green wrote to share a different perspective. ‘I read Charlotte’s moving account of her father’s illness with sympathy and compassion, but also with a slight sense of discomfort that Red should tackle such a politically and ethically charged topic without discussing the other side of the story,’ she wrote. ‘Tragic individual stories, like Keith Fenton’s, cannot be used as sole evidence of the need for legislative change. Legalising assisted dying could give a message that taking your own life when confronted with a terminal disease is worth considering. There is a fine and dangerous line between this message and coercion, with the patient feeling like they are a burden. Surely we, as a society, should fight to the end to protect a person’s dignity, and help them squeeze the best out of every moment of life they have left? I have seen patients who have a period of wanting to die, but with the help of pain medication and compassionate care, they find their sense of meaning restored. I, for one, do not want to be part of a profession where offering life-ending medication is an acceptable alternative to providing excellent care and restoring, even in part, an individual’s desire to live.’

OUR MAIL OF THE MONTH WINS…

… a goodie bag containing gorgeous Emma Hardie products, including the new Midas Touch Super Serum, plus Midas Touch Revitalising Cream and Midas Touch Revitalising Eye Serum, worth £151. This month’s star letter prize goes to Dr Sarah Green, mentioned left. Write to Red,

House of Hearst, 30 Panton Street, London SW1Y 4AJ. Email red@redmagazine.co.uk