Suffering should not be forced on anyone

IN answer to Baroness Finlay of Llandaff’s question “Is that the kind of society we really want?” with regard to the current debate over assisted dying, I would answer emphatically: “Yes. It is.”

I would like to live in a society where the reality of how a minority of people currently die in abject pain and suffering does not continue to be swept under the carpet.

Where the relatives of those who suffered terribly at the end and who witnessed their loved ones go through unimaginable torment before dying are not dismissed, belittled or written off as “emotional” or “not understanding the normal dying process”, as I have been.

My sister died of bowel cancer aged just 37. What I witnessed her having to endure for the final weeks of her life will never leave me.

Prior to her illness I was opposed to assisted dying, but my eyes were opened by how even the strongest palliative drugs and best care from top professionals were unable to alleviate her suffering.

Not for a matter of minutes, or hours, or days – but weeks.

It is all very well for some to sit on their high horses and pontificate with intellectual arguments and unwarranted fears about why they think assisted dying is wrong.

But the reality is that people are dying every day in this country with their symptoms unable to be controlled adequately while there is an alternative already used effectively in several other countries.

We need to acknowledge that while palliative care is incredibly important and needs to be properly resourced, it is not the panacea for all, as some would like to make out.

So do I want to live in a society that continues to ignore those dying in pain and misery?

No, I don’t.

Elizabeth Atherton Llandaff, Cardiff