Jim's Quality of Life OnLine

Where is our compassion?

Elderly couple, who have lived a happy married life, decide to end it all together - because one has to go into a nursing home. They arranged to die in each other's arms.

But the suicide pact goes wrong and the husband is "saved".

Now he is being charged with manslaughter and, of course, he has pleaded "guilty". Under our what I consider disgraceful laws, how could he have pleaded otherwise?

Isn't it time we got away from the "religious" dogma built into our laws which denies us compassion - surely a big part of Christ's teaching?

When are we going to get some decent laws regarding euthanasia? Isn't it a shocking example to our divorcing young ones when we give this sort of reward to a married couple who choose to love one another right to the end.

Yours faithfully,

Jim Vickers-Willis

You are invited to visit our web site at:
www.vickers-willis.com

The Dying with Dignity legislation, at present before the Victorian parliament, provides vital safeguards over the present "catch-as-catch-can" situation.

Before a suffering patient can be helped to die peacefully, the Bill rules there must be two doctors who agree this is necessary, plus (where appropriate) a psychiatrist, plus the fact that the death and all the circumstances must be reported to the Coroner. At present none of this protection is available and the compassionate doctor who decides to shorten the distress of a terminally ill patient does so at his own risk. Sometimes a suffering patient does it on his own - with hanging or other violence, and sometimes with bungled medicine. A number of compassionate doctors already do what is necessary - but without any rules which protect them and the patient.

Under the legislation, the patient must himself administer any medicine which is designed to shorten his life and his suffering.

The opponents of the Bill seem to be pointing to dangers, but it seems to me that the new legislation will bring much needed protection to all parties.

with good wishes,


Jim Vickers-Willis

You are invited to visit our web site at:
www.vickers-willis.com

An open letter to the Senate's Legal and Constitutional Committee which is inviting submissions about Senator Bob Brown's voluntary euthenasia bill
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Dear Committee Members,

The Oregon (USA) Act has been in force for 10 years without any abuse. Why not show the same mercy to Australians?

I was lucky enough to escape from the iron lung after polio. I was an entertainer and had the support and encouragement of thousands of dancers, plus a brilliant wife. My three mates in iron lungs alongside me each had a prognosis which gave them no chance of escaping. They lived in the iron lung for years and years -- can you imagine that?

Your hands and legs are inside and you cannot even scratch your ear or knock a fly off your nose. You are alive, but it's hard to have any quality of life -- for years and years. It made me think about the rights of people to say to their doctor "I have had enough" My three mates died in the iron lung.

Oregon has shown the way - simple legislation, with all necessary safeguards, permitting a doctor to hand to his incurable patient the necessary prescription which that patient can use if they wish.

Please give this your most careful consideration: You have the ability to give comfort to thousands of older Australians and to save so many from unnecessary misery.

Yours faithfully,
JIM VICKERS-WILLIS
Visit us at: www.vickers-willis.com

Being a polio patient many years ago imprisoned in the iron lung has given me a much food for thought about what is happening to Canadian farmer Robert Latimer who has just been denied parole after serving six years in jail for the mercy killing of his terribly crippled child, who was suffering great pain with no cure available and much more pain right ahead.

It's easy to be academic and righteous, but it takes a lot more flexibility and human understanding to deal with long-term suffering - particularly with loving parents who have to make decisions for their children -- in real life. We had three who had to have 16 operations -- and we understand his agony.

We are lucky enough to have the jury system, which provides the badly needed human touch under our laws, and in this case the Saskatchewan jury gave a compassionate recommendation -- which was later overturned and a life sentence imposed by judges in a higher court. Those favouring this as a "deterrent" might see a counter productive result: after this happening, what jury of Canadian men and women will ever in future enter a guilty verdict in such a case?

I was lucky enough to escape from the iron lung. I was an entertainer and had the support and encouragement of thousands of dancers, plus a brilliant wife. My three mates in iron lungs alongside me each had a prognosis which gave them no chance of escaping. They lived in the iron lung for years and years -- can you imagine that?

Your hands and legs are inside and you cannot even scratch your ear or knock a fly off your nose. You are alive, but it's hard to have any quality of life -- for years and years. It made me think about the rights of people to say to their doctor "I have had enough" My three mates died in the iron lung.

Yes, the Latimer case also has overtones of the euthanasia debate -- but is it fair that the weight of this ongoing debate is simply being loaded on to this father's shoulders?

I was one of the 8000 Australian pilots who trained in Canada during the war and I, and many other Aussies, loved Canada and the Canadians whom we found to be thinking people - forthright, flexible and compassionate.

So I am hoping to hear -- no expecting to hear - that they are getting Robert Latimer back to his wife and children and his farm -- quick smart.

JIM VICKERS-WILLIS
Author "The Magic of Life", and "Are You (really) Fun To Live With?"
Visit us at: www.vickers-willis.com

Are we to be known as the generation which wrecked the world - mostly for money?

We have the world already over-crowded (6.5 billion people, growing) with powerful forces against contraception and abortion.

We have the obvious need of alternative sustainable energy but strong forces including the oil and mining industries have opposed this. We have so-called "right to life" groups helping to elect an American President who led us into war, thus creating huge profits for the US Military/ Industrial complex (the Armaments Industry).

Then there is the matter of powering our profit-making factories with nuclear energy - ignoring the blight of the world for future generations with nuclear waste.

I haven't even mentioned global warming where the answer always seems to be that doing the right things will "damage our economy".

I wonder what our grandchildren will think about this. Do you think future generations will be impressed by the fact that we have enjoyed a booming economy and lived it up based on the profits we made in wrecking the world?

Perhaps some young ones, with some better ideas, will read this and do something; I hope so.

Jim Vickers-Willis