Is anyone else, like me, feeling uneasy about the proposed move to allow assisted dying? Yes there are supposed to be safeguards put into place if this becomes legal. As I understand it you would have to administer the tablets that would kill you yourself but I do worry about the repercussions surrounding this if it becomes common practice. Some terminally ill patients might feel obliged to take this route so as not to become, in their mind, a burden to their families. I have read so many times here of how we are desperate, me included, not to be written off when we receive a secondaries diagnosis. It’s all the ripples that will be created from this bill that concern me. The NHS only have limited funds but if we start to see those who cannot be cured as being potential patients to take their own lives at some point might it be even harder than it is now to access new treatments? Only a couple of months ago there was an article in The Daily Mail written by a Doctor who stated he would never take chemotherapy ‘just’ to prolong his life. Should he ever be in the position, he wasn’t, he would stay at home and quietly die. Well in that case I would have died in 2008. Chemotherapy can be doable, worth the side effects, very effective. It all seems a bit of a dangerous slippery slope.
Hi,Belinda,I totally understand where you are coming from. I personally want and will do anything to stay alive to see my son grow up. I’ll do chemo after chemo and fight as feel totally cheated that I’ve been robbed of half my life.
I have had the gremlins come when I’m feeling down though it has entered my mind that I may become a burden and lose my dignity at the end and weather I could do a “Hayley” and I expect we all have at sometime.
This is where making it legal can start the slippery slope. It frightens me that doctors will not fight for us because of the expense as they now have a get out clause to save the NHS money. Also if we are feeling down have had an awful relation to chemo.( not sure if you watched my last summer,when the BC lady said she’d take pills as was so ill after chemo and wouldn’t go through it again) will it be seen as being kind if we are allowed to take our own lives.
While it’s against the law we still have people fighting in our corner who are not thinking(out loud anyway) of the bottom line. As we all know if you want to end it you will.
I hope it remains illegal and I pray I don’t get to the point where I’m wishing it wasn’t.
I very thought provoking thread.
I wasn’t sure about bringing the subject up here, hence the warning in the title. I was watching the news Sunday night and one person said everyone he had known with cancer had wanted to live for as long as possible so he had grave reservations. And that has been my experience bar one friend who had struggled with depression prior to her diagnosis. With the NHS at breaking point my fear is that a few years after assisted dying became legal it would almost be seen as being selfish to keep wanting treatments. So many people who have a view on this are well and pontificating on how they would feel. I’d be interested to know the line BCC have taken on this.
I am very concerned about this awful proposal now. Does anyone know if Breast Cancer Care or Macmillan have expressed an opinion on this? If they have I have missed them. I too feel it’s mostly the thoughts of well people that are being listened to. Some have the we are kinder to our pets opinion but I don’t want to be compared to a family cat, dog.
The Liverpool Pathway was stopped because of cases where unsuspecting patients did not even know they had been put onto the pathway. We should be helping, supporting and enabling people to live well with cancer and that includes a peaceful death, if it’s possible, at the end. It’s hard enough for some to obtain their rightful benefits and now a proposal to assist dying. All of which leaves me with the impression long living patients are a drain to the well, society, the taxpayer. 
Belinda I read the past posts which I found upsetting as 2 ladies are not with us anymore but I was in agreement with you all and I am glad it has been rejected.