I could not agree more with Polly Toynbee (End-of-life care should not simply be about prolonging a painful death, 20 August). My mother died recently of dementia and a broken leg, which were badly managed, and the suffering she went through in the last weeks of her life was unbearable to her and all who had to watch her go through it. Yes, she was on palliative care and a huge amount of morphine, but she did not want to be in an opium stupor – she wanted the right to die. She had no quality of life for several years before her painful end, and if ever she had moments of lucidity, it was only to ask why she was still alive.
We do not treat animals with such cruelty. How can a civilised society allow our terminally ill, or our frail and elderly who chose death over a meaningless and painful life, to suffer such an end? Surely we are better than that. I hope parliament will listen this time to the British Medical Association and take the example of Canada and New Zealand, and allow a law for assisted dying. My Death, My Decision is a wonderful organisation that offers proper facts on this issue.
Juni Farmanfarmaian
London
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