The British parliament is ready to discuss euthanasia very soon. Even Lord Carey, the retired Archbishop of Canterbury finds merit in the argument for voluntary euthanasia. Other nations are already committed. I It’s clear that New Zealand will one day vote in a voluntary euthanasia law. But the ‘slippery slope’ from voluntary euthanasia to non-voluntary Read more
New Zealand is desperately short of palliative medicine specialists. “There will be a crisis in that workforce within five years unless something is done urgently to address the situation,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). “Senior doctors providing end-of-life care tell us that 55 palliative medicine positions exist Read more
Did Brittany Maynard die freely? This is the question that must be asked after the attractive 29-year-old woman with a brain tumour announced earlier in the week that she would probably postpone the assisted suicide she had scheduled for Saturday, November 1. “I still feel good enough, and I still have enough joy — and Read more
As Seigan Glassing walked down the sterile, white hospital corridor, he thought of a poem written by well-known Zen master Kozan Ichikyo shortly before his death. Empty handed I entered The world Barefoot I leave it My coming, my going — Two simple happenings That got entangled. Seigan paused outside one of the identical doors Read more
A bioethics conference will focus on spiritual practices about dying, including whether the body is a temple — or a prison. Back when my father’s life was coming to an end at an excruciatingly slow pace, my brother and I vowed not to die like that, with so much compromise and indignity. But hanging on Read more