terry pratchett.. choosing to die ?

[anneasquith]

terry pratchett , choosing to die,,,, 9pm bbc 2 monday, may be interesting !!!!!

[sandyRoe]

Harrowing too. I believe we see a man in his early 40's travel to Switzerland and there take his own life.

[anneasquith]

hi sandy, i think ill watch it though,

[emmie]

i was going to post a question on this to ask if anyone would be watching, or even if you agree with it. I don't happen to, either showing the programme or euthanasia.

[razza]

Yes harrowing it will be,by the way anne are you from Sheffield.

[dzug2]

Did it get shown? The Grand Prix overran and got moved to BBC2 at 9pm.

[anneasquith]

sheffield ? why,

[emmie]

the man is 71, not in his 40's, and no i don't think they should show it. If you have watched a loved one die, and i have, believe me its the most harrowing experience, and one i hope never to repeat.

[razza]

Its just that I knew someone with that name from Sheffield years ago,just thought it may have been a coincidence.

[anneasquith]

no razza. its my username, not my actual name,

[Zeuhl]

em

from what i have read about this film the assisted death is far from harrowing.

as this is one of the few things we know we will all experience eventually i don't see why it should be so taboo. The participants in this film were willing and it has been treated with respect and sensitivity.

Perhaps your experience would have been less harrowing if you had been prepared by such a film?
.

[emmie]

Zeuhl. nothing, and certainly not a film can prepare for what you go through, seeing someone struggle in pain, trying to breath, trying to hold on, when all hope is gone, no sorry wrong on all counts. I shall keep this image to my dying day.

[Zeuhl]

You seem to assume you are the only person to have seen people die.

You're wrong i'm afraid.

So is your argument that film of a quiet and comfortable death at Dignitas is unrepresentative of what will happen in many other cases?

[shaneystar2]

Perhaps if they had shown such a fim nearly forty years ago I would have been prepared to watch my father struggle for his last breath .
I certainly don't want to watch it . Death is not pretty in some circumstances .
But nothing is private these days .You can't even die in peace with our ever intrusive media .

[emmie]

one can only go on personal experience and the issue here is, should it shown on television, and i do not believe it should.

[jackthehat]

I sat by her bedside as my grandmother went to sleep.........I sat and watched as her breathing got shallower and then finally ceased.

It was the first time I had ever seen a death, or a dead person and I was 39.

I believe that the manner of dying in this programme is very similar; no hysterics and nothing to pain the viewer except the knowledge that the death we are watching will probably have been premature and has happened far from where the deceased would have wished it to take place.

[Zeuhl]

<<You can't even die in peace with our ever intrusive media . >>

Yes you can.

Inviting Sir Terry and his film crew in isn't compulsory you know.

<<should it shown on television, and i do not believe it should. >>

Well there is a debate going on about Assisted Suicide. Will you still express an opinion bearing in mind your refusal to see for yourself how they work?
.

[emmie]

one report i read, not from my paper, said he swallowed the liquid, started to choke, then asked for water, and was in some distress. This film can be edited any which way. The only people who know exactly what happened are the ones involved, his wife and Terry Pratchett. Not that premature a death seeing how he was 71.

[jackthehat]

I meant premature in that there is a 'window of availability' if you are going abroad to die. You have to do it 'now' rather than 'later' because there is no guarantee you will be 'fit' enough if you have a degenerative illness and wait until it has progressed to the point that you would like to take your leave.

Rather like having to leave a thoroughly enjoyable party 'early' to make sure that you can catch the bus home.........

[emmie]

I believe that where there is life there is hope, there is no counter balance programme showing palliative care for people with end stage illnesses. And the debate is whether the law should be changed to allow assisted suicide in Britain.
and if put to a vote in Britain, i would definitely vote against any such measure.
This programme won't make me change my mind, its why i won't be watching.

[jackthehat]

Yes, I think we'd all enjoy a counter-balanced programme showing Diane Petty choking to death as her MND finally carried her off.........that would be a real sock in the eye to those of us who would wish that she could have died when she wanted and how she wanted.