“Charles....''but animal rights activists generally advocate euthanasia for all animals - humans included.''...means what exactly?
YoungCornwall That sad old man reading his poem says it all”

“The Queen will have to get rid of the government then.”

“Wrong colour eyes.

http://tinyurl.com/7us3tg3”

“Sherryl Murray looks like a primate herself.”

“My Apologies youngcornwall.

I reacted too hastily.

A conditioned reflex. . Pavlov. :)”

“Is this what Sheryll Murray was voted into parliament for?”

“by Charlespk
"Did I suggest it was youngcornwall?"

I was referring to the contents of the link that I posted Charles, nothing you posted.

http://tinyurl.com/6sp5s8g

Little bit more than the laughing links that you are accustomed to Charles, it must be said.”

“thats good.with pensioners starving and freezing and people struggling to feed them selves. what does this m p do ?she worries about monkeys.sounds about right for a rich tory m p .”

“A plea for reason and a death with humanity.
From a personal friend of mine on the other side of the world.

Thank you for giving me another opportunity to publish it.
First published in Daily Telegraph Sydney 2005.


MY mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness in January 2004. A year later she was dead. She did not succumb to the cancer -- acute myeloid leukaemia -- but to starvation.

As in the case of Maria Korp in Melbourne and Terri Schiavo in the United States, a decision was made that she be allowed to starve to death, although in my mother's case, it was her choice.

Anybody who watches a loved one die in this manner will never forget it.
Most people are ill-informed about the process as nobody talks about it and most people do not ask the right questions. There is a perception that allowing one's life to continue with medical intervention can prolong pain and suffering, but without it starvation is often the alternative.
If a family pet gets old and loses the use of its faculties, a decision is made to put it down. It is seen to be humane. How ironic it is that this choice is not available to us.

This period for my mother and all the people who loved her was horrific. There were no good times, it was all bad. . The doctors said there was no chance that she could survive. The only question was how long it would take.

After her first and only treatment of chemotherapy, and after a brief period of remission, it only took one month for the leukaemia to return. She was advised that another course of chemotherapy would not cure her, and could prove fatal.

My mother then made the decision to have no more chemotherapy as she knew it would not prolong her life and she was concerned that whatever time she did have left would be miserable. She chose not to have her life prolonged with machines, be resuscitated or fed intravenously.

None of us, including my mother, knew what this decision would mean. Dying comes with no guidelines, and for everybody it is different. For some it is peaceful, perhaps quick, and for others it can be a slow and agonising process. Unfortunately for my mother, it was the latter.

Two weeks prior to Mum's death on December 11 last year, she was sent to a palliative care unit. . Watching her waste away was a horrific experience. To see her body reduced to a skeleton, unable to take in any nourishment, was shocking. With this also came the delirium, as her mind went. To have to moisten her mouth with a cotton bud and be instructed by doctors that under no circumstances must she be allowed to swallow water, as she might choke to death, was a harrowing experience. It is amazing what the human body can endure, and I was often told by the compassionate doctors and nursing staff that my mother was a fighter -- stubborn and with a strong heart.

In the case of Maria Korp, Public Advocate Julian Gardner authorised a halt to the artificial feeding. With Terri Schiavo, the decision initiated by her husband was bitterly opposed in the courts. . In my mother's case, doctors told us kindly about the process of dying. We held Mum's hand and told her that we loved her. We sat there and talked to her to reassure her that we were by her side. . Slowly and painfully you watch as the person you love finally slips away.

Dr Philip Nietzsche, a controversial proponent of euthanasia, provides a humane alternative to dying from starvation which, had it been on offer, and with hindsight, my mother and our family may well have chosen.”

“Did I suggest it was youngcornwall?

I merely put some information about the discredited RSPCA before you that happened to include that statement.

Only a fool would believe everything the RSPCA did was wrong.

I have arguing for euthanasia for humans just as we treat animals when requested for longer than most.”