A Good Death

Dinah Rose QC, who worked on Debbie Purdy and Diane Pretty’s cases, outlines the legal issues about assisted suicide. She discusses the anomalies such as starving someone to death being legal but giving them drugs for a pain free death being illegal.

Maureen Kendler, Head of Educational Programming at the London School of Jewish Studies, discusses the Jewish perspective on dying and what Jewish teachings tell us about what it means to have ‘a good death.’ She shows that the area is more complex and subtle than is usually known.

Dr Charles Daniels, Medical Director at St Luke’s Hospice Harrow, gives the perspective of a Jewish doctor, and talks of the need to concentrate more on quality, rather than quantity, of life itself.

Edward Turner, a trustee of Dignity in Dying, discusses his personal experiences. After watching his father’s drawn out painful death, his terminally ill mother chose to arrange her own suicide in Dignitas in Switzerland. This was made into a BBC drama ‘A Short Stay in Switzerland.’

Laurence Buckman, a GP & Chair of the BMA General Practitioners Committee, talks of the approach of the medical profession towards assisted suicide. He also talks about the issue of the gosess, the Jewish term for someone with less than 72 hours to live.

Maureen Kendler rounds up the conclusions of the break out group discussing medical and ethical issues at the end of life. They discussed the nuances of the Jewish perspective on dying well, as opposed to the blunter Christian viewpoint.

Ram Awatar, Director of Clinical Services & Home Manager, Nightingale,  summarises the conclusions of his break out group looking into Palliative and end of life care, which touched upon the confusion in the community about the services available.

Rabbi Alex Wright, Senior Rabbi at LJS, summarises her break out group on spiritual aspects of dying, as they discussed the importance that spirituality plays towards the end of one’s life, whether expressed through faith or other means.

Edward Turner rounds up the conclusions of his group, which looked at the question of living wills, their significance and ensuring that those signing such documents understood their deeper implications.