Husband tells of assisted suicide ordeal An anguished husband is waiting to see whether he will be prosecuted after admitting he helped his bedridden wife kill herself. Margaret Bateman, 62, suffered from an agonising mystery condition which baffled medical specialists and remained undiagnosed. She spent the final three years of her life in terrible pain, bedridden and cared for by husband Michael. Mr Bateman is now calling for a change in the law to allow people the right to die, saying he did what was morally correct.

One Dies The Way That One Lived Freud said that we do not have a concept of death and dying until the age of eight. I think it is more likely that not until fifty do we begin to understand that this life is limited and we are running out of time. We may experience the death of parents, and even some friends, and begin to experience the failing of our own bodies-weakened vision and hearing, reduced physical rigor, and increased aches and pains, all of which forces us to wonder about ultimate loss. Sort of. What prevents us from fully experiencing the possibility of death is an indescribable dread of no longer being. This applies not only to people who are comfortable and healthy but also to those who are sick and miserable. By any objective criteria, those whose lives may be considered not worth living will dread dying.

Euthanasia could prevent suicides In her 2006 book, What Men Don't Talk About, Maggie Hamilton noted that there is an increased risk of older men suiciding when they fit a template of loss. She notes: "Those who are widowed, divorced or recently bereaved are at a heightened risk of suicide." This was my cousin's experience. Recently bereaved, he simply could not cope without his wife.

Dying with dignity means more than assisted suicide How do you want to die? In the days of healthcare reform and the death and dignity law, it’s a legitimate question. Watching one set of grandparents hooked up to machines, in and out of hospitals with numerous amounts of tests run on them, and then dying anyway was excruciating. While we “got to say goodbye”, tubes and other medical devices kept them from saying anything back.

Euthanasia is about killing, not the 'right to die with dignity' Today was supposed to be the day that members of Parliament held their second hour of debate on the bill to legalize euthanasia, the vote to either support private member’s bill C-384 and send it to committee or mercifully kill the idea was supposed to happen tomorrow. Instead Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde has put her bill on life support, delaying any further debate until February. The reason is simple, Lalonde doesn’t have the votes.

Euthanasia | Futile Care | Dying With Dignity There are many ways for the dying to die. There are two main escapes from pointless and invasive medical intervention.

Korean Court rejects petition for 'right to die' law The Constitutional Court dismissed a petition by a terminally ill woman's family demanding the government enact a law to guarantee the right to end life support. "A terminal patient is entitled to the constitutional right to cease meaningless life support, but this does not obligate the state to legislate such individual laws," the court said in the ruling.

Bishops: chief prosecutor is ignoring will of Parliament on assisted suicide The bishops of England and Wales have accused Britain's chief prosecutor of encouraging people to break the country's suicide laws. They said Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), was creating categories of people whose lives would be legally considered less worthy of protection than those of others in society.

Assisted suicide Doctors need more clarity on what they can and cannot do within the current law on assisted suicide, according to an editorial by Bristol researchers in this week’s BMJ.

Suicide pact husband calls for Dignitas-style death clinics in UK A husband suspected of helping his bedridden wife kill herself has called for Dignitas-style suicide clinics to be opened in the UK.

A case against euthanasia People who advocate for euthanasia argue that, since they are terminally ill, it is pointless to suffer and go through personal anguish when they can easily be assisted to die.

IT consultant accused of helping wife to die calls for Dignitas-style clinics in England An IT consultant suspected of helping his bedridden wife to commit suicide has called for Dignitas-style clinics to be opened in England as he waits to learn if he will be prosecuted.

Euthanasia still a taboo for mental patients - even in the Netherlands People suffering from an incurable mental disease have the same legal right to euthanasia as physically terminally ill patients in the Netherlands, but they almost never get it.

Canadian Backer of Bill to Legalize Assisted Suicide Postpones Debate to 2010 MP Francine Lalonde apparently needs more time to gather votes for her bill to legalize assisted suicide as the member of the Canadian Parliament has postponed the debate on her legislation a third time. The bill, C-384, was originally scheduled for a debate and vote last week. Not having enough votes, Lalonde initially moved her legislation back to December. Now, Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition tells LifeNews.com that the new scheduled date for the debate on C-384 is Tuesday, February 2 of next year — with a vote the following day.

Euthanasia still a taboo for mental patients - even in the Netherlands People suffering from an incurable mental disease have the same legal right to euthanasia as physically terminally ill patients in the Netherlands, but they almost never get it.

France against euthanasia French parliamentarians rejected the draft of law to make euthanasia legal.

My life, my choice A recent 60 Minutes segment gave viewers a distressing peek into how the American medical industry delivers care to patients in their final days. End-of-life care has become an enormous financial expense, and that has left some doctors frustrated. "Collectively, as a culture," one said, "we really have to acknowledge that we're mortal ... and start looking at what a healthy, morally robust way to die looks like."

Suicide clinics give patients 'much-needed service' says Kirk minister A leading Church of Scotland minister has praised the work of Dignitas, the Swiss-based assisted suicide group, and accused Britain of "exporting" its ethical dilemma overseas.

Switzerland Considers Tightening Assisted Suicide Laws Since 1942, Switzerland has been the only place in the world where non residents can go and legally find help to end their life.

Julie Walters win International Emmy for A Short Stay in Switzerland Julie Walters and Ben Whishaw have taken the top acting prizes at the International Emmys while Sir David Frost won a lifetime achievement award. Walters won for BBC assisted suicide drama A Short Stay In Switzerland.