It's almost like being on the side of the angels, claiming kinship-by-association with Desmond Tutu. Ever since the retired Anglican bishop, South African social activist, Nobel laureate and all-around pretty saintly gentleman came out in favor of this writer's cause, Death with Dignity, it's been a cause for celebration. Bishop Tutu's eloquent statement, published in The Guardian of July 12, was prompted by a bill currently under consideration by Britain's House of Lords - which has now gone farther than many had expected and may indeed become the law of the land in the Mother Country.
Death with dignity -- physician aid in dying, the legal right for a terminally ill person to hasten the process if she so chooses -- has slowly been gaining in the U.S. The Oregon law has proven successful for well over a decade, and DWD is now legal also in New Mexico, Washington, Vermont and Montana (where it's considered a private issue between patient and doctor.) Bills are currently underway in a handful of other states. And in California, the movement's leading organization, Compassion and Choices (on whose Northern California leadership council this writer still serves) is mounting a multi-million dollar campaign to legalize death with dignity in that state. Past efforts in California, where polls show a large majority of citizens support DWD, have failed by very small margins. It's interesting to note that opposition to end-of-life choice comes largely from the same religious and conservative groups that oppose women's rights to reproductive choices; at least one out of two of this writer's causes is gaining ground.
Support for Death With Dignity from across the ocean is encouraging. And when it comes from Desmond Tutu it carries a particularly gratifying weight.
Bishop Tutu, acknowledging that he is himself closer to the end of life than its beginning, said in his statement, "I have been fortunate to spend my life working for dignity for the living. Now I wish to apply my mind to the issue of dignity for the dying." That means, he explains, allowing death to come as naturally as possible and avoiding any machines that would artificially prolong life.
"Dying is part of life," Tutu writes, "...And since dying is part of life, talking about it shouldn't be taboo. People should die a decent death. For me that means having had the conversations with those I have crossed in life and being at peace." He also advocates completing advance directives, something Compassion and Choices emphatically promotes. Forms are available on the website. Whatever your age or state of health, if you haven't done these things yet, this very minute is a good time to start.
Bishop Tutu declares the dying days of his friend Nelson Mandela "an affront." When the widely beloved South African leader was televised with political leaders Tutu points out that Mandela "was not fully there. He did not speak. He was not connecting. My friend was no longer himself. It was an affront to Madiba's dignity."
The good bishop is having none of that.
"I revere the sanctity of life," he writes, "but not at any cost. I confirm I don't want my life prolonged... I would probably incline towards the quality of life argument."
The entire statement is well worth the time of every reader. Check it out -- after you've completed your own advance directive.