地球客逍笑說

A moral question of how to die

摘要故事: 二0ㄧ0年,ㄧ月十五日這ㄧ天,八十九歲,住北溫護理之家的Kay Carter,她的家人陪著她,從溫哥華飛到瑞士蘇黎士,來到ㄧ間診所,診所名稱為“Dignitas”!

“Dignitas”,這是瑞士ㄧ間在法律之下合法的診所,用以協助病人,當病人在身受疾病之苦,而確定診治無望時,來到診所,提出要求,對自己的生命有自主權,要求生命尊嚴,請診所裡的專業醫療人員,注射藥物安樂死~英文裡作者用”assisted suicide”!

A moral question of how to die!

A moral question~ㄧ個道德性的問號,不知道德的疑問指的是給予注射,讓患者無痛安樂走的護理人員,或是陪同Kay Carter到診所的家人,或是指Kay Carter自我決定接受安樂死的行為?

In Switzerland, assisted suicide is legal! 在瑞士,協助患者安樂死是合法的! Similar laws are in effect in the Netherlands and Belgium, plus the American states of Oregon and Washington. 荷蘭和比利時,美國奧勒崗和華盛頓州,對於安樂死也是合法!

”assisted suicide” is a criminal offence in Canada ! 在加拿大,醫療協助病人安樂死,是犯罪行為! 所以Kay Carter要飛長途到瑞士!

Kay Carter為何要在二00九年八月份,做出這樣決定,寫信給Dignitas?

~"The doctor said I would end up flat in a bed, unable even to blow my nose," Kay dictated in an August 2009 letter to Dignitas. "This deterioration has progressed up to my neck and chin and downward to my feet. I cannot eat by myself, cannot move by myself and am incontinent ... Each day it gets worse. Because of this I request the right to die with dignity and that Dignitas prepare an accompanied suicide for me."

Kay's family will forever associate their mother's death with the taste of creamy Swiss Sprungli chocolate. Lying on her Dignitas death bed, with a painting of mountains and a lake above her, Kay swallowed the chocolate before taking the fatal dose of sodium pentobarbital supplied by Dignitas's small staff. (...Kay 在服藥之前,享受的吞了瑞士蓮巧克力...)


Erika, an elderly nurse, knelt down in front of Kay in her wheelchair and asked, "Are you ready?" 診所裡的資深護理人員Erika,曲膝蹲下,問著坐在輪椅上的Kay,”妳準備好了嗎?”

Kay answered, "I sure am." After filling out more paperwork in the room where Kay was going to die, the family hugged and talked and reminisced. They took a photo of themselves on the deathbed, with Kay smiling, squeezed in the middle of her beloved family. "No one was in a hurry for anything," Lee recalled. (Kay說"I sure am.". 然後進行必要性的文件簽名,Kay的親人們圍繞在她的床邊,拍照,話舊…大家態度如常,視死如歸!)

After Kay swallowed the barbiturate, Erika put her hands on her knee and said: "Have a good journey, Kay. I'll see you on the other side." (Kay吞了barbiturate鎮靜劑之後,診所裡的護理人員Erika把Kay的雙手放在Kay的膝上,對Kay說”旅程愉快”)

Kay fell asleep, and began to snore. When Horst said Kay could probably hear what they were saying, they began reminiscing about things their mother and father had done together. (Kay很快的就進入睡眠狀態,而且還打呼! 診所的護理人員說,Kay有可能還聽得到大家在說些甚麼! 圍繞在Kay床邊的兒女們,就相互回憶述談起嗲地媽咪在世時的種種生活點滴!)

Twenty minutes later, Horst said Kay had "left us." (護理人員在過了二十分鐘後,說Kay離開我們了!)

Erika then opened the door of the room, saying she was "letting Kay's spirit leave." (護理人員 Erika打開房門,說,”讓Kay的靈魂自由飛吧”!)

A moral question of how to die~這是積極面或不是? 你說呢?



Choosing death
Assisted suicides at Dignitas by country of origin for the top 10 countries,and the total for all nations (May 1998-Dec. 2009)

瑞士 111
德國 564
英國 134
法國 93
奧地利 22
義大利 15
以色列 13
西班牙 13
瑞典11
美國 13


原文: Vancouver Sun

2010/01/30