Are We a Culture That Celebrates Life or Death?

Commentary A recent article highlighted discussions occurring in Australia about euthanasia/voluntary assisted dying (VAD) for people with dementia. Even where people agree with VAD, they generally acknowledge that people with dementia very often lack the capacity to consent to medically assisted deaths. However, others rely on advance directives to justify the deaths of dementia sufferers. They would do well to recall the case of a Dutch woman who had signed one such directive. Despite the woman repeatedly saying she did not want to die, doctors decided she should be euthanised. The doctor even administered a soporific through her coffee to induce drowsiness. As the doctor administered the lethal injection, she struggled so much that he asked her family to hold her down so that he could complete the injection....