Comments on: Piergiorgio Welby’s letter to the Italian President (full text) http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2006/09/26/piergiorgio-welbys-open-letter-to-the-italian-president-full-text/ Weblog of Derek Humphry, Founder of Hemlock Society Sun, 11 May 2008 23:28:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Mridul http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2006/09/26/piergiorgio-welbys-open-letter-to-the-italian-president-full-text/#comment-4698 Mridul Sat, 23 Dec 2006 10:07:13 +0000 http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2006/09/26/piergiorgio-welbys-open-letter-to-the-italian-president-full-text/#comment-4698 Ultimate aim of life is to make everyday a better day than the previous one and it has always been the human endevour to achieve this. If every new day become worse than the previous one, the whole purpose of life is defeated. Life is a business of celebrating each day, not to curse the every new coming day. It is against the ethics of humanity to keep the body biologically active when there is nothing natural about it. This is an interference in the nature's way of working. Stop playing with the nature, it brings only chaos. Welby deserves what he is asking for. Mridul Ultimate aim of life is to make everyday a better day than the previous one and it has always been the human endevour to achieve this. If every new day become worse than the previous one, the whole purpose of life is defeated. Life is a business of celebrating each day, not to curse the every new coming day.
It is against the ethics of humanity to keep the body biologically active when there is nothing natural about it. This is an interference in the nature’s way of working. Stop playing with the nature, it brings only chaos.
Welby deserves what he is asking for.

Mridul

]]> By: Shay Manis http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2006/09/26/piergiorgio-welbys-open-letter-to-the-italian-president-full-text/#comment-1576 Shay Manis Wed, 04 Oct 2006 17:32:28 +0000 http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2006/09/26/piergiorgio-welbys-open-letter-to-the-italian-president-full-text/#comment-1576 What I would like to know is how does a choice so personal become dictated by any form of government? As human beings there are certain things we believe ourselves to be entitled to. Among these I would include the decision to end a life that was becoming progressivly worse with no hope of recovery. I'm not saying, "Hey if you want to kill yourself, go ahead." What I'm saying is if someone has a terminal illness and they are in sound mental health, how can their desires not be considered valid? Regardless of how well you think you know someone nobody knows what a person wants, unless the person tells them. There is such a thing as a dignified death; it would be dignified to respect a person enough to trust them to know when enough was truly enough. What I would like to know is how does a choice so personal become dictated by any form of government?

As human beings there are certain things we believe ourselves to be entitled to. Among these I would include the decision to end a life that was becoming progressivly worse with no hope of recovery.

I’m not saying, “Hey if you want to kill yourself, go ahead.” What I’m saying is if someone has a terminal illness and they are in sound mental health, how can their desires not be considered valid?

Regardless of how well you think you know someone nobody knows what a person wants, unless the person tells them.

There is such a thing as a dignified death; it would be dignified to respect a person enough to trust them to know when enough was truly enough.

]]> By: ergo http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2006/09/26/piergiorgio-welbys-open-letter-to-the-italian-president-full-text/#comment-1461 ergo Tue, 26 Sep 2006 22:21:22 +0000 http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2006/09/26/piergiorgio-welbys-open-letter-to-the-italian-president-full-text/#comment-1461 September 25, 2006 Dear all, I'm writing these few lines on behalf of Mr. Marco Cappato (Member of the European Parliament) and the Luca Coscioni Association to bring to your attention the debate about euthanasia which is taking place in Italy in these hours. On the 21st of September the co-President of the Luca Coscioni Association, Piergiorgio Welby, sent an open letter to the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano. Mr. Welby, who suffers from progressive muscular dystrophy, specified that he is not asking for a "death with dignity. This is not the case. And I'm not only speaking about my own. Death cannot be dignified. Dignified is what life should be." Euthanasia, he insisted, "is not a death with dignity, but a timely death. There is no clash between those in favour of life and those against it: all sick people want to get better, not die." Mr. Welby then recalled the words of the pope on the inviolability of human life, from its conception to its natural end. And he asked "But what exactly is natural about an intensive care unit? What is natural about a hole in your stomach and a pump filling you with fats and proteins? What is natural about a body kept functioning with the aid of artificial respiration. When a terminally ill person decides to give up memories, friendships and life, and asks to be able to put an end to a cruelly biological survival, I believe that his will must be respected with the pietas that is the strength and coherence of non-religious thought." Welby concluded his long and dramatic appeal by addressing the head of state directly: "My dream, also in the role of the co-president of the association named after Luca, my will, my request, which I want to proclaim in any and all contexts, starting from political and judicial ones, is today as clear in my mind as ever: to be able to make use of euthanasia. I would like Italian citizens to be able to have the same opportunity as Swiss, Belgian and Dutch ones." The President of the Republic replied very quickly to this appeal, wishing that the debate about euthanasia may be brought into the spotlight and discussed by the Italian public opinion. We think that international cooperation and support might be very useful to advance this subject in our country, as well as in other countries. Firstly, it would be great to have ideas and suggestions on how you are handling this campaign in your country; secondly, it would be vital for us to spread information on our situation (even on your websites) because mainstream medias - pressed by the majority of the politicians - will likely end up to drop this subject, preventing our society from engaging in a clear and in-depth debate. Best regards, Marco Valerio Lo Prete, assistant Marco Cappato, MEP and Secretary of the Luca Coscioni Association ------------------------------------------------------- Parlement européen Bât. Altiero Spinelli 09G346 60, rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60 B-1047 Bruxelles/Brussel Tel. : +32 (0)2 28 45288 Fax : +32 (0)2 28 49288 September 25, 2006

Dear all,

I’m writing these few lines on behalf of Mr. Marco Cappato (Member of the European Parliament) and the Luca Coscioni Association to bring to your attention the debate about euthanasia which is taking place in Italy in these hours.

On the 21st of September the co-President of the Luca Coscioni Association, Piergiorgio Welby, sent an open letter to the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano.

Mr. Welby, who suffers from progressive muscular dystrophy, specified that he is not asking for a “death with dignity. This is not the case. And I’m not only speaking about my own. Death cannot be dignified. Dignified is what life should be.”

Euthanasia, he insisted, “is not a death with dignity, but a timely death. There is no clash between those in favour of life and those against it: all sick people want to get better, not die.”

Mr. Welby then recalled the words of the pope on the inviolability of human life, from its conception to its natural end. And he asked “But what exactly is natural about an intensive care unit? What is natural about a hole in your stomach and a pump filling you with fats and proteins? What is natural about a body kept functioning with the aid of artificial respiration. When a terminally ill person decides to give up memories, friendships and life, and asks to be able to put an end to a cruelly biological survival, I believe that his will must be respected with the pietas that is the strength and coherence of non-religious thought.”

Welby concluded his long and dramatic appeal by addressing the head of state directly: “My dream, also in the role of the co-president of the association named after Luca, my will, my request, which I want to proclaim in any and all contexts, starting from political and judicial ones, is today as clear in my mind as ever: to be able to make use of euthanasia. I would like Italian citizens to be able to have the same opportunity as Swiss, Belgian and Dutch ones.”

The President of the Republic replied very quickly to this appeal, wishing that the debate about euthanasia may be brought into the spotlight and discussed by the Italian public opinion. We think that international cooperation and support might be very useful to advance this subject in our country, as well as in other countries. Firstly, it would be great to have ideas and suggestions on how you are handling this campaign in your country; secondly, it would be vital for us to spread information on our situation (even on your websites) because mainstream medias - pressed by the majority of the politicians - will likely end up to drop this subject, preventing our society from engaging in a clear and in-depth debate.

Best regards,

Marco Valerio Lo Prete, assistant
Marco Cappato, MEP and Secretary of the Luca Coscioni Association

——————————————————-

Parlement européen
Bât. Altiero Spinelli
09G346
60, rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60
B-1047 Bruxelles/Brussel

Tel. : +32 (0)2 28 45288
Fax : +32 (0)2 28 49288

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