https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8rgd4yrz3eo Assisted dying: California man invites BBC to witness his death as Parliament debates new law 6 hours ago Fergus Walsh Medical editor Camilla Horrox Global health producer BBC This is the last picture of Wayne with his wife Stella (right) and children Emily and Ashley (left), taken on the day of his death It's 10am, and in a little over two hours, Wayne Hawkins will be dead. The sun is shining on the bungalow where the 80-year-old lives in San Diego, California with his wife of more than five decades, Stella. I knock on the door and meet his children - Emily, 48, and Ashley, 44 - who have spent the last two weeks at their father's side. Wayne sits in a reclining chair where he spends most of his days. Terminally ill, he is too weak to leave the house. He has invited BBC News to witness his death under California's assisted dying laws - because if MPs in London vote to legalise the practice in England and Wales, it will allow some terminally ill people here to die in a similar way. Half an hour after arriving at Wayne's house, I watch him swallow three anti-nausea tablets, designed to minimise the risk of him vomiting the lethal medication he plans to take shortly. Are you sure this day is your last, I ask him? "I'm all in," he replies. "I was determined and decided weeks ago - I've had no trepidation since then." His family ask for one last photo, which I take. As usual, Stella and Wayne are holding hands. Shortly after, Dr Donnie Moore arrives. He has got to know the family over the past few weeks, visiting them on several occasions alongside running his own end-of-life clinic. Under California law, he is what is known as the attending physician who must confirm, in addition to a second doctor, that Wayne is eligible for aid in dying. Dr Moore's role is part physician, part counsellor in this situation, one he has been in for 150 assisted deaths before. On a top shelf in Wayne's bedroom sits a brown glass bottle containing a fine white powder - a mixture of five drugs, sedatives and painkillers, delivered to the house the previous day. The dosage of drugs inside is hundreds of times higher than those used in regular healthcare and is "guaranteed" to be fatal, Dr Moore explains. Unlike California, the proposed law at Westminster would require a doctor to bring any such medication with them. Dr Donnie Moore has been involved in dozens of assisted deaths
When Wayne signals he is ready, the doctor mixes the meds with cherry and pineapple juice to soften the bitter taste - and he hands this pink liquid to Wayne. No one, not even the doctor, knows how long it will take him to die after taking the lethal drugs. Dr Moore explains to me that, in his experience, death usually occurs between 30 minutes and two hours of ingestion, but on one occasion it took 17 hours. This is the story of how and why Wayne chose to die. And why others have decided not to follow the same course. We first met the couple a few weeks earlier, when Wayne explained why he was going ahead with the decision to have an assisted death - a controversial measure in other parts of the world. "Some days the pain is almost more than I can handle," he said. "I just don't see any merit to dying slow and painfully, hooked up with stuff - intubation, feeding tubes," he told me. "I want none of it." Wayne said he had watched two relatives die "miserable", "heinous" deaths from heart failure. "I hate hospitals, they are miserable. I will die in the street first." Wayne met Stella in 1969; the couple married four years later. He told us it was something of an arranged marriage, as his mother kept inviting Stella for dinner until eventually the penny dropped that he should take her out. They lived for many years in Arcata, northern California, surrounded by sweeping forests of redwood trees, where Wayne worked as a landscape architect, while Stella was a primary school teacher. They spent their holidays hiking and camping with their children. Now Wayne is terminally ill with heart failure, which has already brought him close to death. He has myriad other health issues including prostate cancer, liver failure and sepsis which brings him serious spinal pain. He has less than six months to live, qualifying him for an assisted death in California. His request to die has been approved by two doctors and the lethal medication is self-administered. It was during our first meeting that he asked the BBC to return to observe his final day, saying he wanted terminally ill adults in the UK to have the same right to an assisted death as him. Wayne sits surrounded by his family on the day of his death "Britain is pretty good with freedoms and this is just another one," he said. "People should be able to choose the time of their death as long as they meet the rules like six months to live or less." Stella, 78, supports his decision. "I've known him for over 50 years. He's a very independent man. He's always known what he wants to do and he's always fixed things. That's how he's operating now. If this is his choice, I definitely agree, and I've seen him really suffer with the illness he's got. I don't want that for him." Wayne would also qualify under the proposed new assisted dying law in England and Wales. The measures return to the House of Commons later this month, when all MPs will have a chance to debate and vote on changes to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The proposed legislation, tabled by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, says that anyone who wants to end their life must have the mental capacity to make the choice, that they must be expected to die within six months, and must make two separate declarations - witnessed and signed - about their wish to die. They must satisfy two independent doctors that they are eligible. MPs in Westminster voted in favour of assisted dying in principle last November but remain bitterly divided on the issue. If they ultimately decide to approve the bill, it could become law within the next year and come into practice within the next four years. There are also divisions here in California, where assisted dying was introduced in 2016. Michelle and Mike Carter, both 72 and married for 43 years, are each being treated for cancer - Mike has prostate cancer that has spread to his lymph nodes, and Michelle's advanced terminal ovarian cancer has spread throughout much of her body. "I held my mother's hand when she passed; I held my father's hand when he passed," Michelle told me. "I believe there's freedom of choice however for me, I choose palliative care… I have God and I have good medicine." Michelle Carter is placing her trust in medicine Michelle's physician, palliative care specialist Dr Vincent Nguyen, argued that assisted dying laws in the US state lead to "silent coercion" whereby vulnerable people think their only option is to die. "Instead of ending people's lives, let's put programmes together to care for people," he said. "Let them know that they're loved, they're wanted and they're worthy." He said the law meant that doctors have gone from being seen as healers to killers, while the message from the healthcare system was that "you are better off dead, because you're expensive and your death is cheaper for us". Some disability campaigners say assisted dying makes them feel unsafe. Ingrid Tischer, who has muscular dystrophy and chronic respiratory failure, told me: "The message that it sends to people with disabilities in California is that you deserve suicide assistance rather than suicide prevention when you voice a desire to end your life. "What does that say about who we are as a culture?" Critics often say that once assisted dying is legalised, over time the safeguards around such laws get eroded as part of a "slippery slope" towards more relaxed criteria. In California, there was initially a mandatory 15-day cooling off period between patients making a first and second request for aid in dying. That has been reduced to 48 hours because many patients were dying during the waiting period. It's thought the approval process envisaged in Westminster would take around a month. 'Goodbye,' Wayne tells his family Outside Wayne's house on the morning of his death, a solitary bird begins its loud and elaborate song. "There's that mockingbird out there," Wayne tells Stella, as smiles flicker across their faces. Wayne hates the bird because it keeps him awake at night, Stella jokes, hand in hand with him to one side of his chair. Emily and Ashley are next to Stella. Dr Moore, seated on Wayne's other side, hands him the pink liquid which he swallows without hesitation. "Goodnight," he says to his family - a typical touch of humour from a man who told us he was determined to die on his terms. It's 11.47am. After two minutes, Wayne says he is getting sleepy. Dr Moore asks him to imagine he is walking in a vast sea of flowers with a soft breeze on his skin, which seems appropriate for a patient who has spent much of his life among nature. After three minutes Wayne enters a deep sleep from which he will never wake. On a few occasions he lifts his head to take a deep breath without opening his eyes, at one point beginning to snore softly. Dr Moore tells the family this is "the deepest sleep imaginable" and reassures Emily there is no chance her dad will wake up and ask, "did it work?" "Oh that would be just like him," Stella says with a laugh. Wayne and his family shortly before his death The family start to reminisce about hiking holidays and driving around in a large van they converted to become a camper. "Me and dad insulated it and put a bed in the back," says Ashley. On the walls are photos of Emily and Ashley as small children next to huge carved Halloween pumpkins. Dr Moore is still stroking Wayne's hand and occasionally checking his pulse. For a man who Emily says was "always walking, always outdoors, always active", these are the final moments of life's journey, spent surrounded by those who mean most to him. At 12.22pm Dr Moore says, "I think he's passed… He's at peace now." Outside, the mockingbird has fallen silent. "No more pain," says Stella, embracing her children in her arms. I step outside to give the family some space, and reflect on what we have just seen and filmed. I have been covering medical ethics for the BBC for more than 20 years. In 2006, I was present just outside an apartment in Zurich where Dr Anne Turner, a retired doctor, died with the help of the group Dignitas - but California was the first time I had been an eyewitness to an assisted death. This isn't just a story about one man's death in California - it's about what could become a reality here in England and Wales for those who qualify for an assisted death and choose to die this way. Whether you're for or against the proposed new Westminster law, the death of a loved one is a deeply personal and emotional time for a family. Each death leaves an imprint, as will Wayne's.
This is so troubling on so many levels. This is the quintessence of a world without God. This poor man who has seemingly no faith. . To make this decision---we are at The Lord of the World. Msgr Benson foresaw this and his chilling description from his 1912 novel lines up with this. This is the culture of death St John Paul II warned against. We are there. Dear Jesus have mercy !
He was given the GIFT of suffering and threw it away. Just like aborted babies are thrown away. His family instead of helping him, assisted in his death. We live in a Godless culture of death and destruction. It’s everywhere… the end times. When good is evil and evil is good.
SANITIZED SATANIC PROPAGANDA Quite the sales pitch, don't you think? This is such a steady progression on the slippery slope. I see it being played out in the life of Catholics, a pattern that accelerated with the "pandemic". Afraid to gather, funeral Masses were often avoided and graveside services alone were the norm. At the same time, the Catholic Church (US Conference of Bishops) opened wide the doorway to cremation, though also stating that the preferred burial of the body (think open caskets at wakes) was an important image pointing to the resurrection of the body. Now I see fewer funeral Masses being celebrated and an 80% usages of urns. Why? Because faith has diminished, sacramental signs are monetized, and trust in God sacrificed on the altar of expediency. We live in a days of the great apostasy. The devil tempts us to discern in terms of: expediency, affordability, and group think. What exalts God is a category of discernment, but no longer the ultimate standard. The pathway for the AntiChrist is complete in its preparation! Collect for Holy Mass this Sunday which calls us to charity (not to expediency): By your help, we beseech you, Lord our God, may we walk eagerly in that same charity with which, out of love for the world, your Son handed himself over to death. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
Well said. The push for cremation is at an all time high. There is a cremation service who advertises continuously on our local radio stations. One of their sales pitches actually sickens me; suggesting you could spend your money on personal enjoyment rather than a funeral and burial for a loved one. Sigh...two of my aunts, and one uncle were all cremated, my cousins thought nothing of it. This was a timely post, I am heading to the funeral home tomorrow morning with my husband to make arrangements for our funerals and burials. If we left these decisions up to our children they could succumb to the cremation trend.
I was reading the lives of different saints before going to sleep at night and my big , big take away from their lives was their willingness to sacrifice themselves and suffer out of love. In a way they were like little candles burning before the tabernacle of God's love. Again and again and again there were instance sin their lives of truly heroic virtue that took me aback. I can see the great wisdom of the Church in deciding that heroic virtue is a very good marker in affirming that someone is a saint is heroic virtue. Very good instance of this were the saints who went to leper colonies. Again Mother Angelica and Pope John Paul2 were always wonderful people but they never shone so brightly as when they were ill and just kept right on going. This is really, really what sets the Catholic Church apart including from the various Protestant denominations and even the Orthodox. The centrality of the Cross.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3wxq28znpqo 'I could live 30 years - but plan to die': Has assisted dying in Canada gone too far? April Hubbard sits on the theatre stage where she plans to die later this year. She is not terminally ill, but the 39-year-old performance and burlesque artist has been approved for assisted dying under Canada's increasingly liberal laws. Warning: This article contains details and descriptions some readers may find disturbing She is speaking to BBC News from the Bus Stop Theatre, an intimate auditorium with a little under 100 seats, in the eastern city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Illuminated by a single spotlight on a stage she has performed on many times before, she tells me she plans to die here "within months" of her imminent 40th birthday. She'll be joined by a small group of her family and friends. April plans to be in a "big comfy bed" for what she calls a "celebratory" moment when a medical professional will inject a lethal dose into her bloodstream. "I want to be surrounded by the people I love and just have everybody hold me in a giant cuddle puddle and get to take my last breath, surrounded by love and support," she says. April was born with spina bifida and was later diagnosed with tumours at the base of her spine which she says have left her in constant, debilitating pain.
But you know it is not just in the big things in life that our Catholic Faith gives meaning to suffering , its in the small things too. I mean its in the small things too. We all know that some days can bring a lot of small knocks and can seem like a waste. We pray the Hail Holy Queen and speak of mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. But Faith brings such peace, joy and reassurance. We know that everything has meaning and purpose and direction unto the good for those who love God. This is such a huge source of reassurance and joy. We see this on the Forum all the time when people are facing very often very, very great challenges,Crosses and suffering and ask for prayers. I find it very,very inspiring that they meet their own personal Calvary with such immense Faith and truly heroic virtue. But imagine if they had to do so with no Faith or belief at all. How hard would that be.
Yes. One of the great great treasures of the Church is the privilege of uniting our sufferings to Jesus on the Cross. I read articles like these two latest posted here and I am so struck by the barren aridity of their understanding of their own humanity. I was privileged to be with my aunt before her death from cancer. She was a wraith. Literally skin and bones but her face was radient. My mother woukd often spend the night by her side( she had home hospice care) and my mother told me that my aunt was often in terrible pain but she was offering it to Jesus that one soul about to commit a mortal sin would have the grace to resist. She saw her suffering as a share in Calvary. Her last day on earth her family was gathered with her including a priest who had grown up with her sons and they were praying the Rosary with her. At the last prayer she closed her eyes and was gone. The most peaceful serene death! I can't help but compare this to these sad accounts of those actually choosing to end their lives.
How beautiful a wonderful memory! I don't really mind them murdering themselves so much in itself. What really bothers me is what comes after. I worry for their souls. I really do believe all the Church and Scriptures teaches. That there is a hell, that it is Eternal and that it is truly, truly terrible. Its just the most awful thing imaginable what these poor people are doing..and on themselves. I can't really think of anything worse.
Imagine they go straight before our Lord in judgement. I imagine the first question he might ask is "why are you here before the time I alloted to you"? And then "who gave this authority over your body and the right to destroy it"? "You have committed a most evil deed"!
