If I stay lucky I should live another 20 or 30 years. I will be dead within the next 40 years.
If I stay lucky I will have a good death. Where I live, as of 1st January 2023 good deaths don’t need to rely on luck alone. Voluntary assisted dying will become a sanctioned option for those who meet the legal criteria [here].
If I stay lucky my death will be a bit like Queen Elizabeth’s recent death. I’ll be incredibly wealthy, I’ll die at a place of my choosing, I’ll be with people I’m related to, like or employ, and I will spend my last days doing things I value and enjoy.
If I stay lucky, when I see health professionals in my last year of life they’ll believe me when I say I’d rather choose the time and manner of my death than leave it to chance. If they look unsure or quizzical, I’ll use one of 2022’s favourite rejoinders and say, “Google it, mate.”
If I stay lucky, when the health professionals search “is paul mcnamara fair dinkum about voluntary assisted dying?” (or words to that effect) they’ll land on this blog page (archived here and here), and see the evidence below:
It’s a little bit funny…
I hope, like me, you enjoy the delicious paradox of becoming a life member of two organisations that focus on the right to die. It’s not hilarious, but it’s a little bit funny.
To make the information clear/overt:
– I became a life member of Exit International in 2013
– I became a life member of Dying With Dignity Queensland in 2018
– I wrote this open letter in support of voluntary assisted dying legislation in 2021
– I published the blog post you’re reading now in 2022
My convictions are not transient or ambiguous. It would be a little bit funny if my values were not respected. No need to agree with me. Just believe me.
Also, it would be a little be funny (funny peculiar, not funny ha-ha) if anyone confused this obviously personal blog post with anything to do with my job or employer. That would be a malevolent misrepresentation of the facts. Don’t do it. Be sensible. Be kind.
Google it, mate.
Exit International and Dying with Dignity are similar in that they both strongly advocate that the locus of control re end of life decisions should rest with the person, not any one else. However, the two well-established organisations have different views on how this should look. Want to know more? Google it, mate.
End Notes
That’s it. I only wrote this blog post to archive something personal somewhere public so it’s searchable/googleable in future. It should be clear that – apart from ensuring my choices are known and respected – this blog post does not seek to influence the opinions or actions of others.
Normally I invite feedback via the comments section below, but on this occasion I’m a bit wary. If, like me, you have a personal opinion that you feel compelled to make public, the comments section may serve that purpose. I agree to making all comments public, but have no intention to reply, mediate or elaborate.
Paul McNamara, 17 September 2022
Short URL meta4RN.com/lucky
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