4- Sunday, March 24, 1985 - North Shore News The right to die | alive so long it has become torture, triggered Te column about an old woman.dying, kept more letters than I quite know howto reply to. Mostly, they were from older people who had seen their peers imprisoned on the Procrustean bed of modern medicine. Several of these people. swore that they had “death pacts’’ similar to the one that 1 admitted existed between my wife and myself. Several other letters were from pcople my age or younger, whose friends were far from geriatric, but who had seen beloved grand- fathers and grandmothers go- ing through the ordeal of try- ing to‘die, with the entire ap- paratus of modern medicine set up to stop them from, do- ing just that. it is certainly nothing that has been discussed in the media much, but I believe _ there is in fact a widespread fear in society not so much of dying, such as people have always felt, but of being kept alive too Jong.. By ‘‘too- long" I mean simply mean the obvious: that point beyond which you can’t decide anything . for yourself any longer, yet you are being kept alive artificially. There are hospices, of course, where, with everybody’s consent, only palliative care is offered, but this only applies in cases of terminal cancer, or some such relatively quick death. it does seem supremely ironic that in an era where we tolerate abortions, at least partly on the grounds that a woman should be able to have control over what hap- pens to her body, that neither you nor J, regardless of our sex, are permitied any say whatsoever what happens to our bodies once we have lost our minds. Why can’t I simply sign a form now, requesting that | be removed from any life- support systems, meaning chemicals as much as machinery, the moment | am no longer aware of my surroundings? Why, for that matter, can’t 1 be guaranteed the right to refuse any treatment whatsoever? If a committee can be struck to decide the issue of fe or death for an unborn infant — a ‘‘vegetable,’’ if you like — then why can’t another committee, or the am maw CE a £2 we IY oe same committee, for all 1] care, take responsibility for making the same decision about whether you or J, once we are back to being vegetables, should continue to live? There might be an addi- tional value to such an. ar- rangement, in that anybody contemplating an abortion would know that the child, if it survived, would someday have the power of life or death over you when you are just as helpless as it is now. Maybe we would be en- BUY WITH CONFIDENCE f FIND IT ADVERTISED lF ULES S WE'LL REFUND \ FOR THE DiFreree ee HOME FURNISHINGS Warehouse/Showroom OPEN TO THE {2 dlks. behind the sores al 1075 Roosevelt Cres., N.Van. 228, 085-8738 See page 8 “DO IT YOURSELF" HAVE IT DONE MANUFACTURED BY DYWIDAG FAB CON (hae PRODUCTS iM! “7 LIMITED and Exposed Aggregate CONCRETE PAVERS Also stepping stones, planters, curbs, bicycle stands SANDERSON CONCRETE PRODUCTS LTD. | 310 Harbour Ave. wn Call us: North Vancouver 985-6108 | The Luxury Car you can afford irom the Pony people Pony and Stellar are very different. But they share the Hyundai philosophy: give the customer outstanding value: Stellar does it with finishing touches. Extras that you don't pay extra for like Michelin all-season steel-belted radials, tinted glass, cut-pile carpeting and a whole lot more . Come in and be amazed. West Vancouver Secondary School ATTENTION ALL. ADULTS West Vancouver Secondary School now has daytime courses! HISTORY- WOODWORK FRENCH MECHANICS-GEOGRAPHY _ LITERATURE-ACTING-SEWING COOKING-METALWORK ' PACIFIC RIM STUDIES . JAPANESE- E COMPUTERS (IF CLASS SPACE IS AVAILABLE) Its an unique opportunity for adults and young peo- ple to study together. Enrol now. For information phone: 922-3931 You can also see the Luxurious Stellar at a special preview showing March 24-30 at Lynn Valley Cenire. 1695 Marine Drive North Vancouver 986-42 9] neering ena ENERO TATLOW MOTOR COMPANY LTO.