A2 - Wednesday, June 2, 1982 - North Shore News

strictly personal

by Bob Hunter

I MUST EXPRESS my admiration for 91-year-old
Hilda Cuttle of Vancouver for having the courage
to say something us younger folks find almost
impossible to say, even though it should be said.

Mrs. Cuttle argues that the
government should provide
voluntary euthanasia clinics
for senior citizens. Mrs.
Cuttle herself enjoys good
health and is perfectly lucid,
according to newspaper
reports.

But she admits there was
an “ideal age” when she
should have died, to avoid
the downhill slide, with its
inevitable outcome.

Mrs. Cuttle has put her
finger on a terrible nerve.
It’s one we all] recognize, but
almost never discuss.

Since Mrs. Cuttle has
dared to say it, let me add
my opinion! I think she’s
right.

Certainly, when the time
comes, I would prefer to
have a facility like that
available, because I would
rather take my own life than

Pulling your own plug

let myself slide into senility.

The obvious danger with
the idea of voluntary
euthanasia is that relatives
might try to talk Granny into
cashing in her chips so the
kids could split the loot.

But I'm quite certain a
screening system could be
worked out, some sort of
equivalent of a parole board
to conduct in-depth inter-
views with the applicant as
well as the family.

We have moved slightly in
this direction with the ac-
ceptance of the idea of
hospices, places where
people can go to “die in

Early warning for teachers

FROM PAGE A1

package increase in
teachers’ contract.
“We anticipate that if the
teachers settle at eight per
cent as suggested by the
provincial government, we
would be in the position to
maintain the present level of
services and that would
include benefits as well,”
Furk said.
Teachers’

the

salaries

are
approximately 80 per cent of
the total budget.

West Vancouver Teachers
Association President,
Paddy Boyle disagreed with
Furk’s contention that the
maximum amount the

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teachers could bargain for
before affecting present
services was eight per cent.

Boyle pointed out that the
board's past budget  in-
creases were not much
better than nine per cent,
and teachers were still able
lo go to the negotiating table
with free collective
bargaining in mind.

“I don't see any problem
with free collective
bargaining and a 9.1 per cent
increase,” Boyle said.

“If Mrs. Furk is willing to
start at eight per cent that’s

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four per cent better than
they usually offer the first
time,” Boyle said with a grin.

Stil, Boyle would not say
what the teachers’ strategy
would be, if it came down to
wage increases or jobs.

“The association's
Priorities have not been
decided yet. I don’t know if
we will be bargaining for
more money if it means
losing jobs.”

The only thing that Furk
and Boyle did agree on was
the figure that one per cent
increase in the teachers’
settlement meant $140,000.

dignity,” as the phrase goes,
once they contact a terminal
illness, usually cancer.

All that happens in a
hospice is that the symptoms
— that is, the pain — 1s
treated. Futile efforts to
prolong life at all costs are
abandoned.

It's not that “the plug is
pulled.” Simply, once it has
become medically apparent
that death is unavoidable,
the plug just isn't inserted
into the socket any more.

The trend started in
England a decade ago. I note
itis in England, too, that the
movement in favor of
euthanasia had its origins.

Within my own family, we
recently had the sad
situation of a robust grand-
father suddenly losing his
health, being put in hospital,
hooked up to all sorts of life-
support systems, then
turning into a near-vegetable
who lingered on the
threshold of consciousness
for over a year.

As my wife remarked,
with some _ bitterness:
“Grandpa always said he
didn't want to go this way.”

There was nothing any of
us could do, except wait and
hold his hand. But the
number of times when he
could recognize who was
present became more and
more scarce. And everybody
knew you couldn't cure him.

I have no idea of whether
Grandpa would have taken
advantage of a euthanasia
program if he'd had the
choice, but, speaking for
myself, | damn well want the
choice when the time comes.

Since society has already
given the nod to my right to
die “with dignity” if I
become terminally ill, there
is really not much distance
to go before recognizing the
same nght if 1 am faced with

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the decay of my mind as well
as my body.

For me, it's easy lo say
that I would rather take my
own life, thank you, than
end up as a vegetable. I
happen to believe that there
is no such thing as “death,”
except in the physical sense
of the body disappearing.

Obviously, nobody wants
to go back to the Eskimo
system of leaving the aged,
once they became com-
pletely useless, behind in a
snowbank when the tribe
moved on.

On the other hand, there is
a perfectly natural negative
response we all feel when we
set foot in a modern geriatric
ward. Basically, it’s fear of
ending up in such a place
ourselves.

I made a pact with myself
a long time ago to bug out
once the slippage reached a

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have the courage to carry
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But since the decision is
ultimately mine -- and yours
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should be to help us.
And,

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