The Good Death

Janette is terminally ill and wants to die in a dignified way but British laws do not allow it. She gets in touch with Dr. Erika in Switzerland, who is willing to help her. Muscular dystrophy, the illness that Janette suffers from, has affected her family for generations. Janette’s mother was wheelchair bound for decades, becoming a prisoner in her own body. Janette refuses to wait for death in unbearable pain so she opts for physician-assisted suicide. Before leaving on her last journey from England to Switzerland, she has to explain her intention to her family members and close friends. Her son Simon has also inherited this illness and, therefore, has much more sympathy regarding her decision than his sister Bridget. If no cure for this illness is found, he will face the same decision process as his mother. Both children try to convince Janette to postpone her death. Do we own our life or does it own us?—Hailstone