Frances Ryan is right that the assisted dying debate is much more nuanced than it appears (I’m glad the debate on assisted dying is forging ahead. But few understand why it frightens so many, 29 February). The initial problem is that dying is a typically British muddle, stuck between outdated legal assumptions about healthcare and modern squeamishness about death. Patching yet more on to this won’t do.
I am running out of choices in my eight-year tussle with breast cancer, and I dream of a good death. But here’s what I’m urged to deliver: a will, but I’m safely dead by then. Two powers of attorney are legal essentials too, but why two? A letter of wishes can sit alongside my will to help my executors with issues such as funeral plans, but it has limited legal status. I am not sure how preferred priorities for a care plan fits in with the welfare power of attorney or the letter of wishes. Then there’s the advance decision to refuse treatment, and perhaps this includes the do-not-resuscitate notice. I’m meant to discuss these with my family and my healthcare team.
