Dear editor:

People are probably aware of Dying With Dignity Canada, an organization which led the push to get medical assistance in dying (commonly known as MAiD) legalized in 2016.

My own reading of that process and of the forces arrayed against efforts like assisted death for the elderly (and others who wish to effect their end of life for many valid reasons) is that mistaken but perhaps good-willed people and organizations of all kinds stand in the way of the aged taking their death into their own hands.

This is really too bad since today our world, at least our Western world, is experiencing aging and the survival of the aged into their 80s, 90s and even 100s.

A friend of mine, for example, my first phys-ed teacher in middle school in East York, Toronto died a few months ago at the age of 95.

I am sure our town of NOTL has many people approaching this age and beyond, as do many places in Canada.

In my own case, I am advocating for the right of every human being to decide for themselves what end of life they would like.

In effect, assisted death has been hijacked by numerous organizations and care groups, such as the medical profession, religions and churches, the legal profession and advocacy groups for all manner of aging and medically afflicted humanity.

Pretty well all the above want control of how people die.

This is wrong, utterly wrong, and against the human rights of the aging population in particular, and I mean all the aging population, not just those with medical or mental conditions.

Also, it is wrong in the sense that the above factions end up needlessly condemning many aging and ill but sentient patients to prolonged suffering until they die, sedated, in a hospital bed.

We, the aging, do not want that. We want control of our own end of life.

Australians recently moved against their own government’s recalcitrance in this same matter and established a network to help those who wish to affect their own death.

This control is what all the aging want.

I think every last old person, understanding the effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, would want to affect their own end of life if ever afflicted with such a disease.

Medical assistance in dying is a good start in this discussion and thorny problem facing the people of countries such as Canada where aging is projected to increase considerably.

But assisted dying has serious restrictions and is dependent on some sort of medical decision.

This is wrong.