Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

The Australian: Family reignites euthanasia debate :

"But Mr Spanbroek said the politicians were too afraid to address the topic.

'They are all weak and they don't want to visit it (the euthanasia issue) because they think it is not a popular subject to discuss,' he said."

I rarely feel sorry for politicians, but today I do. Often they open their mouths before engaging their brains and it's a rare treat to hear a well constructed, well informed political speech. I love them when I do hear them. But the euthanasia debate here is not the same as the Terri Schiavo debate unless you wish to view them as the antithesis of each other. This father's son is clearly dying and when people die they don't eat or drink and they get thinner and emaciated and it can take quite a while. That is the process of dying. We don't like watching it and so some people would prefer to intervene at an earlier stage. But it is striking that the Americans are cross with their politicians for interfering in what they see as a private issue when people here want the politicians to be involved in such a debate. I guess people want politicians who will support them in their hour of need. So the politicians are damned if they do and damned if they don't. I can only say what I said before. We all have to talk the tough stuff out. We all have to confront the difficult and heart rending issues. We need our learned and experienced people to put forward their view so we can truly debate issues. Then we shall be better at dealing with the tricky , difficult stuff we try to pretend can be fixed with a law or a process or a protocol. There are things in life which are ethically very difficult to confront. Talking about it all helps but no one should be forced one way or another to give up their life because it suits someone else. It's a deeply personal thing which should be respected.