The retired Anglican bishop, Desmond Tutu, wrote in this Saturday’s Guardian newspaper on his own wishes and desires around death, why he feels Mandela’s death was an affront to his dignity and ultimately why he supports assisted dying.
The article starts with Tutu describing visiting dying colleagues and friends at St Luke’s hospice, Cape Town:
“in the last period of their lives; I’ve witnessed their being cared for beautifully – but I’ve never been there at the exact moment of passing. I’ve been asked why I consider it a privilege to be present when temporal death takes place. It comes from my belief system. It is the wonder of a new life beginning, the wonder of someone going to meet their maker, returning to their source of life.”
Tutu then goes onto to explain why he believes it is important to break down the taboo of talking about death describing a conversation he had recently with his oldest daughter, Mpho, about the he own desires and wishes around death saying:
“There are certain African traditions I am not comfortable with: the turning of photos to face the wall, the clearing of furniture from the bedroom and placing of straw mats for the women to sit on for days. I am comfortable that on my passing these traditions should not be followed. It concerns me how people get into debt at funerals, buying expensive caskets, slaughtering animals they can ill afford to pay for. I want to role model modesty.”
Tutu explains that he has come to realise that he does not want his life at any point to be “prolonged artificially”. This desire leads him to comment on his close friend, Nelson Mandela’s, death:
“What was done to Madiba (Nelson Mandela) was disgraceful. There was that occasion when Madiba was televised with political leaders, President Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa. You could see Madiba was not fully there. He did not speak. He was not connecting. My friend was no longer himself. It was an affront to Madiba’s dignity.”
Tutu goes onto discuss assisted dying which is due to be debated in the UK House of Lords this week. To illustrate his beliefs Tutu talks of Craig Schonegevel from his home country of South Africa saying:
“Craig Schonegevel, after 28 years of struggling with neurofibromatosis, decided his quality of life was too poor. He’d had so many surgical procedures the thought of enduring more was unbearable. He could find no legal assistance to help him die. On the night of 1 September 2009, he swallowed 12 sleeping pills, put two plastic bags over his head tied with elastic bands and was found dead by his parents the next morning. Craig wanted to end his life legally assisted, listening to his favourite music and in the embrace of his beloved parents, Patsy and Neville. Our legal system denied him and his family this dignity.”
Finally Tutu goes onto address the issue of palliative care directly approaching the issue of whether or not assisted dying is needed if good palliative care is provided saying:
“Some say that palliative care, including the giving of sedation to ensure freedom from pain, should be enough for the journeying towards an easeful death. Some people opine that with good palliative care there is no need for assisted dying, no need for people to request to be legally given a lethal dose of medication. That was not the case for Craig Schonegevel.”
Read the full article in The Guardian by clicking here.
Desmond Tutu is archbishop emeritus of Cape Town and a Nobel peace laureate. He is chair of the Elders, an international group of former political leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to work for peace, justice and human rights.
*Please note this article does not reflect the view of ehospice or The African Palliative Care Association and in no way implies a position on assisted dying.
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