Hi readers, Emily, Kerry and William, catching up online for the first time in a while. It’s great to see each other.
We’ve just spent nearly an hour talking about so many topics we hardly know where to start with our column! Do we write about the mixed Christmas shopping experiences we’ve had so far this week, packages being delivered to wrong addresses, people we’ve recently seen out of context, Kerry’s PA spotting Susie the cat in her garden, our favourite tv programmes, famous people getting in the news for the wrong reasons like Greg Wallace, victims of crime coming forward and why we think it might take time for them to speak up, our favourite animals and why, our insight into eyes, or most relevant for today Friday- the assisted dying bill going through parliament.
This is probably the most relevant as we’ll know soon if it goes through know to the next stage. We are in two minds about it. We can see why some people will benefit but worry that others may feel pressured into choosing an assisted death. They may worry or feel guilty about expensive care their families must pay to keep them alive, even if the families don’t mind.
It got us thinking too, about capacity to consent to an assisted death. How this act might affect someone with a learning disability who does not have capacity. Would those have capacity for them, even if it’s a panel of experts, have the power to decide? Perhaps that will all be decided as the Act evolves.
We think it will never be something that everyone agrees on, as it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ situation. Next week we’ll lighten up with one of our many conversation topics today and explore that more!
The writers of the Our View column are supported in their editing by People First Dorset - a charity led and run by people with learning disabilities with support from staff
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