A CONSCIOUSLY CHOSEN DEATH IN THE NETHERLANDS

There are topics -- abortion, guns, property rights -- that Americans can't
discuss without high emotion and polarization.  But other nations seem to have
no trouble with them.  Why is that?

I'm no psychologist, but I'd guess it's because these subjects bring up
enormous fears we are unwilling to face.  In the case of one such subject,
euthanasia, the source of the fear is obvious.  We don't want to look at,
discuss, choose or even think about death.

Denial doesn't work, of course.  Whatever we suppress just roots itself more
deeply in our subterranean terror.  Our minds fill with fantasies -- greedy
relatives with a needle, Kervorkian in a van -- which further fuel our
emotions.

I think the societies that can handle these issues are willing to take a
square, unblinking look at them.  They dwell in reality, which is never so
scary as our fears.

In that spirit, I offer here a description of an act of euthanasia, carried out
in Holland, where the practice is legal and tightly regulated.  My friend
Wouter Biesiot recently died after a long struggle with cancer.  The following
was written by his wife Nanda, who has given me permission to share it with
you.

*  *  *
"The pain became worse, despite increasing amounts of morphine.  It was no pain
that could be located precisely.  It was more a strong physical suffering all
over his body.   He was spending a lot of energy trying to find good moments in
every day.  And he found them.  There weren't many sunbeams, but every sunbeam
he felt.  He could laugh at the girls and tell them they were wonderful and he
was proud of them.  But the suffering increased.  It was such hard work, it
hurt me so much to see Wouter in pain and to accept that I could not do any
more than I did. 

"Then the day came when Wouter felt he couldn't do it any longer.  It was on a
Thursday night when he, our neighbors (Henk and Neske), Janna and I were
sitting together.  Wouter asked Henk to pray about letting go.  On Friday
afternoon, Henk and Wouter talked and Wouter was clear about his wish to die. 
Henk summed up their conversation: inside there are two voices.  One of them
tells you to live and the other to die.  The second one becomes stronger, but
the other is still there.  Only when the two voices are telling you the same
thing, then it is your time. 

"We had discussed euthanasia, because we thought it was important to prepare
ourselves for unknown situations.  We never thought Wouter would be the one to
make the decision.  We thought I would be the one to decide. 

"Now Wouter really wanted to let go.  But he could not.  His heart and lungs
were just too strong.  Just a year ago, before his liver operation, he could
skate the 'eleven-cities-tour!'  Only last December he stopped going to the
fitness center!  That strong physical condition was now working against him in
his dying. 

"The weekend was very tough.  He tried being with us, but he couldn't.  The
chat of the girls was too much for him.  We sat with him, watching him sleep. 
Even in those last days, he got up to wash, to eat bread with strawberries.  It
took everything he had, but he did it.  Not doing so would be the same as being
dead for him.  Until the last moment he stayed in control.

"On Monday Wouter said he was ready.  The two voices were saying the same
thing.  But it took a whole day before the moment was there.  As opposed to the
days before, Wouter didn't sleep at all.  He was alert, and that made the day
long and tough.  And I won't even talk about the legal procedure!

"The doctor said he would come after 7 pm.  The girls and Henk and Neske and I
sat with Wouter, waiting.  Marijn had made a drawing of Winnie the Pooh.  She
showed it to Wouter and he smiled at her.  Even at that moment, you could see
how proud he was of his youngest.  Finally the doctor arrived.  He first talked
to Wouter and me, then to the girls.  After that he left us alone for the time
we needed.  Henk (who is a priest) spoke a prayer and gave Wouter the blessing.
 
Wouter was so very ready for that.  We all gave him a hug.  There were no words
of farewell, because he would stay with us. 

"Then Wouter said to Henk, 'go in peace.'  Everyone left except me, and the
doctor gave him something to drink.  In my arms, Wouter fell into a coma.  The
others came to be with him, except for Marijn, who was frightened, so she left
with Neske.  He died at 8.45 pm.  It was not real and so very real at the same
time.  We were relieved that at last his suffering had ended.  And that we all
were there when he died in his own home.

"Guided by the female undertaker, Janna, Hester and I washed him, rubbed him
with nice smelling oil and put on his wedding clothes.  That was a wonderful
thing to do.  It felt so good.  Marijn had a quick look at Wouter.  She wasn't
frightened anymore, but she was very clear in not wanting to join us.  The
undertaker carefully watched us and asked what we wanted to do.  I was so happy
with her, because everything that happened from that time on happened because
we wanted it to happen.

"The girls and I made Wouter a lovely room in the house, with candles, lots of
yellow sunflowers, dear pictures and beautiful stones.  I so much felt him
there, his soul filled the whole room.  It was wonderful that we could walk in
and out at moments we chose.  We also could see him become more and more dead
and that made me grow ready for the moment of letting him go out of the house
to his ceremony in the church on Friday.

"We had chosen a small cemetery at the northern part of Groningen.  When we
arrived, the sun was shining.  A goose was flying over, making a lot of noise. 
We could hear frogs.  It was raining pink blossom from two beautiful trees. 
The grass was filled with daisies and dandelions.  We brought Wouter to his
grave and we took our time there.  All this made it a lot easier for me to
leave Wouter, comforted by the warmth of the sun, the flowers and so many dear
friends."

*  *  *
I can come to all sorts of judgments about euthanasia in general, in theory,
unrelated to a real person's life and pain and death.  I can see that
euthanasia misused, unregulated, carried out without love or mindfulness, could
be a horrible thing.  Wouter and Nanda have shown me that euthanasia in the
hands of a civilized society and people who accept and honor the fact of death
can be beautiful.  I don't know whether I would choose such a death for myself.
 
I don't think I could know that until the moment actually came.  I can't
imagine having the knowledge, the certainty, or the right to prescribe it or
forbid it to others.  I would not want others to prescribe it or forbid it to
me.

(Donella H. Meadows is an adjunct professor of environmental studies at
Dartmouth College.)

(ha emlekeztek, par eve a "Pugwash conferences" munkajanak ment a Beke
Nobel-dijat.  Erdemes a diak-reszehez is csatlakozni; foleg esetleg
foallasban.  
Diana


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Kedves Levelezotagok!

A május 16-i HVG-nek van egy Aramipar cimu melleklete. Ebben van egy cikk,
mely a sved energiatakarekossagot taglalja. Itt olvastam egy "pofonegyszeru
elven mukodo, a kontinensen megis ritka futesi mod"-rol, a hoszivattyukrol.
Sajna, agyam befogado kepessegenek korlatjai miatt nem igazan ertettem meg
ennek a "pofonegyszeru elvnek" a lenyeget. Valami forditott hutoszekrennyel
probalta a cikk modellezni a hoszivattyu mukodesi elvet, de mar ez is magas
volt nekem. Szoval, el tudna valaki magyarazni egy abszolut laikus szamara,
hogy mukodnek ezek a hoszivattyuk? Ha van esetleg konkret adat a
megterulesre, az altala nyerheto energia mennyisegere azt kulon megkoszonom.
(A cikk szerint Magyarorszagon pl. Harkanyban, a Bp-i Elektromos Muvek
sporttelepen mukodnek ilyen berendezesek.)
Elore is koszonom a segitseget.

Balint Tamas

Hello,

csak szorszalhasogatas: SZAZHALOMBATTA tehat 100-halom-batta!
A szaSZok kicsit arreb vannak.

De megjegyeznem (1), hogy a vegyszer a CHINOIN uzemegysegebol a Dunan feljebb,
ERDnel omlott a vizbe, Battan csak a hatasa jott ki.
(2) A hasonlo halpusztulassal jaro kb. 10 evvel ezelotti esemenyt, melyet
ugyan a Battai hoeromu okozott, nem vertek ilyen nagy dobra. Talan ez a
kornyezetvedo viselkedes elterjedese?

        _-____________________________________________________________
    >>>  Udv: TaCs     /   <<<
           (helybeli)

Kedves Barki!

Sok lista jar korbe kezen-kozon az E-... jelu elemiszerekrol, azok 
hatasarol. Sajnos sok elelmiszeren a gyarto nem ezt tunteti fel, hanem 
kemiai vagy egyeb szakmai korokben talan ismert, am a hetkoznapi 
ember szamara erthetetlen megnevezeseket. 

Ha valaki tudna olyan listarol amin mind a ketto (parhuzamba allitva) 
megtalalhato szivesen vennem az informaciot. Ha valakinek megvan 
kerem valamilyen formatumban kuldje el mail-ben. 

E-mail: 

Koszi!!

Diakok - vallalkozas - Internet . Ezek lesznek annak a tabornak a
temai, amelyet Balatonedericsre szervezunk.
A III. Zalai Vallalkozoi Diaktabor az iden julius 11-17 kozott az
Ifjusagi Uduloben "zajlik" - ide 13-20 eves korig varunk a
vallalkozasok vilaga irant erdeklodo fiatalokat. Reszveteli
dij 9700 ft/fo/het (ha nyerunk egy palyazaton akkor 7700 ft/fo/het).

A reszletekrol Csapo Idanal erdeklodjel: 
A jelentkezeseket junius 7-ig varjuk.