Current mood:

Flattened

Putting this here, because it's not funny, and he's a fandom all his own
Terry Pratchett starts proceedings to end his life

Three and a half years ago, Terry Pratchett, the beloved author of the Discworld series, announced that he has early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Now he's made an even more startling announcement.

Pratchett, who has campaigned in his native United Kingdom for the right of assisted suicide, has begun the formal process of assisted suicide in Switzerland, one of the few countries in the world to legalize euthanasia. Specifically, this would take place at Dignitas, a clinic that provides qualified doctors and nurses to assist with the patients' suicides.

Dignitas has sent Pratchett the paperwork he needs to sign to begin the assisted suicide process—but he has yet to sign it.

According to The Guardian,

"The only thing stopping me [signing them] is that I have made this film and I have a bloody book to finish," he said during a question-and-answer session following a screening at the Sheffield documentary festival Doc/Fest.

He said that he decided to start the process after making the film Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die, which shows the moment of death of a motor neurone sufferer, millionaire hotel owner Peter Smedley.

Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die airs tonight in the United Kingdom, which means the end could be nigh for our literary hero. But the The Guardian wrote that "According to Dignitas, 70% of people who sign the forms do not go through with taking their own lives."

We wish Pratchett the best, no matter what his decision is.

Sir, whatever you choose, I hope it is as you choose and with the dignity you have shown in your life.

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	frenzy 2011-06-13 07:30 pm UTC (link)
	Wait, whoa, wait. I was under the impression that he was still doing really well. I mean, I guess it's never too early to plan ahead--this is just kind of shocking. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	jaseroque 2011-06-13 07:53 pm UTC (link)
	I'm HOPING, since the article is a bit ambiguous, that signing means that at some point in the indefinite future you will be able to utilize their services without all of the red tape. Otherwise, yeah, it does seem awfully sudden. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

pantyless_angel
2011-06-13 08:40 pm UTC (link)

I hope that is the case too. I can't imagine finishing the paperwork is going to mean he immediately has to through with it, that seems kind of absurd.
I can understand wanting to get a start on something like this before other people can step in and make accusations that he is no longer of sound mind to make such decisions for himself. Ending up in a situation like that is one of my worst nighmares.

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	harrylovesron 2011-06-13 09:12 pm UTC (link)
	I agree that this is the most likely reason- he was quoted in the article as saying he still has a book to get done, so I'm guessing he wants to make sure all of his loose ends are tied up while there's still time and the choice is his and his alone to make. (Reply to this)(Parent)

platedlizard
2011-06-13 09:26 pm UTC (link)

In Oregon once you finish all the requirements for the Death with Dignity Act they give you a prescription, and it's up to you when you decide to take it. Most people who get the prescription never take it. It's about taking control of your end-of-life, not necessarily ending it all right there. I don't know how Sweden does it, but I imagine that it might be something similar, the paperwork simply authorizing a fatal prescription, not actually forcing you to take it.

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	eilan 2011-06-13 09:53 pm UTC (link)
	Switzerland, not Sweden, and you travel there when you are ready. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	platedlizard 2011-06-14 02:57 am UTC (link)
	Thanks, I guess I wasn't reading closely enough. (Reply to this)(Parent)

tequilaghost
2011-06-14 11:13 am UTC (link)

This is my experience, too.

My mother has an illness that will eventually be fatal. She may have weeks left, or she may still have long, good years left--due to its erratic progression, nobody really knows. When she was going through a very bad patch, she obtained a fatal prescription from her doctor.

She recovered from her bad patch and is in a much better place now, and I'm glad as hell she didn't have to use it, but seeing that it gave her a measure of peace just to have the option made me reconsider my opinion on this whole issue.

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	platedlizard 2011-06-14 07:33 pm UTC (link)
	hug I'm sorry to hear about your mom, that's pretty tough. The closest my family came to that was my great-grand parents signing a living will with a DNR order, and they were in their 90s. Sad, but expected, you know? I can't imagine losing my mom like that. I wish the best for you and your mom. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	frenzy 2011-06-13 09:50 pm UTC (link)
	That does make perfect sense. I was just a little weirded out by the idea that, once he's got the arrangements made and his loose ends tied up, he could just...decide to die, at any moment (even though I'm sure it would be a thoughtful decision, and obviously it's his to make regardless). (Reply to this)(Parent)

	lyrangalia 2011-06-13 08:55 pm UTC (link)
	I wouldn't be surprised if part of the signing includes certifying that he's mentally sound to sign the paperwork, which with Alzheimer's might mean doing it early. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	kookaburra 2011-06-13 10:06 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah. IMO, after caring for patients with Alzheimer's, it's better to do it too early than wait until it's too late. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	kita0610 2011-06-14 01:31 am UTC (link)
	Yes, this. Also he has early onset Alzheimer's which typically has a very fast rate of deterioration, unfortunately. G-d bless him. The world is going to be a sadder place without him in it. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	azazello 2011-06-13 10:15 pm UTC (link)
	My understanding from what I read in the UK papers this weekend is that he is preparing a decision against a day when he may be incapable of making one. I got no clear impression that he intends to die shortly, just that he intends to leave with dignity and at a time of his choosing, fully aware. I am lost in admiration for his courage and openness. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	frenzy 2011-06-13 11:15 pm UTC (link)
	That's good to know. I wondered whether it was something like that, or if his condition had worsened and I'd missed hearing about it. I'm glad he's still doing well enough to make all these decisions for himself, and taking the opportunity to do so. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	trialia 2011-07-01 08:16 pm UTC (link)
	This. (Also, if he's working on a book, this cannot be Snuff, which is due out in September, and must almost certainly be one due out next year sometime, because Snuff will already be with the publishers by now.) (Reply to this)(Parent)

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