my rights as a human

An old woman wants to die ... she has lived a long life, probably already contributed more than the average share in taxes. And yet the law does not allow her to die in peace. O, sure, she's allowed to jump from a building or something like that (as long as she doesn't destruct property), but this lady's jumping days are over. She would take the pills herself, nobody has to help her do that ... but merely prescribing her the pills would be illegal. Why ?

A young woman in Italy has been in coma for most of her life. She's not going to wake up. Her father has to fight for the right to ... stop her treatment ... and allow her to die a natural death. He's lucky. So is she. She does die. With the new law passed in an amazing Berlusconian hurry the same now becomes impossible. His reasoning ? She still might have conceived. Excuse me, but how exactly was she going to accomplish that ? Through a divine intervention ? Through rape by an orderly or such ?

One can't but wonder about this clinging to life. It's not understandable from any point of view. From a religious point ... why not hurry the way to the afterlife ? And from a secular view ... wouldn't you prefer a controlled exit to the - usually - messy exits we have today. We might have some less traumatized train-drivers.

As a human being I claim the right to have a dignified control over my own life, and that includes the right to a dignified death.