At home, we received some news that devastated us. The son of an old friend wrote to explain that his father's Alzheimer's had progressed very rapidly and was nearing the end. Having said that, he explained that his father—a vital and responsible man—when he received the diagnosis, he wanted to make an advance directive stating how he wanted to live and, if the conditions weren't met, how he wanted to die.
His family—the son continued to share—was convinced that the time his father had anticipated had arrived, and therefore, out of love and respect for the patient, they were preparing to carry out his wishes. They informed us of how and when we could participate in the farewell ceremonies.
In response to our words of support and solidarity, the friend's son admitted that the decision—nor the management of it all—had not been easy, but that this was the last and greatest act of love and respect for his father.
Euthanasia – from the Greek for "the good death" – is still a new experience for all of us. Families face it with pain and love, and those of us who witness it with admiration and great respect.
The media has been busy updating the data (throughout 2024 there was almost one request for euthanasia every day in Catalonia) and illustrating with interviews and reports with the first witnesses: "There is nothing more soothing than being able to say "we did it" we did it."
It was inevitable that all this we are experiencing would make us think about the news that was made public less than a month ago: the High Court of Justice of Catalonia overturned the judicial endorsement of the assisted death of a 55-year-old man, because his father opposes it.
It was shocking and frustrating to imagine that an adult, with full intellectual capacity, cannot decide about their life even though, in the first instance, the courts had ruled in their favor and given them the necessary support.
In Catalonia, the Association for the Right to Die with Dignity has been working for forty years to defend end-of-life rights. The law regulating euthanasia has been passed, but much work still needs to be done for society to maturely accept the debate and individual freedom. Education is necessary and, of course, explicit support must be given to families who have gone through this ordeal.
A dignified death is a right as basic as a dignified life, and we should all aspire to have people close to us who love us well enough to respect a decision like this. Love always prevails in this experience. The love of others toward the sick, to respect their right to die with dignity, and also the love of the sick toward those around them, freeing them from the terrible suffering of seeing a loved one suffer.
To reflect even further, I recommend reading A very sweet death, by Simone de Beauvoir, or The finisher, by Michela Murgia, or rev Deep sea, by Amenábar, or the most recent ones The decision, by Roger Michell, or The room next door, by Pedro Almodóvar.
Or perhaps we can reread the poem Sweet angel of death, from the great Màrius Torres: "from past sufferings I have a soul mature / to die well."
