A Courageous Battle

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A Courageous Battle is about the desperate need of Lacey Wilson to find a doctor who will help her die so she does not have to face the agonies that her beloved husband endured in his own battle with cancer. Her daughter, Jana, will help. But her doctor is opposed. To complicate matters, Jana and the doctor are in love. Will Lacey get her wish? Reviews and Comments about this novel.

Why A Courageous Battle?

In less than 10 years there will be one billion people on the planet. Governments in developed countries are in a race against time to beef up end of life care infrastructure, but most will fail to meet the needs of the ever increasing numbers seeking care. And medical technological advances have far out-stripped society's ability to fund medical care, and have created an unintended consequence - lives extended, but not always with quality. The situation is critical and it is time to break through the taboos and fears associated with death so that we can make rational decisions about end of life choices. Assisted dying is only one of many end of life issues that needs to be confronted. If you click on "About Me" at the top of this page you will see why it is the issue I focus on.

Polls asking people if they support physician assisted dying (PAD) have these "YES" results in my peer countries: 91% France; 82% England; 85% Australia; 76% Canada; 70% America; 70% New Zealand. So why is a safe, painless, merciful death not universally provided under the law? I do not have the answer, but I can think of a couple of possibilities. One is that elitist politicians are more interested in protecting their turf and hewing to their own agendas than they are in addressing important issues. A vocal minority, funded and backed by the Roman Catholic Church, and associations of disabled persons, have lobbied hard against euthanasia and PAD. Until recently there was not a demand among the silent majority for assisted dying because most people were in the midst of hectic, busy lives, more interested in getting the kids to school and making the mortgage payment. But people in the huge baby boomer cohort are reaching their elder years and are starting to witness the havoc caused by deadly diseases like Alzheimer's, cancer and ALS in an age where medical technology can stave off death, but not suffering. Often, when they witness a prolonged death, they do not want it for themselves, so expect more pressure to come from that sector. The second is that until recently medical associations have opposed assisted dying. This is changing. Several American medical associations now support PAD, and the Quebec College of Physicians and Surgeons issued a report in support of it in November, 2009, which action was approved of by 78% of members of the Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists and 78% of the general population. A government survey is expected to result in legislative action in that province to decriminalize assisted "medical aid in dying" by physicians dealing with exceptional circumstances.

Euthanasia and physician assisted dying have long been allowed in the Netherlands, where 86% of the people support both. PAD has been offered in Switzerland since the forties. It is also allowed in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the American states of Washington, Montana, and Oregon, where the "Death with Dignity Act" was passed in 1998. The Oregon option should be legally available everywhere. I wrote A Courageous Battle in the hope that the story will inspire readers to add their voices to those demanding this simple right.

Photography by Tony Ejem