Death and Feminism

Someone near and dear to me recently died.  Due to his illness, the last few weeks of his life was a drawn out shitty time of pain, dizziness, vomiting and indignity. 

It's not something I would have wished on Tony Abbot, let alone someone I admired and loved.  (Ha de ha ha, see my funny there - I replaced worst enemy with Tony Abbot.  I am a comedian extraordinaire.While I'm on it, this post is not about youth in asia.  Dear lord, someone stop the chuckles!)

So it got me to thinking about the rights of the dying - they don't have many really. They should have more. 

They should have the right to dignity and it is denied to them.
They should have the right to not be subjected to torture or cruel and unusual punishment and it is denied to them.

So, Euthanasia advocacy and activism here I come.  It is something that I have always been vaguely 'for' but this has crystallised it for me.  I don't want another person to have to suffer this way. Death is a big part of life and we largely ignore it, I think.

What has this got to do with feminism?  Well feminism is about equal rights for all.  Dignity for all.  And I am feminist.  So I stand up and I say, Euthanasia is a hard subject, an emotive subject, a shitty thing to have to sort out. But so is abortion.  So is rape. So are a lot of things. But to do nothing is worse.

So I may donate some money to Exit International or a similar organisation.  I'll sure as hell be writing to my state and federal members on this issue.  I don't know what else.  But I will stand up and say we, they, those to come - deserve more.