Exit right?
Sir: Andrew Brown's picture of the Swedish way of death (14 February) is, I fear, far too rosy for reality, and differs little from the British picture. While some doctors may now practise 'passive' euthanasia, there are far more patients who stay alive without `exceptional methods of• treatment', although there is no hope of their recovery and they would far rather choose death if that option were allowed them. Some hundreds of them have written to us explaining their predicament. Though most of these letters have been seized and held by the police, further such letters reach us every week.
As an example of the inadequacy of Passive euthanasia, the American girl Karen Quinlan is still technically alive, though with no chance of ever regaining consciousness, four years after the machines supporting her were switched off. She is not able to take a conscious decision, but neither, under the present law, can her parents do so on her behalf.
Mr Brown tells us that the Swedish equivalent of EXIT is 20 times as large as the English organisation in proportion to the Population. This was indeed the case until last year, but since then our membership has quadrupled, while the Swedish has stayed much the same. The reason for the quadrupling is undoubtedly the news of our intended publication of A Guide to SelfDeliverance — now held up in the courts by Legal action. Whether this new membership Joined simply to obtain the booklet, or as a result of experience of terminal illness amongst their relatives, is something which Should be revealed by some important research now being undertaken by the Institute for Social Studies in Medical Care. The Institute is being funded for this research by the newly established charity 'Death Solace', Its report, when published, Should make interesting reading. Nicholas Reed General Secretary, EXIT
13 Prince of Wales Terrace, London W8
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