The News Minute | July 13, 2014 | 3:32 PM IST
Desmond Tutu, longtime opponent of assisted dying has said he has changed his mind about it after seeing what was done to his friend Nelson Mandela.
The 82 year old Archbishop said it was “disgraceful” how his longtime friend and fellow traveler Mandela was kept alive “at any cost” including having to attend a meeting. He cited an incident where Madiba, as Mandela was fondly called by millions, was required to appear with political leaders shortly before he breathed his last when it was clear to all that the leader was not all there.
This, writes Archbishop Tutu, was “an affront to Madiba’s dignity”. The retired Anglican archbishop comments come at a time when there is a raging debate in Europe, especially in the Anglican church about assisting the terminally ill to make that final transition with opponents arguing that such people cannot take rational decisions while proponents say that is the point. There have also been cases where some have defied a medical prognosis to return to near-normal life.
Tutu writes he reveres life “but not at any cost” and that he will now apply his mind to issues surrounding the right to die in dignity.