Man's death to be shown on TV

[Toastedturningtidelegs]

I guess everything can be considered entertainment these days!

THESE shocking pictures reveal the moment a man kills himself at a suicide clinic in Switzerland.
The chilling scenes show Craig Ewert, 59, who had motor neurone disease, setting a timer to switch off his ventilator before drinking lethal sedatives.

And it will all be broadcast on British TV tomorrow night.


Controversial

Mr Ewert's assisted suicide at the Swiss Dignitas clinic, was filmed for a documentary called Right To Die - The Suicide Tourist, to be shown on Sky Real Lives channel on Wednesday night. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2019734.ece



Happy ... Ewert and wife before disease
It will be the first time an assisted suicide has been shown on British TV and will be sure to spark debate over the legality of the sensitive subject - as well as the controversial decision to screen it.

The retired university professor and dad-of-two decided to end his life as his illness was crippling his body.

Mr Ewert said: 'I am tired of the disease but I am not tired of living. I still enjoy life enough that I would like to continue but the thing is that I really cannot.

'If I opt for life then that is choosing to be tortured rather than end this journey and start the next one. I cannot take the risk.

'Let's face it, when you're completely paralysed and cannot talk how do you let somebody know you are suffering? This could be a complete and utter hell.

'You can watch only so much of yourself drain away before you look at what is left and say "This is an empty shell."

'Once I become completely paralysed then I am nothing more than a living tomb that takes in nutrients through a tube in the stomach - it's painful.'


‘ Let's face it, when you're completely paralysed and cannot talk how do you let somebody know you are suffering? ’
Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland and Mr Ewert passed away peacefully holding his wife, Mary's hand.

But TV watchdogs have slammed the decision to broadcast the scenes.

John Beyer director of Mediawatch UK said:'This subject is something that is quite an important political issue at the moment and my anxieties are that the programme will influence public opinion.

'If this programme is not impartial and promotes euthanasia then it would be in breach of the act - in short it must not influence members of the public or a change in the law.'

Mr Ewert paid the Dignitas clinic £3,000 for the suicide, cremation and to ship his ashes back to the UK.

The people involved in making the film, including Oscar-winning director John Zaritsky, were all affected by the traumatic job.

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Co-producer Terence McKeown said: 'It was an incredibly difficult experience for all of us. I think we’ve all suffered a bit of post-traumatic stress from it.

'It was profound and stayed with all of us, more so because we spent the previous few days with Craig, travelled with him to Zurich and got to know him quite well.

'He should have been able to do it at his home. He argued that it is quite inhumane to force people in various states of illness to go to a little apartment in a foreign city to die.'

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[Eupher]

I have no qualms about a person's right to die. That is an intensely personal decision made between the person and God, in my view.

However, broadcasting it for the purpose of making money is shameful.

This is what the media have gravitated toward, mostly because we cannot be shocked anymore except by the most outrageous and egregious actions.

Man commits suicide. Film at eleven.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Hard to see what's even broadcast-worthy about it, there would be more convincing EKG-centered death scenes in the average hospital drama.  No explosions, sprays of blood, gouts of lava, cars leaving the ground or planes hitting it, geeze, what's the point?!?

[Baruch Menachem]

You see more entertaining deaths on US TV all the time.   And it gets you tubed forever.

I can't do you tube here at work, but there was one very popular video of a bank robber running from the cops in a convertable through atlanta.  He drives across the median and back and forth and finally runs into a truck, whereupon he is ejected from the car and run over by a school bus and a couple other cars.

this video on the BBC is just so lame compared to that.

[Eupher]

It's much more of a personal drama, methinks, one that focuses on this very personal and private event that is unfolding.

No guns, bombs, bullets, explosions, but there is drama nonetheless.

This kind of thing should NOT be shown anywhere. No press, cameras, or paparazzi, unless the family requests it. Even then, documenting this event is distasteful. It's just too private.

[Chris_]

If they'll show this, why not broadcast DP executions in the US?  Heck, those should be required to be broadcast, IMO.

[Eupher]

If they'll show this, why not broadcast DP executions in the US?  Heck, those should be required to be broadcast, IMO.

Now I'm with you on executions. Should be on Pay per View.

[Chris_]

Now I'm with you on executions. Should be on Pay per View.

That could pay off the national debt in, oh, six weeks....with Texas leading the way.