09/05/2023
There's a new, thought-provoking film out which tells the story of a Japan where people aged 75 can voluntarily opt for euthanasia at the hands of the state. "Those with money and family can do so at the end of a two-day premium package, after spa treatments and special meals. Those without are given enough cash to pay for basic funeral costs before lying down on a camp bed in a dark, silent room divided by curtains where they quietly acquiesce to being gassed to death."
The director, Chie Hayakawa, made this film in response to her feelings of anger after watching Japanese society becoming "ever more intolerant to socially weak people: the elderly, the disabled and the people who have no money.”
She says: “I raise a question about the society that can be so inhuman to offer death instead of a way to help vulnerable people feel less isolated or afraid. To give them a reason to live instead of a way to die.”
Just a couple of days ago, a columnist in the Sydney Morning Herald said that we should talk about offering euthanasia to people who have dementia. We strongly reject this because we should be offering aged care with enough trained staff so people with dementia can receive adequate care instead of seeing euthanasia as an option due to the horrific levels of care in nursing homes.
Older people are NOT a burden on society, just as babies are NOT a burden on society. We must value people across their lifespan, and we need to ensure that we fix the taxation system and develop policies which will enable us to be a caring society, not a cruel country which just takes and doesn't give back.
If you have a couple of minutes, do take the time to read this review of the film "Plan 75". It is excellent. There is also a trailer you can watch.
The Guardian article can be found here: https://bit.ly/3LOeQXg
