Everything went quiet
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Non-Traditional Research Output
Original Creative Work
Document Type
Original Creative Work
Date of Publication
2023
Research Statement
Research Background
Following the release of my feature documentary Laura’s Choice (2021) on ABC and ABC iView, which chartered my mother’s decision to choose a peaceful and pain-free death, I have received many requests to speak at forums and panels on the topic of assisted dying. In 2023, Dying with Dignity Victoria invited me to contribute a chapter to a book by Rodney Syme entitled A Completed Life. The chapter covers my mother’s last day of life in Switzerland, her reasons for choosing to die in this way and the impacts on me and my daughter. It concludes that my mother’s choice was a profound act of kindness, a ‘gift that keeps on giving’, and encourages an open conversation on what is often considered a taboo and difficult topic.
Research Contribution
The book aims to provoke discussion about the notion of ‘a completed life’ and the rights of the elderly to die peacefully and with dignity, at a time and place of their choice, surrounded by those they love. It presents Dr Syme's views on the plight of people with dementia, and his suggestion for further legislative change. My chapter provides a personal illumination of these themes and an exemplar of real-world impacts for a person who makes this choice and their immediate families. The book chapter aims to continue the discussion provoked by the ABC series Laura’s Choice and advocates for further public conversation and changes in public attitudes and policy in relation to the rights of elderly people to a peaceful death without suffering.
Research Significance
The book is available in numerous bookstores include Dymocks, Barnes & Noble, Avenue Books and Amazon. Extracts were published in The Australian (Feb 2024) and it was reviewed by The Green Left (Jan 2024), Andrew Denton, Ian Wood and Tom Valenta (Nov 2023). The book is widely promoted by Dying with Dignity Australia and the other contributors including Andrew Denton (Go Gentle Australia), Dr Nick Carr and Dr Helga Kuhse.
Publication Title
A completed life
Publisher
Dying with Dignity Victoria
School
School of Arts and Humanities
RAS ID
65864
Comments
Henkel, C. (2024). Everything went quiet. In R. Syme, H. Kuhse, & C. Henkel (Eds.), A completed life. Dying with Dignity Victoria. https://www.dwdv.org.au/a-completed-life-by-dr-rodney-syme/