3. Lots of people worry about how they will die…
They are concerned that they:
– Will be in unbearable pain
– Will have no dignity
– Will have a long drawn-out death
– Will have no control
– Will inconvenience
others
4. What is quality of life?
• This is Ty Ziegel aged 22 with fiancee Renee
This is Ty Ziegel aged 24
Ty was saved by doctors after taking the full force of a
bomb explosion in Iraq. If you were him what would you
say to the field doctors who first treated him at the front?
5. Ty on his wedding day to Renee – is life always
worth living?
6. The Hillsborough Disaster (1989)
• The Hillsborough disaster was a deadly human crush
that occurred on April 15, 1989, at Hillsborough, a
football stadium in Sheffield, England resulting in the
death of 96 people (all fans of Liverpool Football
Club).
7. This is Tony Bland who died aged 22 in
1993 – the 96th victim of Hilsborough
8. Background to the Tony Bland Case
• On the afternoon of Saturday April 15th 1989, 17
year old football fan Tony Bland was one of
hundreds who suffered crush injuries at the
Hillsborough Stadium tragedy in Sheffield. On arrival
in hospital he was treated intensively and survived.
• After a period in intensive care he was transferred to
Airedale General Hospital, the hospital nearest his
home.
• It was already apparent that
Tony had suffered extensive
damage to his brain and in the
months that followed,
Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)
was diagnosed.
9. • There was no improvement in his condition and
eventually his consultant, Dr James Howe, and his
parents made an application through Airedale NHS
Trust to the High Court that they would not be
acting unlawfully if they were to stop giving food
and fluids to him in order to `let poor Tony die'.
10. • On November 19th 1992, Sir Stephen Brown, the
President of the High Court's Family Division, ruled
that food and fluids could lawfully be withdrawn.
• There was an Appeal but on 9th December the
verdict was upheld by three Judges in the Appeal
Court. The case then went to the House of Lords, and
on Thursday February 4th 1993 five Law Lords also
rejected the Appeal.
• The tube which delivered food
to Tony was removed and 11
days later he became the 96th
victim of the Hillsborough
tragedy.
11. Tony Bland – Murder or Mercy?
In groups complete the card sort into two piles – MURDER
or MERCY
You should put onto the
You should put onto the Mercy pile any pieces of
murder pile any pieces of evidence that suggest that
evidence which suggest his death was the result of
that Tony was unlawfully loving intentions by either
killed doctors and/or family
When your group has come to a decision you must elect a
spokesman to relay your decision to the rest of the class.
You may all have to defend your decision
12. Plenary- pick out two possible outcomes which you think are most
likely, write them down and explain why they might be a worry
What if …Euthanasia were
made legal?
Doctors would Life would lose Anyone not
have too much its’ value completely
power healthy might be
pushed into it
People with no
Relatives would families could People would not
pressurise people have their lives fear death any
to die ended easier more
13. ‘Doctors should always try to save
lives and never end them.’
Do you agree? Show that you
have considered more than one point of
view.
