Tag Archives: assisted suicide

Naked Singularity on The Strange Recital

VN Alexander reads the opening of her novel Naked Singularity on The Strange Recital podcast. Afterwards she sits down to talk with hosts Brent Robison and Tom Newton.

Listen now.  Here’s snippet of the interview.

BR: I imagine most listeners will have the same question I do – how much of this story is autobiographical? And its completely acceptable if your answer is that its irrelevant because this is fiction. In fact, in the fiction arena, does so-called truth” even matter?

VA: Well, I suppose the statute of limitations has run out?  My father did die of cancer.  He did ask me to help him die. But the cast of characters is completely different. 

TN: Both of my parents have departed, and I know thats true for Brent as well. This is natural when we reach such advanced ages. Youre much younger, of course. But anyway, people disappear, the queue shuffles forward, and soon we find ourselves at the head of the line. Any thoughts about that?

VA: That’s one of the reasons losing a parent is so tough.  It says “you’re next!”  There should be lots of readers for this story.  Everyone goes through this and when they do many start obsessing about their own mortality and want to share the experiences of others.

PBS Frontline on euthanasia

PBS Frontline recently featured a show about how terminally ill patients and their families face death. Medical science today can keep virtually any body “alive” for years – even after vital organs have ceased to function. It is a complex issue because – in addition to the philosophical questions about what it means to be alive Continue reading

Hospice nurses: mercy killers or predators?

Recently the controversial issue of euthanasia was tossed around in the news media due to the living will clause in the health care reform bill.  Democrats wanted health insurance to cover any patient who wished to have an “end-of-life consultation” with his/her physician, deciding ahead of time what to do if the patient’s condition was past hope and the patient no longer able to communicate his/her desires. Continue reading