Quality of life is purely subjective. No person can judge the quality of life of another person. Many advance directives are made on the basis of not wanting to exist in an ‘undignified’ state. However, the dignity of any person is not given or taken away by the physical condition of our bodies.

Many doctors assume that severely disabled people have a ‘low quality of life’. However, their duty is to assess the benefits and burdens of any given treatment, they are not qualified to judge the quality of life of another person. They are qualified only to make medical judgements and should not be allowed to make judgements based on their perception of another person's quality of life.

If we allow legally binding advance directives to state that we would rather die than have certain physical conditions, then we are allowing the law to say that any person with such a condition has a low quality of life and that their lives are not worth living. In saying this we cannot possibly give true dignity and respect to those living in our society who are incurably disabled or terminally ill.

Jacqueline Dalrymple June 2002

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