University backing for euthanasia exhibition

Published on Saturday 31 January 2009 18:49

A CONTROVERSIAL exhibition which backs assisted suicide is being sponsored by one of Scotland's most respected seats of learning.

Visitors to 'Life Is Over! If You Want It' at Dundee University are greeted with giant banners bearing the slogans "Die with dignity" and "Death is gentle".

Pro-life campaigners have been angered by the display, which aims to highlight the positive aspects of euthanasia.

But the artists behind the exhibition insist it is a healthy attempt to provoke debate.

The project, at the university's Cooper Gallery, is the brainchild of academics Edwin Janssen and Tracy Mackenna.

It features depictions of death through the ages, and personal accounts of experiences with terminal illness.

Janssen was inspired by his father's decision to end his life through assisted suicide in his native Netherlands.

The fine art director at the university's Duncan of Jordanstone College wanted to share his belief that death can be a positive experience.

He said: "Assisted suicide inspires a lot of strong feeling but any discussion of it is usually dominated by high-brow debate on moral and medical issues.

"It hardly ever focuses on people who have experienced euthanasia at first hand.

"There is no coverage of how it actually helps people and how it can turn death into a positive and very humane experience."

Janssen said his father was in no doubt that choosing the moment of his death was the right thing to do after being diagnosed with incurable cancer.

"We all took great comfort from the fact that his death reflected his attitude to life, as he liked to be in control.

"Knowing the end was coming allowed him to say goodbye to the people who were close to him. He was not used to talking about his feelings, but was able to do so before his death, which was tremendous."

At his chosen moment, his family and doctor gathered around his bed at home, said their farewells and watched him die peacefully after drinking a cocktail of drugs.

"It made me feel proud that he died with such dignity."

The artist wants euthanasia to be legalised in Scotland, but said the exhibition's goal was to provoke informed discussion.

"There are plenty of negative claims about assisted suicide, but all that I can say is that my own personal experience was the opposite."

But spokesman for the pro-life pressure group Care Not Killing,

Nick Wood, said: "We are surprised and concerned that a highly controversial exhibition which supports euthanasia has been sponsored by the university and apparently has the endorsement of its authorities.

A spokesman for the university said: "Any views expressed in the exhibition are those of the artists alone and are not the views of the university."