Piergiorgio Welby

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Piergiorgio Welby in late 2006.
Piergiorgio Welby in late 2006.

Piergiorgio Welby (Rome, 26 December 1945 - 20 December 2006) was an Italian poet, painter and activist whose three-month-long battle for a right to die led to a debate about euthanasia in his country.

Contents

[edit] Life and career

Born in Rome, the son of a Scottish footballer playing for A.S. Roma, [1] Welby was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of 17.

During the Sixties he became influenced by the hippie movement , extensively travelling throughout Europe from 1969 to 1971 and starting to make use of drugs to help forget his disease; back in Italy, he devoted his life to poetry and painting, financially supporting himself by giving private lessons.

During the Eighties he cured the drug dependency developed in his youth with the help of a methadone-based therapy which, while successfully detoxifying him, accelerated the progression of the disease, irreversibly paralyzing him from his waist down; during this period he met his future wife Mina while she was traveling to Rome with her parish.

On July 14, 1997 Welby reached the last stage of his disease when he suffered a respiratory insufficiency that left him completely unable to breathe naturally; after that, he depended on mechanical ventilation and artificial feeding and communicated through a speech-synthesizer software.[2]

[edit] Activism

The last years of his life were marked by activism, joining the Italian Radical Party and later Associazione Luca Coscioni (of which he was nominated co-president in 2006),[3] an association close to the Radical Party advocating euthanasia, free access to assistive technology and freedom of scientific research; Welby conducted his activities using the Internet as his primary mean of communication by posting on web forums and, since 2003, on his own blog.

On May 1st, 2002 he posted a message with subject Eutanasia (Italian for euthanasia) on Radical Party's on line forum, writing:

Everything still? Worse than the desert of the Tartars... while staring at the horizon... terminal patients like me... envy the Dutch people... WAKE UP[4]

As of January 2007, the thread received over 20000 replies.

In April 2003 he opened a blog,[5] expressing personal views on different topics, commenting on current political events and publishing small poems; since his death, the blog has been mantained by his widow.

In May 2005, on the occasion of a referendum dealing, among other topics, with the use of human embryos for stem cell research, he was taken on his explicit request to his local polling station by fellow Radical Party members,[6] after his request to let disabled people depending on life-support machinery vote in their homes was denied.[7]

In April 2006 a further worsening of muscular dystrophy paralyzed the finger which let him use the mouse, making him completely unable to use the computer and heavily compromising his communication; he then decided to make his request to die public, aiming to arouse a nation-wide debate on euthanasia.

[edit] Battle for euthanasia

On September 22, 2006 Welby sent an open video-letter to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano,[8] shown on national television and made freely available for download on the Internet (see links), describing his condition and explaining his desire to die; Napolitano answered he felt deeply touched by Welby's situation, inviting Italian politicians to a parliamentary debate as an occasion for a deep reflection on complex ethical issues.[9]

Welby's case however aroused an heated debate, involving political, ethical, religious and medical aspects:

Radical Party members supported Welby's decision organizing hunger-strikes and demonstrations; founder Marco Pannella declared his readiness to turn the machines off himself as an "act of civil disobedience".[10]

Most Catholic politicians adhered to the official position of the Roman Catholic Church, equally opposing euthanasia and aggressive medical treatment. On a televised debate, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán declared that interruption of mechanical ventilation would be acceptable only if judged futile or disproportionate by his doctors. Health Minister Livia Turco added that a parliamentary debate should focus more on improving palliative care rather than on euthanasia.[11]

Oncologist and long-time euthanasia supporter Umberto Veronesi and surgeon Ignazio Marino said it was Welby's right to refuse any medical treatment, granted by Italian constitution and by the code of conduct of Italian medical association.[12] One of Welby's doctors noted however that after switching off the ventilator, the code of conduct would impose him to take any proper action to revive the patient once he reaches a state of unconsciousness.[13]

The case was brought to a court which denied the request, motivating the sentence with the lack of a specific law ratifying the Constitution and urging the Parliament to solve the problem.[14]

In December 2006 anesthetists Mario Riccio contacted Radical Party member Marco Cappato informing him of his availability to perform the operation, seeing no legal impediments; doctor Riccio arrived in Rome and after ensuring Welby's request was voluntary and not dictated by external pressure decided to fulfill his request.

[edit] Death and aftermath

After the doctor decided to fulfill the request, Welby asked to listen to Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons; as the song was not available, he then chose Bob Dylan; the procedure started with sedation at 11:00 p.m. of December 20 and ended at 11:40 p.m. when Welby was officially declared dead.

His death was announced the following morning by Marco Pannella on radio; further details were laid out at a press conference held some hours later.

Italian politicians again divided on the day of his death. Members of the Radical Party and of the left wing have expressed sorrow for Welby's death, together with relief for the ending of his long suffering. On the other hand, members of the Italian conservative parties have criticized the doctor and the political use of Welby's case. Luca Volonté, of the Christian Democrats, requested the immediate arrest of "Welby's murderers."

On a controversial move, Roman Catholic Church denied religious funeral, officially declaring that

Welby had repeatedly and publicly affirmed his desire to end his own life, which is against Catholic doctrine[15]

A lay funeral was celebrated in a public square in Rome[16]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bolloli, Brunella. "Da quarant'anni attendo la morte", Libero, 2006-12-14. Retrieved on January 24, 2007. (in Italian)
  2. ^ Piergiorgio Welby: la biografia. Associazione Luca Coscioni. Retrieved on January 24, 2007.
  3. ^ V Congresso Associazione Coscioni: elette nuove cariche, lanciata mobilitazione straordinaria di 100 giorni. Associazione Luca Coscioni. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
  4. ^ eutanasia. Radical Party Forum. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
  5. ^ Il pensiero magico. Piergiorgo Welby. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
  6. ^ "Al voto con il respiratore", La Repubblica, 2005-06-12. Retrieved on January 25, 2007. (in Italian)
  7. ^ Negato il diritto di voto dei disabili. Associazione Luca Coscioni. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
  8. ^ "«Caro Presidente, lasciatemi morire»", Corriere della Sera, 2006-09-22. Retrieved on January 26, 2007. (in Italian)
  9. ^ Risposta del Presidente della Repubblica, Giorgio Napolitano, alla lettera aperta di Piergiorgio Welby.. Associazione Luca Coscioni. Retrieved on January 26, 2007.
  10. ^ "Eutanasia, la provocazione di Pannella: "Pronto a staccare la spina a Welby"", La Repubblica, 2006-09-22. Retrieved on January 26, 2007. (in Italian)
  11. ^ "Bertinotti: «Giusto l'invito di Napolitano»", Corriere della Sera, 2006-09-25. Retrieved on January 26, 2007.
  12. ^ Marino, grave errore confondere eutanasia e consenso informato. Ignazio Marino (2006-12-07). Retrieved on January 26, 2007.
  13. ^ "Welby, il medico non può staccare la spina "Devono decidere le autorità competenti"", La Repubblica, 2006-11-28. Retrieved on January 26, 2007.
  14. ^ "Il tribunale respinge il ricorso di Welby", Corriere della Sera, 2006-12-10. Retrieved on January 26, 2007.
  15. ^ "Church denies funeral for Italian", BBC News, 2006-12-22. Retrieved on January 27, 2007.
  16. ^ "Hundreds attend Italian's funeral", BBC News, 2006-12-24. Retrieved on January 27, 2007.
  • Welby, Piergiorgio (2006). Lasciatemi morire. Rizzoli, ISBN 8817015679
  • Fisher, Ian (December 19, 2006). A Poet Crusades for the Right to Die His Way. New York Times
  • Staff report (13 December 2006). Italian man sparks euthanasia row. BBC News
  • Fisher, Ian (December 21, 2006). Euthanasia Advocate in Italy Dies. New York Times

[edit] See also

[edit] Links

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