A big thank-you to the three doctors for a very good talk, and thank you for your continuing hard work, especially in palliative care. We need more like you.
MELINDA BOLTON
Castlecliff
One-sided
The War Memorial Hall meeting was a travesty. The medical profession and the church had ALL the say. Each of the three speakers came up with 365 reasons why nothing should ever change.
The death of Lecretia Seales was an appalling process that should make the law and medical professions forever hold their heads in shame.
Something HAS to change! We are kinder to our pets than we are to ourselves. The people who die peacefully in their sleep are the lucky ones. As an intelligent species we could do SO much better than we currently do.
Patients' wishes should be paramount. As the law stands, my wife could spend the rest of her life in jail for the crime of holding my hand as I die. It could be called "assisting suicide". How utterly awful is that?
In choice lies richness. We all deserve a choice in a process in which each and every one HAS to participate. There are just a couple of days left for patients to have a say.
F.G ROSE
aka Father Fred, ND (Non Delusional)
Whanganui
Big health issues
I notice that activist Lucy McDougall has called fluoride in council drinking water "the biggest health issue of all time".
Despite fluoride in the water supply of many towns and cities, the world population has exploded to about 7 billion people, with over half in crowded cities. Their continued good health depends on them getting enough water for drinking, washing, waste removal and food production. For many of them, natural gas, petroleum oil and fluoride-contaminated coal are essential for job creation, food production, transport, trade and electricity generation.
Burning these fossil fuels is warming the atmosphere, leading to more water and electricity being needed, while at the same time causing more and more droughts in the water catchments of many cities.
This shortage of water is causing more crop failures and more disease outbreaks. But disease bacteria are becoming resistant to almost all antibiotics. Before long, many diseases will be resistant to all antibiotics.
The escalating temperatures, droughts, water shortages, crop failures and disease outbreaks are leading to more and more wars for fewer and fewer resources. Eventually some of the world's 14,000 nuclear weapons will be used in anger, leading to large-scale radiation sickness and starvation.
Can Lucy McDougall spot any health issues here that might just be a teeny weeny bit bigger than using trace amounts of fluoride to protect children's teeth from damage caused by sugary urban diets?
JOHN ARCHER
Ohakune
Fluoridation
Like Judith Robinson (letters to the editor of February 27), I am very much against mass fluoridation of drinking water.
But what concerns me at least as much is the fact that this decision for adding fluoride to our water can be reached without public consultation.
Something that will affect almost the entire population and is so controversial should come to a public vote before it is set into motion.
ANNE MOHRDIECK
Whanganui
Send your letters to: The Editor, Wanganui Chronicle, 100 Guyton St, PO Box 433, Wanganui 4500; or email editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz
