Peace in Heaven or Hell on earth ....

I had the sudden need to dust off my soapbox this afternoon, when watching a breaking news story on Sky News ,But before I go on, let me first refer back to a story in the news last week. A loving mother, namely Frances Inglis was sentenced to 9 years in prison for having had the courage to end her brain damaged son's pain and suffering, by injecting him with a lethal does of Heroin. She was prepared to sacrifice her own freedom to put Thomas, 22 out of his misery. It was what some might say, the ulitmate gift of love. There was and will always be people that believe murder is murder, but any one who bothered to read all the facts, will know that this lady, was as about as normal as they come. What could possibly be achieved by locking her up behind bars for 9 years? I have known real criminals get far less than this ... for gods sake, by doing what she did, she already has a life sentence of her own. In the end, the only conclusion I could come to, was that if they let her off ,it would open the flood gates for more people to do the same.

But then, back to this afternoon's breaking news .... Kay Gilderdale has been found not guilty for assisting her daughter with her own suicide, by helping her to inject lethal doses of morphine. When that did not work ,she went around the house looking for various bits of medication, with the main aim of finishing the job in hand. Her daughter, Lynn died a couple of hours later. Again a brave, brave thing to do for a loved one that had known nothing but suffering for 17 years, as she fought with the disease M.E. There are of course minor differences to the two situations ... Lynn, although in pain and with a body that had given up a long time ago, by all accounts, her brain was still functioning and she had made it clear with a living will, that it was her wish to leave the world, with perhaps just a small shread of dignity still in tact. Thomas on the other hand, Frances' son could not speak for himself ... he had been totally brain dead for 18 months. Does this really add up to 9 years worth of difference though? In my mind, these two stories could not be more alike, They are about two mothers, who loved their children more than life itself and not only would have done ANYTHING for them ... they did!

And so the question on my lips tonight is why the huge inconsistency in the justice system? Kay Gilderdale, appears to have survived purely due to a technicality in my mind. It could not be proven in the end, whether Lynn died from the morphine she injected herself or the tablets that the mother gave her and so a murder charge was not even valid. Whilst I am over the moon for her and back her all the way ... surely it is the intent that matters? Was that really any different to Frances' intent... to simply see their child at peace? I could not help wondering if Frances has access to news? I hope not for her sake ... I am sure she would have a question or two?!!