She Has Death Written All Over Her

A New Zealand woman isn't leaving anything to chance in the event she is taken into an emergency room unconscious. She doesn't want there to be any mistake about her wishes in the event of a life-threatening event. She's so serious about it, in fact, that she tattooed "Do Not Resuscitate" across her chest, says a local New Zealand television station.

donotresuscitate2.jpg

How's that for body art that is also functional? It sure beats a Tweety bird or a tribal band for making a statement.

What's next? Pro-lifers tattooing little pictures of embryos on their arms? You see, Paula Westoby isn't just a 79-year-old grandmother trying to protect herself against the assault of the defibrillator machine. She's an advocate for an organization called Exit International that promotes voluntary euthanasia.

So in that case, perhaps if someone you know is thinking of getting a tattoo, you could recommend a Tweety bird but he could hold a sign that says, "I Love AJOB". That's some bioethics tattoo activism I could really get behind.

Summer Johnson, PhD

comments

it would probably be more useful if she tatooed her uvula. Or perhaps she could provide contact numbers for the person who has her Durable Power of Attorney for medicine. She might not be lucky enough to arrest.

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