What a moving wonderful show. My little brother was "an accident," born with significant birth defects and my mother later told me she wished he had died as an infant to save him from all the suffering he was destined to go through. She had no control however. He survived, but struggled with the consequences and he never really recovered, at least emotionally. He felt he did not fit in and even tried physically to alter his appearance, as was explored on another one of your stories today. It did not work for him, he was miserable and at age 16 he chose to die. It destroyed our family and yet I still believe he had the right to die. With his death, our family buried our future. I don't believe any of us have the control, no matter what the science tells us, to design our children, ourselves or our future. Nature always finds a way to rule. Thank you for an exceptionally sensitive and thought-provoking show.

I listen to the show every week and this is the first time I have been compelled to write. All of the stories were captivating. I appreciate the diverse viewpoints the show brings, such as the contrasting opinions on the right to die. I was riveted by Mara's description and awareness of her own anorexia. Thanks for bringing more understanding to the condition. Both Sian Hughes and TD's comment above I have found very thought provoking. I look forward to future episodes on such engaging topics.

All that live must die, passing through nature to eternity.

Quality programming as I've come to expect. As anonymous mentioned all stories were compelling and thought provoking!

Excellent Show from beginning to end. I was particularly moved by "The Sendoff" by Sian Hughes. My wife and I confronted similar decisions while she was pregnant with identical twin boys. During an ultrasound, the doctor found that one of the twins was near the limit of an indicator for Down's Syndrome. The doctor kept insisting that we engage in invasive testing that, of course, could have created risks for both embryos, including the "healthy" twin. After much soul-searching, my wife and I decided not to even have any further tests, because we could not contemplate moving forward with any procedures that might be indicated by further testing. This seemed illogical to the doctor and we actually argued for awhile over the point. Finally, we had to say simply that "we are Catholic and our faith is inconsistent with the course of treatment you are advocating." Of course this isn't the way we approached the issue internally or amongst ourselves, but the doctor would not leave us alone until we brought religion into the discussion, and then I had the impression that we were viewed as slightly fanatical, which was just as disturbing to us. For the remainder of the pregnancy, we lived with the concern and questions about whether the one twin would have Down's. Fortunately, both were born very healthy (and at a shocking weight of 8 lbs 4 1/2 oz EACH), and I am so thankful each time I see Marc and Philippe. But I understand how someone could reach a different decision and how devastating it can be. Actually, I probably cannot fully comprehend the pain. I wish I could speak to Ms. Hughes, but I doubt I could say anything that would ease the pain or even that she would want to hear. In any event, the eloquence with which Ms. Hughes expressed her pain helps others see the world through new eyes, which is, in my opinion, the sign of a great work. Thanks for the show.

Excellent show - to die or not to die...all stories very compelling, from Canada via CBC.