Anti-apartheid campaigner and Nobel peace prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has revealed he wants to die by assisted suicide when the time is right.

The South African archbishop of the Anglican church who recently celebrated his 85th birthday, said that people should be allowed to have the right to end their own lives. Tutu revealed that he has already put things in place, that will enable him end his life on his own terms when the time is right.
South African retired Anglican archbishop and anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu (L) celebrates a mass with Dean Michael Weeder to mark his 85th birthdayThe popular icon who won the Nobel peace prize in 1984, said he doesn't wish to be kept alive by his loved ones when he is really old and frail. He said he would like to be allowed to pass on, in the most comfortable way possible.

In an article published on Washington post, he said:

"Just as I have argued firmly for compassion and fairness in life, I believe that terminally ill people should be treated with the same compassion and fairness when it comes to their deaths. Terminally ill people have control over their lives, so why should they be refused control over their deaths? Why are so many instead forced to endure terrible pain and suffering against their wishes. Regardless of what you might choose for yourself, why should you deny others the right to make this choice?
For those suffering unbearably and coming to the end of their lives, merely knowing that an assisted death is open to them can provide immeasurable comfort. I have prepared for my death and have made it clear that I do not wish to be kept alive at all costs. I hope I am treated with compassion and allowed to pass on to the next phase of life's journey in the manner of my choice.

In refusing dying people the right to die with dignity, we fail to demonstrate the compassion that lies at the heart of Christian values. I pray that politicians, lawmakers and religious leaders have the courage to support the choices terminally ill citizens make in departing Mother Earth. The time to act is now. I myself am even closer to the departures hall than arrivals, so to speak, and my thoughts turn to how I would like to be treated when the time comes."

Source: http://nigerianewsonline.com.ng/2589-2/