'These days no one talks about death.' It's a line from Surplus to Requirements. These days it's not completely true. In the lead up to the so called 'Assisted Dying Bill' there has been more talk about death; the sort of death we want.

It seems that most of us think we should be able to choose how and when we die. Yet we did not choose to be born. Many more aspects of our lives were lived at the whim, desire or choice of others, sometimes long since dead. If we have a national religion now it would be choice.

Not everyone has as much choice as I do. I could choose to retire even though as a 50s woman I was cheated of six years of my pension when I retired in 2019. The choice to do so had pros and cons. For me the pros outweighed the cons but many 50s women will not live to claim the state pension they should receive. On the day the Bill was debated I turned 66 and began to receive mine.

Choice involves cost. The word 'bill' has several meanings and, ducks aside, the one I'm wondering about is what the cost of this Bill will be. I don't so much mean the financial cost, although I accept we don't know the answer to that. I'm concerned about the social cost and that is essentially what Surplus to Requirements is about.

What might a society that has opted for 'assisted dying' look like in the future? How about in twenty-five years time? It's a work of my imagination based on true events that have already happened. They say those that don't learn from history are destined to repeat it. The book is about a lot of repeated history, especially in the North of England, my adopted home.

It also includes things that I imagine might happen if we continue to entrench inequality in our society, especially for people with disabilities. It's a 'what if' book, but then life is very much like that.

What if I live to be 67? I don't know. But I'm willing to find out.

Janet lees, 1st December 2024, Longdendale.