Making your mark

From the earliest times of human endeavour, the tattoo has served a variety of purposes: marking rites of passage, status (whether leader or slave), sexual maturity, tribal membership or simply being suffered in the name of body art, says the Nelson Mail in an editorial.

 According to online encyclopedia Wikipedia, Otzi the Iceman, dating from the fourth or fifth millennium  BC, had some 57 carbon tattoos. Tattooing dates back 10,000 years in Japan and the art, and its current name, were brought back to Europe by 18th century explorers intrigued by the Polynesian practice of "tatau".

Wikipedia also touches on the recent rise in popularity of the lower back tattoo among young women. This trend, it notes, has attracted its share of pejorative terms: tramp stamp in the US, slag tag in the UK, and "arse antler" in the sophisticated Australian vernacular. T

he encyclopedia notes that the tattoos are designed to emphasise the shape and curvature of the female figure, and are "sometimes intended to emphasise sexual attractiveness". Coupled with clothing aimed at flashing tantalising (well, maybe) glimpses of ink-adorned flesh, it is no surprise that debates have raged over whether the tramp stamp is primarily a declaration of easy availability - and if it is, whether that is anything to get sniffy about.

It can be dangerous to make assumptions, but it is unlikely that promiscuity prompted the decision of Paula Westoby to join, at 79, the ranks of New Zealand's tattooed ladies. Her branding in a Dunedin parlour this week had, at its heart, a rather more restrained motivation although one she clearly feels strongly passionate about.

As Dunedin coordinator of the voluntary euthanasia group Exit, Ms Westoby is wearing her heart on her sleeve or rather, what might just be her dying wish printed boldly across her chest. In capital letters in a clear sans-seriff typeface (35-point Arial, for the information of typography enthusiasts) her tattoo, "Do not resuscitate", sends an unambiguous message to medical staff - providing they open her blouse before commencing CPR. In the event of a heart attack, she does not wish to be brought back to an uncertain future. End of story.

Ms Westoby, who admits to having high blood pressure, deserves credit for her refusal to go meekly and quietly towards that final good night, and to put her body on the line for a cause she seems set to devote her remaining time to.

However, one big unknown is whether medical staff will ignore the big black slogan emblazoned above her heart, if they get to see it. St John's southern boss Doug Third says such a tattoo would not stop him from saving a life he recommends having the message printed on their medical records instead. Professor Donald Evans, of Otago University's Bioethics Centre, says her tattoo, however clear, might create confusion for staff.

"They would be faced with such problems as, when did she have it done? Did she have it done under any type of pressure? "Has she changed her mind since she had it done?" However, her stance is backed by "Dr Death", Australian doctor and Exit International leader Philip Nitschke. "One has the right to refuse medical treatment, but when unconscious this wish is often overlooked, or worse, ignored . . . I expect Paula's new tattoo to go some way towards ensuring her wishes will be respected."

If nothing else, Ms Westoby has served her cause by sparking fresh debate on a topic that troubles the country's moral and political guardians. Not for her what has become the standard pursuits of those facing old age full-on skydiving (though in fact she's already done that, twice), bungy jumping and the like. Tramp stamp it's not, but this matriarchal message makes its mark.