Assisted Suicide, Should It Be Legal?
I’ve wondered about this question a few times over the years, and most recently the question has come up again.
Should humans have the legal right to physician assisted euthanasia… suicide?
WARNING: Some may find images within this article disturbing.
I know of no other creature not allowed this right, other than a human. Most of my pets, and I’ve had many, have passed this way. My dog was “put to sleep” at the age of 19; her liver and kidneys were failing, she had arthritis, she was in pain. She was a member of the family and nobody wanted to let her go, but we knew that she was miserable, and keeping her alive to delay our pain of her death we felt would be selfish. So we let her go peacefully with the help of her doctor, and she passed in my arms; hearing many ”I love you’s” as she drifted off for her final rest.
I can go on and on with examples just like this. They were all let go because they were suffering in some way; it was best for them, though it hurt like hell to let them go.
While it is legal in some countries, such as Albania, Belgium, Japan, Switzerland, The Netherlands, et al. for humans to seek doctor assisted euthanasia, in most countries it is considered a crime. In the United States in the early 1990s Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a physician in Michigan, gained notoriety by assisting a number of people to commit suicide. Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who had been tried and acquitted repeatedly in the assisted deaths of seriously ill people, was eventually convicted of murder in Michigan in 1999 for an assisted suicide that was shown on national television.
The subject has come to the forefront again due to the story of Chantal Sebire, who died just recently, on March 19, 2008. Chantal Sebire had a rare, painful and disfiguring facial tumor that had burrowed through her sinuses and nasal cavities, causing her nose to swell to several times its original size, and pushing one of her eye sockets out of her head.
Two days before Chantal died she had lost her court battle to die with the assistance of a medical professional. She had wanted to die with dignity she said; she wanted a doctor to rid her of the severe pain she endured every day, caused by the disease she had endured for eight years called esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) , and continued to worsen as the cancer progressed. Chantal Sebire had become blind, lost her sense of taste and smell, and was living in severe pain on a regular basis.
- Chantal was 52, a former school teacher, and a mother of three.
BEFORE:
DURING:
Following is a video with Chantal Sebire prior to her death, living with this tumor:
Chantal Sebire urged both French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the high court in Dijon, eastern France for their assistance. When they provided none, she stated she will not appeal the decision rendered and would find life-terminating drugs through other means.
“I now know how to get my hands on what I need and if I don’t get it in France, I will get it elsewhere.”
“One would not allow an animal to go through what I have endured.”
There are many arguments both for and against physician assisted suicide. I for one hope that should I ever be faced with what Chantal Sebire went through, that I would not have to endure it until the cancer decided I could stop. I would want to stop it once I knew I just couldn’t take it anymore. I’d like to take a legal path, so that behind me I don’t leave a mess for my loved ones to clean up due simply to beurocratic decisions.
Everyone will have their own thoughts on this, and for different reasons. I’d like to hear input from others on this subject as well.
Am I really “out there” for feeling this way? That we should be able to have the legal right available to us to end our own suffering?
This one is a question that I don’t know. I have said on another blog that I really do have a fear of death. I can’t see me wanting to bring it forward but when you look at this case you have to be somewhat sympathetic to the lady concerned.
There are those who would just say no. But if she is beyond hope - I could be something to look at with a unemotional heart.
I’ve struggled with this issue as well. Ultimately my religious beliefes incline me to think no - but it’s one of those “walk a mile in someone’s shoes” situations where I can’t say how I’d respond if faced with a difficult situation.
We are kinder to our pets than we are to those humans whose lives have become abject misery. When the quality of life has degraded to the point of constant pain, the loss of self thru dementia, the loss of known hope for recovery, it should be my choice. My uncle died after fighting 2 years of cancer. His last month was not as a human but as a screaming, moaning animal overwhelmed by the pain that even the morophin could not numb. My father in law died drooling and wetting himself because Alzheimers had robbed him of his humanity and his mind (he was a brilliant and high ranking legal professional) Neither had a soul when they finally left, it had fled when the mind did, one from pain the other thru degradation of the brain. Wouldn’t it be better to go with dignity and full knowledge that one’s family did not have to go thru the torture of watching one become less than an animal? It is only thru modern medicine that the prolonging of this kind of suffering is possible. I hear people talk about religious objections but would that even be a valid argument if we were not at this point in technological history? “What cannot be cured must be endured.” is bullshit. Try looking at it this way, if some god gives you this disease, maybe the deity wants you to join him/her…Let me go with a smile and in full knowledge that I am ready and relieving my family of a heinous burden both emotionally and financially.
I’ve been thinking about this since I saw your post and am still struggling with an answer. I’ve been in the position of caring for a terminally ill person. This went on for almost two years, and watching her waste away, seeing her in pain, it was awful. She was elderly, refused radical treatment and had a DNR in her living will. I felt guilty for watching her suffer. Everytime I gave her a needle (Morphine) she’d ask me to stop it, that she wanted to die. She didn’t understand it was a pain killer, she thought I was giving her something to keep her alive. It was gut wrenching.
When she passed, I hate to admit (because I loved her dearly) it was a relief. Her daeth was the only peace sha had in years. I’m glad I cared for her and was there until the end, it was a hard road, and given the choice, I don’t know if I would want to take it. I guess the decision is more a religious one for people as it is considered a sin. But some people have to remember that the Bible was written by man.
What a thought provking subject….
After I posted this article, it came to me why, in the U.S. anyhow, why this may be a legal issue.
It costs a heck of a lot of money to keep somebody alive. It costs a lot of money for pain killers when you’re in pain. People will spend a great deal of money to try to stop their own suffering, we’ll spend a lot of money on our family members to ease their suffering.
It’s a huge, huge market. $$$… It’s a rather morbid thought, but it’s one I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if it were true.
They spend more money researching pharma “cures” and funding companies to do so instead of putting all this into prevention. I couldn’t agree with you more.
Yep beadden, exactly. There hasn’t been a cure for squat since Polio that I know of.
More money in managing a disease once somebody gets it, than preventing it from happening.
What does the government care if you knock yourself off for anyhow? That should be a personal decision. IMO. If someone would rather not go that route for whatever reason, be it religious beliefs or whatever, that’s their way. If someone believes they want to clock out due to an issue for example the above post, who is the government to give a care. Unless… there’s money to be lost… Maybe if the government finds a way to make it cost a great deal of money, they’ll think about it.
Now we have the complete opposite of the spectrum.
Read this - everybody - read this article:
This young child is being denied treatment for cancer by his insurance carrier that could save his life. He’ll be left to die, and suffer the entire way.
I don’t know how there people can wake up and look at themselves in the mirror every day. And there are people lobbying in Canada for this type of health care system!
there=these I guess I should start reading my posts before hitting submit. Sorry
I watched a special on this subject on television some time ago. People came forward that used to work in the insurance industry. They indicated that they were basically paid based on claims that they found reason to deny, found ways to save the insurance company money.
http://www.badfaithinsurance.org/
Just came across this little gem
The health care system needs an over-haul! Where I live, the senior’s home has more rooms for administration than patients! It’s pathetic.
When I took care of the woman I told you about, I had a nurse (who was super) come for maybe an hour a day. Then home care (who were life savers)a few times a week, to get things done that I needed to. They were covered but the thing is, I saved the province a lot of money for taking care of her at home. But I had no personal income (hubby did thank goodness). They did nothing for people who had to stay home to care for someone.
Nearer to the end, I did have homecare over-night, 7 days (nights)a week. But because they could not give needles, I had to be woken up every 3 hours to give one to her. And I had no medical background at all!
I don’t know, nothing makes sense anymore. But I know here in Canada, Medi-care is not the answer. I’ve read too many horror stories.
Sorry, off-topic…
It’s no wonder people want assisted suicide when they have to deal with companies and administrations that treat them like they are nothing more than $ signs and numbers.
Saw an episode of Law and Order earlier in the week that made me think of this. It wasn’t so much about suicide as it was “death by insurance company.”
In the epsiode, a hispanic cable repair man’s 6 year old daughter has a rare form of Leukemia. Her insurance company only authorizes a bone marrow transplant - but there are no matches on the waiting list and she’s only got weeks to live.
The family goes for a 2nd opinion, and another doctor tells them that the insurance company is pushing the bone-marrow transplant because they have a contract for those operations with a local hopsital. He differs in opinion and wants to recommend an experimental drug with seemingly high success rates.
The family asks the insurance company for approval to start the treatment (the experimental drug) and are denied in a 3-2 vote. The father finds out who the third “nay” voter was and kills him.
The end result is that the insurance company changes it’s mind and authorizes the drug treatment. When grilled on the stand, the “evil company” does make some good points - especially about how if they authorized all experimenal drugs available, the system would be bankrupt for everyone else. They also cautioned that no long-term studies of the drug had been done for side effects and such.
Still, the jury let the father walk. They saw it throug his eyes that the only way to attempt to save his daughter’s life was to kill the insurance representative.
Interesting.
Back to the assisted suicide topic…The operative word for these cases is CHOICE. These people are being denied the right to live just as many are being denied the right to die. The uncle I told you about spent 2 years trying experimental treatments but when all hope was gone he had to die in agony because he did not have the right to die. We should have the choice…
I don’t know why I feel so unconfortable with this issue. But I think you are right Jenn.
As long as the person is mentally capable and stable, the decision should be theirs alone. I didn’t think I’d ever say that.
I have three points of view on this issue, but first let me compliment you on a thoughtful post, and comments. You have all been very sensitive.
View #1 - Death is not a “bad” thing. This is a spiritual position with me, but western society in particular looks upon each death as a failure. This means that the medical profession has a 100% failure rate! I see death as part of a process, not as “the end”, a “punishment” or “failure”. Death is a fact. It is not a matter of “if” but of “when”. (We often pretend that’s not the case). Since the outcome is inevitable, I see no reason to deny thoughtful, adult, uncoerced people their right to decide “when” for whatever reason. They don’t have to justify it to me or to anyone.
View #2 - When the release from physical challenges is most needed or wanted, oftentimes that’s when the patient is in no position to get up out of bed and go get her/himself some drugs! Therefore, assisted suicide, if one must call it that, should be available. I wouldn’t mind some constraints, such as counseling for the patient and close family members, legal documents, witnesses, etc., but I’d hate to deny a person in obvious pain with little chance for physical healing an opportunity they’d have if they were mobile.
View #3 - While it can seem a bit morbid, one thing we can do is consider this issue in advance. The former Hemlock Society (see http://www.assistedsuicide.org/farewell-to-hemlock.html), which has been renamed http://www.CompassionandChoices.org provides information and resources with sensitivity and understanding. I in no way would want anyone to do anything which violates their beliefs, but I do support choices and information. I’ve taken care of three relatives enrolled in Hospice—a wonderful organization—and thankfully they were not in huge amounts of pain, like some of the others described here. I have real compassion for caregivers in such circumstances. Thank you for exploring the issue, diss.
Fantastic input muse. View#2 is especially thought provoking, and something that scares me. To no longer be mobile and unable to access options. Great links, thank you!
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