Literally.
If you discover that you're faced with a terminal illness, for example, you can go to Switzerland, where a non-profit organization called "Dignitas" will help you to end your life. You can watch this Frontline program to learn more if you wish. But I couldn't watch it, because I found the whole idea makes me extremely uncomfortable.
The Frontline story evidently focuses on the story of a 59-year-old Chicagoan named Craig Ewert. After being diagnosed with ALS - Lou Gehrig's syndrome - he began deteriorating rapidly. And certainly ALS is a terrible, terrible disease. All of the victim's muscles grow increasingly weaker until one loses his ability to care for bodily functions, swallow, speak, and even to breathe. It is uncurable and - inevitably - fatal.
This is a fate no one would want to face. The word "cruel" seems like a weak and insipid description of this disease. There is no word powerful enough to describe how terrible this affliction is.Ewert found out that Switzerland is the only country in the world which allows non-residents to travel to destinations within its borders for the sole purpose of committing suicide. And he elected to make this journey rather than suffer the progressive loss of his bodily functions. This would also spare his family the need to care for him, or to pay for his care.
His wife Mary traveled with him and sat by his side as he drank the cocktail that would end his life. She wished him a "safe journey" and kissed him as he died.
Was his the right decision? Was it the courageous choice?
Is this one more example that we believe we have the right to decide which life is valuable? Is it one more piece of evidence that we have lost our respect for life? Is Dignitas - which has helped hundreds of people die - providing an important service? Or are they committing murder?
What do you think?
Wherever the "right" to die is established, the obligation to die will soon follow.
ReplyDeleteWhile "right to die" sounds compassionate, if we accept it, how long will it be until your "right to die" becomes almost a duty to die. Look at birth control. While 40 years ago feminists were celebrating that with the pill women would be able to plan their families, to only have the children she wanted to have; today how much pressure is exerted on women not to have "too many" children? No, there are no laws forbidding you from having a large family, but society certainly lets you know that four is too many (you do know what causes that,right?)
ReplyDeleteI think people should have the right to choose if they don't want to live through an illness that is, no doubt, going to cause them pain and suffering until the end. This idea of a company helping, though, seems strange. At the same time, the man in this example was able to go peacefully with his loving wife at his side. That's a tough call. I definitely think this is a very personal decision and can see both sides.
ReplyDeleteI believe only God should decide. Thanks for joining the Planet Weidknecht Weekend Hop!
ReplyDeleteThis is very, very disturbing.
ReplyDeleteAs a society, we are quickly losing all sense of the true dignity of the human person, and this this shown clearly in "assisted suicide". We can not understand the ways of God or why he allows suffering, such as ALS, to happen; but if we choose to "play god" we are deceiving ourselves.
When a dog is ill we put it down to end its misery, it's the last kind thing we can do for a pet. Why should it be different for humans? If someone is suffering a terminal, painful illness and chooses to end their own life rather than live it to its enitirety in pain, then I can respect that decision.
ReplyDeletePersonally I do not believe 'GOD' dictates when we do or do not leave this life, WE choose.
IF God created us then he created us with free thinking and a brain that adapts and evolves as mankind does. A brain and free thought that has the right to choose a persons own destiny.
The whole idea that we choose when we should die and basically say "to hell with God" indicates how far we are from a true, deep relationship with Him. It is one more sign of our refusal to submit to the individual plan He has for us, which in any case, is to place ourselves into His loving hands.
ReplyDeleteFrom first hand experience I can say that depression and a sense of hopelessness is what drives people to end their lives before God calls them. Stories like this are a sharp lesson to build our relationship with God every day and not wait until we are faced with insurmountable tragedy and become permanently blind to the nature of His love for us.
I watched the program you mentioned in your post. I found it very disturbing.
ReplyDeleteThe fellow who had chosen to end his life in Switzerland with Dignitas's help was not a religious man. In fact, he was quoted as telling his children that life had no meaning. If that belief is accurate, then suicide (for any reason) is perfectly justifiable. If our lives are indeed pointless and insignificant, then it doesn't matter if we go on living or not.
It comes down to what ethical standards you embrace. If you focus on a quality-of-life ethic (which it seems that most in our society espouse), then it's all just enjoying life. Thus if life ceases to be enjoyable, then it's ok to end it. Or for that matter, snuffing out a human life just because you think there's a good possibility that the person will suffer is likewise perfectly ok (face it: that reason is given as justification for abortion in many cases).
However, if you embrace a sanctity-of-life ethic (which is what the Catholic Church teaches), then assisted suicide (and abortion too, for that matter) is never justifiable. Human life is inherently sacrosanct, and it is not permissible to take a life (your own or another's) for selfish reasons.
I am Catholic and therefore embrace a sanctity-of-life ethic. Now, I'm sure some will ask whether I would still feel the same way if I or a loved one were faced with terminal illness that would mean the chance of going through a lengthy period of physical suffering and possibly financial and other hardship for the family. A fair question, and in all honesty, I wonder the same thing. But it's a situation like that in which our faith/convictions are tested to see if they were genuine or nothing but straw that goes up smoke as soon as the heat of testing is applied.
And I'm also concerned that opening the door to assisted suicide, whatever good intentions it may be based on, will just send us on a downward spiral of devaluing human life. As someone previously posted, contraceptives have changed people's attitudes (even those of most Christians) to the point that it's not just ok to choose not have kids but that there's something wrong with you if you have more than the usual two or three.
Evan
I would call myself a religious man, however I 100% agree with Linda. Why put someone through so much pain and suffering when we know there is no cure an we know that they will be free of this pain and suffering once they pass on to Heaven. They should be able to choose to die, why make someone suffer.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a difficult topic. I wonder if the way we feel about this issue is related to what we define as value in a person? Just thinking out loud here, but I work with individuals who have severe disabilities and I am often amazed at the wonderful things that happen in these circumstances. Is it hard? Yes, indeed. Would I want to live this way? I'm thinking about that one...
ReplyDeleteVisiting from SDG. What a disturbing thing... "suicide tourism". Wow. There is an Author of Life. There is a Father of Death. I am neither.
ReplyDelete