“Death With Dignity”
The entire debate about “death with dignity” is one that, in my opinion, should not even exist in a modern, developed country. When a person wants to take his or her own life, the government should not interfere. If that person is chronically ill, and if that person has no chance of recovery whatsoever, it is also logical that he or she asks his / her doctor for help. The doctor can help them die with dignity, indeed, and without much pain, and useless suffering.
This debate isn’t, or it shouldn’t, be about whether or not you think it’s morally right for you or anyone else to take his own life. What matters is whether that person has the right to make this decision himself, or whether you feel qualified to make that decision for him. If there’s one right the government should never be able to touch it is, in my opinion, the right to live and die as one pleases. Whether you live or die is your decision. At the very moment the government interferes it’s behaving like the worst possible dictator.
That does not mean that I support people who kill themselves (with the help of their doctor). Personally I believe it to be wrong; I consider suicide to be one of the worst sins against oneself and against God. However, it’s not up to me to make that decision for people - after all, their decision to kill themselves does not, in any way whatsoever, infringe upon any of my rights.
Stop the debate. Let people live… and die as they please.
As a physician I have grave (pardon the pun) misgivings regarding physicians as the facilitators of “suicide”.
Additionally, it has been concerning to see in The Netherlands an increase in the number of “assisted suicides” where the proper, government-outlined procedures were not followed, particularly strict individual consent.
Chris you beat me to the mark. I was just about to bring up that very example. Doctors where such is allowed start to abuse it and start playing "god" in ways that are truly chilling. Recent shistory shows us this.
Shouldn’t even exist? Careful, Michael, your European roots are showing. Next thing we know you’ll be wearing a thong and watching transvestites singing in a carbaret. While smoking pot.
Though on a more serious note, if someone is healthy but has had a difficult life and wants to commit suicide (and isn’t suffering mental illness), wouldn’t that be OK too under your argument?
I appreciated your thoughtful post on this initiative. I couldn’t agree with you more - this is one of those issues that should be left to individuals, not the government. It’s a choice issue, and like all choice issues, some people will choose it and some others will never make that choice. The initiative doesn’t make anyone do anything - it just makes it possible to exercise that choice without the government getting in the way.
One small quibble: as far as I can tell, we’re not talking about the typical definition of suicide. This is for terminally ill people, folks who are dying already. They’re already going to die - they’re not deciding to "kill themselves." If they do nothing, they are going to die in matter of weeks or months.
This law applies to the small number of people who are terminally ill and want some control over their death. They want the option to end their life with medication if their pain and suffering gets too intolerable.
Suicide is about someone who’s otherwise physically healthy who ends their life. But when you’re talking about someone who’s going to die already, that ain’t suicide. It’s about reclaiming a small bit of control over a process that is already happening.
If you’ve got grave concerns as a physician, I don’t think you have to be involved with this law. Oregon lets docs opt out, and they probably will in this state,too.
sky;
“as far as I can tell, we’re not talking about the typical definition of suicide. This is for terminally ill people, folks who are dying already”
Not to sound too glib but if you’re 94 living is a “terminal condition” in the near future.
“If you’ve got grave concerns as a physician, I don’t think you have to be involved with this law. Oregon lets docs opt out, and they probably will in this state,too. ”
Using the same logic, prescribing amphetamines for a daily “pick me up” would be an “opt in/opt out” proposition too, correct?
Generally I can agree with the idea that the govt ought not to be involved (and agree with Michael’s opinion that suicide is morally wrong but still an individual decision which shouldn’t be legislated.) But I think Chris’s misgivings as a physician are well founded, and I don’t feel that laws that allow doctors to opt out are enough to mitigate the fact that doctors have to break the hippocratic oath in order to assist in a euthanasia or suicide. The state has an interest, I believe, in not licensing one person to participate in the decision to end another person’s life (and for the record, that’s why I oppose the death penalty as well.)
There’s also, I believe, a tendency in societies where this is permitted, for some elderly people to feel that they need to step aside and make room for the younger generation; the prevailing attitude of dying with dignity subtly pressures people to feel that they ought not to expect family members to make sacrifices to assist them with a chronic illness or infirmity related to age, and that they should instead sacrifice their own lives.
I agree with this, but only for those terminally ill and are capable of making the choice themselves.
I have had the misfortune of having been around several close friend & family that died of cancer and other related illnesses, and one thing they all had in common was hope until the end - maybe not even thinking of surviving long term, but at least for several more months of quality life - and even when the quality was suffering they saw some of the best of their life, through family coming together, love of friends, etc. And seeing the pain that their family would be in if they did go, made them fight all the harder.
And, with modern pain management, the suffering that they had was minimized.
Although I always thought I knew the answer, which is - hell yes, I’ll take a pill when it is time - seeing how it works up close, I don’t think its that simple.
Bill, I’ve had similar experiences and I think you’ve hit on the main point- that suffering does serve a purpose, and as humans we really don’t benefit from our attempts to eliminate all suffering. Pope John Paul II spoke eloquently about this, and then demonstrated it with his own life; dignity really is whatever we choose to make it, and IMO he was never more dignified than when he couldn’t speak and he still fought his illness and lived as an inspiration to show that all human life has value.
Washington state will vote on allowing assisted suicide in November - the law is based on the Death with Dignity law that has been in place in Oregon for 10 years - visit http://www.itsmydecision.org to learn more.