This is a thought-provoking story about who should decide the time to die.
I always found it strange that we never questioned putting our pets “down” when we believed they were suffering too much. But for humans, we have a different standard.
Who decides the time to die?
July 15th, 2009 · 2 Comments
Tags: Faith and Doubt
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2 responses so far ↓
1 janaremy // Jul 16, 2009 at 2:58 am
This is a huge debate in the disability community. They fear that many people (or their families) would elect termination of life simply because of the stigma of living with a life-changing disability–not knowing that you can live a very rich and fulfilling life even with a disability.
I’m not sure where I fall on this issue–I’ve been saddened by friends who chose to die by suicide, but I also have no desire to live in pain and/or be a burden to my loved ones. I’ve watched a family member die a slow death from cancer and I have to say that there’s nothing at all ‘human’ or ‘humane’ about it. In that situation a strong dose of morphine can be a blessing to all.
2 aklym // Jul 16, 2009 at 9:56 pm
We love our animals and don’t want to see them suffer. On the other hand, deep down I suspect that many feel that somehow we “deserve” to suffer. That old story from which we derive the doctrine of “original sin” just won’t die.
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