Quebec became the first province in the country to pass into law legislation allowing “medical aid” in dying and as a result sparked a debate regarding end of life care. There is a lot of push back from religious and palliative care groups against assisted suicide and according to media it is a polarizing issue. Even among doctors,
I hate to be cynical but of course, there is no money to be made killing your patients and it damages your reputation. Besides, everything in a doctor’s training has been around preserving life at all costs. Look at the gargantuan efforts made to save people who will be in a vegetative state due to illness or accident. As is the western way, we have sanitized and removed ourselves from death so much that we scarcely acknowledge it’s existence; shuffling the sick and elderly into homes where we don’t need to see them. There was a time when people died in their own homes. That is not so common anymore.
It doesn’t matter whether the objections are religious, moral or even practical. It is an issue that we need to deal with. and each of these can be dealt with in turn.
If you think that assisted suicide is wrong based on religious grounds, then my response is simple. Please keep your religion to yourself. It’s wonderful you have it, I’m glad it provides your life with meaning, but I do not adhere to your faith and I would appreciate your faith not interfering with my life, or death as the case may be.
If you object to euthanasia on moral terms I would ask you to consider the following, while driving you hit a dog. The animal is in pain, and clearly suffering. You take it to the vet who recommends the animal be put down. Do you object? Do you state that it should be allowed to die naturally? Of course not. Why would you not grant the same mercy to a person suffering? Especially when the person has the ability to inform you of their wishes, while the dog does not.
As for the practical reasons, you may have concerns regarding who gets to give the order, or how such care is administered? Or what happens when someone is coerced into suicide. Dignitas, an assisted dying organization, has many of these questions answered.
Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld series has a very thought provoking documentary on it.
For myself I would like to meet death on my own terms, the way this woman does on Swiss T.V.
I should have the choice to end my own life in a way that does not traumatize my family. I suppose recent events have me thinking about this more than normal. even if people don’t have a terminal illness shouldn’t self determination be an inalienable right?
Euthanasia, assisted suicide, aided dying; it doesn’t matter what you call it. It’s mercy and thanks to Quebec there is now an opportunity that mercy is available in Canada.