Sunday, September 7, 2008
To kill or not to kill...
(From Wikipedia: Euthanasia (literally "good death" in Ancient Greek) refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner)
I read an article today about euthanasia. It wasn’t one of those typical debates about whether countries should legalize euthanasia, or whether someone wanted euthanasia desperately but was flatly refused. No, this article, based on the diary of Marc Weide, is a poignant recollection of the final days of his mom who had chosen to terminate her own life.
In 2008, while most of us were still enjoying the many months of rest before a new school year started, a woman, having been diagnosed with “secondary cancer in her lungs”, was preparing her own funeral and cremation in the Netherlands, where assisted suicide had already been legalized in 2002.
What struck me the most about this article was how the newspaper (The Guardian) had decided to publish excerpts from the diary of Marc Weide. I presume such was done to communicate to the masses, that choosing euthanasia affects both the, the person who chooses it and also her friends and family. On one hand, Weide’s mother did not want to prolong her life with chemotherapy as she would lose all her “beautiful hair”, and on top of that, go through bouts of unbearable pain and sickness. However, on the other hand, she snapped at her family constantly, tried to fill up her days with as many things to do as possible to stave off thinking about her end. After all, who wants to die early when they have a good life and a comforting family?
This collection of diary entries can be said to be, I suppose, full of pathos. It brings the reader into the life of the Weide household as they banded together to support their mother through her darkest days. The reader, along with the family, experiences the emotional and psychological ramifications wrought because of Mrs. Weide’s choice. Such would include the pain, the frustration, the irritation, the rare moment of humor, and the worry and care they feel, all because of their mother. Upon finishing the article, one can only wonder if euthanasia is actually something that should be legalized throughout the world.
At the end of the day, this article can only give us an insight to one of the many cases of euthanasia that has been performed. In my opinion, although the author’s mother had chosen euthanasia as her way out of her sickness, ultimately, she never did come to terms with the fact that she was to die so abruptly. Even though her nerves did not get the best of her, her hesitation showed to us that even by spending so much time planning her death; she still could not truly accept it.
My interpretation of what the author thinks of euthanasia however, would be based mainly on the last entry that he wrote. I think that Weide regrets that perhaps, if his mother had prolonged her life with chemotherapy instead, both of them would have been able to settle the “ clashes between [ him and his mother] “ that had amassed because of her impending death.
Murderous or merciful? You decide.
Article mentioned taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/aug/23/euthanasia.cancer
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14 comments:
Whether murderous or merciful, I think everyone should have a chance to decide what to do with their lives, if it has become too painful to live. In that sense, you can say that I approve of euthanasia, when it's being used within strict boundaries. For example, in the Netherlands, the criteria for Euthanasia is that the patient cannot be cured, that the patient's wish to die has been consistent, and that his or her suffering is unbearable. Those boundaries are reasonable enough, at least to me.
However, it still must be painful to know when exactly you are going to die; painful for both the family and the patient herself. I could not help but feel for the family, who has to deal with the patient's demands and mood swings, even though it is perfectly understandable under the circumstances. No one wants to leave with any regrets, and I am sure she wants to get as much done as possible.
This is probably like a give-and-take situation...on one hand you can end your suffering painlessly, but on the other hand, do you really want to know when exactly you're going to die, and let the rest of your family suffer the agony alongside with you, as well?
Wow. This is a... terrific topic to have chosen to blog about. I don't even know how i feel about this issue, if i can give you an answer as to whether i agree with such a practice.
All i know, is that life is precious.
When you choose to give up.. that's really it, isn't it? No way back. Game over. If i quit school, i may always come back some day. But life, that's it. It's all we know, it's the core of our existence. But the sovereignty one has over one's own life.. has, and must be respected. But one must respect life too.
I used to think that love can withstand, and overcome everything. The son's entries, however, seem to show a rather un-reconciled state of affairs among the family, even up to the mother's death. I just do not know what to think.
The intensity of their shortage of time is so strongly put across to us. It only leaves me with this one thought - the same blood ultimately runs through both the mother and son despite all their clashes. As such it is the family's responsibility to respect and support her decision.
Thus, perhaps it is not so much an issue of mercy but that of love in letting the patient have what seems like control over the last of their intangible moments. I would never want someone I love to be put on a trackless rollercoaster.
To be diagnosed with secondary lung cancer is sad. However, choosing to end one's own life just because one does not have long to live is a coward's way out; in my opinion.
Yes, cancer is a dreadful thing; one's days are numbered. I would think that even knowing that one is going to die, one must still fight the cancer to the bitter end. I am not saying that one should take medication or chemotherapy every week or day. Instead, one should obtain an optimistic view on it. Live life to the fullest, but do not shorten your life.
That is what I think, but whether to let the cancer take you or to kill yourself; euthanasia, that is a matter of one's choice.
I saw this somewhere:
"Suicide is not chosen;
it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain.”
So I guess in this instance Mrs Weide chose to die because she did not want to go through the pain of chemo, of losing her hair, and of seeing her family members in sadness. To her, euthanasia is probably a form of release. And because it is legalised, she has the right to die.
In any case, life is short. We should not give up, before giving a good fight.
In response to some of the comments, i must say that no, i can't imagine what it must be like knowing the exact day and time. And because of that, family support is so so important. I would rather leave the world knowing that my family loves me and respects my decision, rather than to die knowing that everyone is unhappy, sad, think i'm selfish etc etc.
But then again, i'm only human. Given the choice of an easy and painless way out, i may just take it despite the pain i'd cause my family.
Wow, Euthanasia is a really controversial topic which makes it very interesting too! I believe that everyone is entitled to his/her own human rights. Thus it is ultimately one's choice in this case, Weide's mother's choice to end her life or to keep on fighting.
However, I do feel it is only good and right (in my opinion) to consider the feelings of the people around you. If you really love someone, I feel, it is only human nature to think about your loved ones who are going to live on and how your decision affects them in this case. Only if both parties are agreeable on their choice should Euthanasia be performed.
Nonetheless, we cannot discount the fact that the laws of Euthanasia clearly state that it inevitably is the individual's right to decide.
The inevitability of death is perhaps mankind's greatest gift. It has given us the desperation to live, to grow, to learn, to burn brightly before that last snuffing out of consciousness.
No one, however, should be forced to endure the certainty of time of death. We've quantified time so precisely, that all clocks in the world marching on in perfect unison. Who can bear to watch as the finite seconds tick down to death?
The liberal argues that one's perception of good is necessarily subjective, and if one wishes to face that certainty, shouldn't we allow that?
Yet we don't allow people to take drugs, we don't allow masochists to torture each other, and we don't allow people to kill themselves "just for the fun of it"? So why should we allow euthanasia? Can the deliberate, calculated taking of one's own life ever be justified?
A special courage is needed to face the last moments of life, without knowing exactly when it comes. That courage inspires everyone around to face their own fears, their own deaths, and to treasure life. It emphasizes why we hold life to an intrinsic good.
The last flames of consciousness should flare more brightly than ever. It should not be consumed in a sad resignation.
In the immortal words of Dylan Thomas -
"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Euthanasia has always been a long-debated issue and I for one, am pretty neutral about it. I strongly believe that each and every one of us should decide one's fate, and if I ever am dying one day, should I decide to end my life early should be entirely my choice and my actions are not be criticized or judged by the world. After all, it is a life at stake here, and a decision not made rashly.
In the case of Mrs Weide, she has shown courage by facing it and choosing her manner's of death. Indeed, there are many regrets in life for her as there were many things for her to complete. It is also filial of her son to stay with her at the most needed times. Although it is most devastating to see a person's last moments, life and death is most inevitable and i'm sure Mrs Weide has moved on to a second part of her journey bravely and comforted by her son's and family's love.
wah johnny
wow. i'm amazed by the fact that the comments actually resemble the author's post.
such elaboration.
I dont think we have reached the mental stage of mind whereby we know what we want to do in our last few moments alive. Knowing the time and day you will die is too big an obstacle for us to overcome mentally. I feel that the mental torment and grief experienced by the dying person and his/her family members eclipses the pain experienced by the patient in fighting the disease. However we'll never know how much pain one go through in fighting the disease unless we're in his/her shoes (touchwood!). Thus i feel that euthanasia should only be applied if both the patient and his/her loved ones agree to it. It should not be a decision made by the dying patient alone as his/her decision affects the people around him/her.
Euthanasia is something I have been thinking bout way back in secondary school when I first knew what it was. Personally, I would definitely rather choose to know when, where and how I'm going to die. It gives me time and chance to do things that I never would have done if I was to just die suddenly. Knowing that you're going to die soon, one would naturally just be more agitated than usual, wouldn't you? I mean, you'll want your last moments to be perfect right? Dying is what we will face sooner or later. Knowing that you're going to die is something extra, to let you and your love ones prepare for the final moment and to lessen the heartache knowing that you'll be going in a more peacefu chosenl manner. This is just my opinion=)
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