Paralysed man in tears after losing right-to-die ruling: Tony Nicklinson sobbed in his wheelchair after losing a High Court fight for the legal right to end his life. Deborah Gembara reports.
There are many different opinions regarding assisted suicide. Some say that it is against their religion because suicides cannot go to heaven. Some say that there is a slippery slope of once we start allowing people to kill themselves, at what point do we draw the line? If people can choose to end their lives due to an end stage diseases, should they be able to kill themselves due to severe depressions once it's determined that no medicines work?
Our oath is to do no harm. We are programed to save people. But what if they don't want to hang around trapped in a state that leaves them dependent on machinery to live. I believe that it's not really living. I know that I would not want to be trapped unable to interact with others, unable to put my arms around my loved ones, unable to express my wishes etc.
I have been asked by past patients "why can we take our beloved animals to the vet and have them euthanized, but humans have to suffer?" "Can't you just close the door and put the pillow over my head or give me too much pain medicine and let me out of my misery?" I am sure that I am not the only one who's been approached. I think that some health care providers and nurses have "pacts" with others to help them end it when the time comes or have some suicide plan for themselves if it gets "past the point of acceptability."
What say you?
My co-worker is my health care proxy simply because I know she will follow my wishes to be a true comfort care or DNR/DNI when the time is necessary. I think working in critical care has been the number one factor in this decision. It just changes you.
ReplyDeleteAmen.
ReplyDelete