Euthanasia

Like abortion, I know that there are two sides to this controversial topic. I am not in the business of conversion on either one of these subjects, and I don't expect anyone who reads this to try to win me over to their position.

Terms to remember:
Euthanasia derives from the words "good" and "death" in Latin and Greek.
There are two types of euthanasia. Passive and active. Passive is withholding life sustaining measures, and active is painless methods of killing someone.

One of the things that I used to like about living in Europe is that I am only an overnight train ride from Holland. Why do I like that? Because I am a firm believer in the postulation that are many things worse than death. I spent about half of my life in hospitals with injured and sick people, a fair number died, and another group did not die but did not recover. In Belgium and Holland, it is relatively easy for one to choose his own manner of death. In CH too, there are four organizations that assist people to end their lives. One, called Dignitas, will help foreigners, the others are for CH citizens. So now, it looks like I am going to be able to stay at home if I need to euthanize myself. Organizations here merely assist people to commit suicide. It is only illegal to assist suicide in CH if one is to receive personal gain from the person's death. It is illegal for anyone to actively kill another (as if a doctor were to inject or otherwise give someone a lethal dose of a drug). Dignitas requires that you make your own decision, and have a doctor review your medical records. Then the doctor can give you a lethal dosage of a barbiturate. They maintain an apartment in Zurich for you to use if you wish. After death they call the authorities, and an autopsy (mandatory in CH for suicide) is carried out. Now, all this may sound pretty grim. It doesn't sound bad to me if I were one of those poor people with an incurable condition that was going to render me helpless, vegetative, and possibly in long term agony.

We all like to control our lives. Why shouldn't we control our death? Passive euthanasia is a way of life (no pun) in hospitals. It is practiced every day. By then, the patient is beyond decision on his own. If the patient does retain mental function, can you imagine the helplessness one must feel?

The old Hemlock society in the USA has now become Compassion and Choices. It might be worth a look at their website.

Euthanasia is actively sought when one has a pet in misery. Why not let it be a consideration when one is in a similar state?