“Assisted Suicide” is the process by which an individual, who may otherwise be incapable, is provided with the means (drugs or equipment) to commit suicide. In some cases, the terms aid in dying or death with dignity are preferred. These terms are often used to draw a distinction from suicide”
Another emotive subject to say the least and this issue always provokes persuasive arguments on both sides of the debate with the difficult subject of disability and assisted dying often being raised in the media.
In 2008, the number of assisted suicides in Holland went up by 10% when compared to 2007. An annual report by five regional euthanasia vetting committees stated that 2,300 cases had been reported and that they expected a further increase in 2009. This clearly shows that there is a demand for this type of policy but is it right for us as a society to be accepting of this practice?
Often the pro-sided will argue that this allows someone to end their life with dignity and we should respect their decision. However, the issue with this type of policy is that you are effectively asking someone, usually a doctor to kill you and therefore the decision can no longer be just about “your choice and your life”. It very much involves other people namely a doctor, your family & friends and indeed society as a whole. Has society become that heartless that we allow a life to end under the disguise of compassion?
Looking deeper, as a society we have to establish why people consider this action and ultimately decide it is right for them. I understand and support every person’s right to choice and the freedom to live their lives how they see fit but I strongly believe that assisted suicide poses a real danger to disabled people. The focus has to be on the disabled person’s quality of life and who has the right to make decisions about their importance to society. It is a real concern that pressure or intimidation may be used to “force” disabled people to consider assisted suicide when we should, in fact, be supporting them to understand how invaluable they are and how they can reach their true potential.
Quality of life is very individual and ultimately it is more about our frame of mind rather than the things we have but this is not unique to disabled people but all of society. As we travel through the journey of life, as humans we regularly re-assess our lives and our priorities change – what once seemed important becomes less so and things we thought we had plenty of time to do suddenly become imperative.
Living with a disability needs a time of reflection but no more than experiencing a divorce, the death of a loved one or even redundancy. The timescale of this reflection is personal with some needing longer than others but after this process we are left with a sense of our own self-worth – of knowing our own importance – and re-defining our self-esteem.
It is easy during our darkest moments to look for a “get out” clause and I believe that assisted suicide may just be that. The sad and cold hard fact is that once you take this route there is no turning back. It will be too late to realise just how we impact on those we care about and society in general.
In an ideal world, we would all be able to be “James Stewart” living “Our Wonderful Life” moment and seeing how our very existence is intricately woven into the lives of others but in real life this does not happen and we have to embrace the challenges that life throws at us – the very good and the very bad.
Grab life and live it to its fullest.
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2 comments:
A very tough issue to debate and I definitely echo your thoughts, people whether disabled or not should look closer at themselves and value their achievements in life, rather than looking for a way out. Just because a person is disabled should not mean that they should take the easy way out and go for assisted suicide. Just as able-bodied people should not - it there should be no differentiation. People need to focus on the positive things in life not the negative.
I also agree with the previous blogger. People are individuals be it, disabled or not! Suicide is a coward's way out especially in this day and age where there are all forms of counselling, information etc. to cope with certain aspects of life for those who have problems. However, these people should stop wingeing and look at people who are getting on with their lives in the face of difficulty and achieving self worth and appreciation.
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