Okay, so I read an article this morning talking about how a
transsexual opted to be put to death rather than being unhappy with the failed
surgical procedures to take him from female to male. He was unhappy with the
radical double mastectomy and his body was rejecting the penis made for him.
So, instead of undergoing further surgeries, he asked his doctor to euthanize
him. You can read the article for yourself here: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/05/20803178-painless-death-or-precipitous-cliff-transsexual-chooses-euthanasia-after-failed-operation?lite
It was then that I became curious as to where else was it legal
for physicians to euthanize a patient at their own request. Turns out this is
legal in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. I’m still in the process of
doing more research to find out if there has to be some kind of medical
condition present and documented before physicians or family members can
euthanize them or can any person just decide they no longer want to live and
get help committing suicide. Once I find out that information then I will share
it.
This is one of those Dr. Jack Kevorkian things for me. I,
personally, don’t think that the man ever did anything wrong. You can disagree
with my opinion but that won’t change how I feel about this subject. I believe
that there are truly cases where legal physician euthanasia should be granted.
I also believe that if a person so chooses this particular exit from their life
and they want a friend or family member to help them, I don’t believe the
person helping should be held liable for their death. Now, don’t jump to the conclusion that I
believe that any person that chooses this action should have their wishes
abided by. That is not the case with me. I believe this should be a viable
option for a person that is terminally ill, their quality of life is gone and
the pain that this person is in can no longer be managed.
I’ll give an example so you can understand, in fact, I’ll toss a
few out for you.
Patient A has battled cancer for a long number of years. They
get into remission and a couple years later it comes back more aggressive than
before. After fighting the good fight, they become incapacitated and rely upon
professional care for their every need. They can no longer eat. They can no
longer talk. They do not know where they are at any given moment. Their moments
of clarity are far gone. Pain is no longer controlled nor can it be with any
type of medication. They made their wishes very clear that should they reach
the point where they currently are, that they would prefer to be given a lethal
injection to end their life so as to not draw out the suffering for either
themselves or their family members. They have a medical professional that has
agreed to oversee the injection. I think this should be legal for them to make
this kind of decision.
Patient B has been severely injured in a motor vehicle accident.
They will never walk or talk again. They will never be able to feed, clothe,
bathe or care for their own needs again. They have sustained a massive
traumatic brain injury and while the brain shows some activity, physicians
advise the family that their loved one will be on life support for the
remainder of their lives. I believe this is a second case where it should be
legal to abide by the patient’s wishes IF they have expressed such thoughts
prior to a case like this. OR if the patient is able to talk and express their
intent clearly before declining into a scenario as described, or one similar,
then their wishes should be done.
Patient C has battled depression for a good number of years.
They have survived any number of abuses and addictions. They become suicidal
but do not tell either their physician or family for fear of being put into a
mental facility. They do however; seek out their physician to help with their
wishes of ending their life prematurely. I do not think that this person should
have their wishes listened to or acted upon. I do believe that this person
needs professional help and that maybe with the right medication and proper
support they can get back to living a life that is better for them.
I truly believe that ONLY those considered terminally ill should
have this kind of option given to them. I believe this is something that only
that person can decide if it’s the right option for their situation. I would
like to think that should I ever be faced with something like this happening
directly to me, that my family would love and respect my wishes enough, that
they would move heaven and earth to help me make it happen. I know there are
people who will disagree with me and that’s okay. A lot of my thoughts have the
tendency to really be way off center from where the majority of people tend to
think. I like having thoughts that are different. It makes for interesting
conversations and sometimes good debates.
Now, I will say that the article I read about the transsexual
choosing to be euthanized was maybe a case where their wishes should not have
been listened to. However; I am not their doctor, I am not that person and I know
nothing about the situation other than what is given in the article. I don’t
know if this person was in pain and, if so, how much pain. I don’t know that
future surgeries could have eased that or made things work like he hoped they
would. I simply do not know. I cannot hold the physician liable for their death
because it was not their own idea. I do believe that had this person not been
euthanized by their physician that they would have attempted to take their own
life and could very well have ended up in worse shape than he was, which could
bring them right back to a physician assisted euthanasia. So, I guess really, in
the end it doesn’t matter because they got their wish.
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