I am frightened to think of dying. But no matter what my emotions say, my mind knows that every day, death is one day closer. And the fears that accompany this fear are numerous. I am frightened of not being remembered after my demise. I am also frightened of dying in pain, without dignity, totally alone. It is a personal relief to me that even if I am never remembered I may have some small measure over the manner of my death now that the subject of euthanasia is finally being dealt with seriously.
One of the first people who publicly advocated people's right to die was the notorious figure of Jack Kevorkian, more commonly referred to as Dr. Death. Kevorkian was both a forerunner in the field and instrumental in making sure that the issue received enough publicity so that people would start talking about it openly. As far back as 1987 Kevorkian advertised that he was a death counselor and in 1990 he assisted in the suicide of a 54 years- old Alzheimer's sufferer. Kevorkian could not be charged with any offense under the law because there were no laws regarding his actions, he was however struck off and was no longer allowed to practice medicine. Kevorkian was a true believer in what he did and over the next eight years he assisted in approximately 130 suicides by attaching a euthanasia device he had made. The person who had decided to die however, had to take the action of pressing the button that administering the fatal drugs.
Kevorkian ended up in prison and when he was released he changed his tactics and went down the more conventional path of trying to change the law. But even while the man himself was often criticized, his actions had attracted enough attention so that people were prepared to talk about euthanasia. The fact is, if an animal is sick or in pain we believe the kindest thing we can do for it is to euthanize it, yet we deny people the same right even while using words like dignity and humanity. The paradox of the situation is slowly being reassessed, particularly in light of the fact that in the western world we have an increasingly long-lived elderly population who have to be supported by fewer and fewer people. In other words the economic burdens of hospitalization, medication, nursing care and so forth has also been instrumental in opening up the topic for serious legislation.
However even as the economic necessities of modern day life are forcing the politicians to reconsider, their changed attitude it is a far remove from actual action. There are in fact very few places in the world that you can legally get help dying. Oregon in America is unique from this point of view. It has legalized assisted death, and many Americans (80%) according to Time Magazine, would like to see such rules exist where they live. Despite the fact that so many people are in favor of this possibility the American Medical Association is still resisting such changes and insists that all the dying really need is good care and analgesics. And the fact that many sick people want something more than this has not yet penetrated their conventional mode of thinking.
Yet such an attitude is almost a joke since even while officially this is not legal and doctors are not meant to do anything, the fact is that in reality palliative care often takes the form of doctor-assisted suicides. When a patient is slowly dying in pain from cancer they are given control over the amount of morphine they can take for the pain. In the last stages of their life it is their choice as to how often they push the button that will administer the painkiller. And they are usually told - in the form of a warning - that the more they take the more dangerous it can be. In other words they are frequently given the ability to control how long their last moments will be.
These measures are merely hypocritical and the system that has been adopted in Switzerland is much more open and honest. In fact the Swiss attitude to death has led them to be the "Suicide Tourists" first resort. The Swiss laws towards suicide are accommodating and the attitude is non-judgmental. Dignitas is a Swiss assisted dying group. As the name clearly suggests it is about giving dignity to those who choose to die. The person who has made this decision is first given medication to relieve nausea or vomiting. Approximately half an hour later they are given a lethal overdose that has been dissolved in a glass of water or fruit juice. Within about ten minutes they are asleep and twenty minutes later dead. And everything has been done in the most decorous manner.
At present there are only 4 places where assisted suicide is legal: Oregon (in the U.S.), Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. It is not illegal in Japan but it rarely happens due to certain traditions related to suicide. In the meanwhile in many other countries the rules are unclear and prosecuting people who help others out of compassion seems to be arbitrary and dependent on the mood of the moment. For example, when Dr. Christian Sandsdalen gave an overdose to a woman who begged for his help, he was found guilty of murder. But he was not incarcerated, he merely lost his license. Hardly a punishment for murder and when he died most of the important dignitaries in Norway attended his funeral as a mark of respect. Clearly a double standard is being employed here and in so many other countries where there are similar examples. It is absurd that such an important subject is left to whim or personal discretion. It would be far safer for all if clear laws were enacted that are in tune with the times.
Academic Reading
One of the first people who publicly advocated people's right to die was the notorious figure of Jack Kevorkian, more commonly referred to as Dr. Death. Kevorkian was both a forerunner in the field and instrumental in making sure that the issue received enough publicity so that people would start talking about it openly. As far back as 1987 Kevorkian advertised that he was a death counselor and in 1990 he assisted in the suicide of a 54 years- old Alzheimer's sufferer. Kevorkian could not be charged with any offense under the law because there were no laws regarding his actions, he was however struck off and was no longer allowed to practice medicine. Kevorkian was a true believer in what he did and over the next eight years he assisted in approximately 130 suicides by attaching a euthanasia device he had made. The person who had decided to die however, had to take the action of pressing the button that administering the fatal drugs.
Kevorkian ended up in prison and when he was released he changed his tactics and went down the more conventional path of trying to change the law. But even while the man himself was often criticized, his actions had attracted enough attention so that people were prepared to talk about euthanasia. The fact is, if an animal is sick or in pain we believe the kindest thing we can do for it is to euthanize it, yet we deny people the same right even while using words like dignity and humanity. The paradox of the situation is slowly being reassessed, particularly in light of the fact that in the western world we have an increasingly long-lived elderly population who have to be supported by fewer and fewer people. In other words the economic burdens of hospitalization, medication, nursing care and so forth has also been instrumental in opening up the topic for serious legislation.
However even as the economic necessities of modern day life are forcing the politicians to reconsider, their changed attitude it is a far remove from actual action. There are in fact very few places in the world that you can legally get help dying. Oregon in America is unique from this point of view. It has legalized assisted death, and many Americans (80%) according to Time Magazine, would like to see such rules exist where they live. Despite the fact that so many people are in favor of this possibility the American Medical Association is still resisting such changes and insists that all the dying really need is good care and analgesics. And the fact that many sick people want something more than this has not yet penetrated their conventional mode of thinking.
Yet such an attitude is almost a joke since even while officially this is not legal and doctors are not meant to do anything, the fact is that in reality palliative care often takes the form of doctor-assisted suicides. When a patient is slowly dying in pain from cancer they are given control over the amount of morphine they can take for the pain. In the last stages of their life it is their choice as to how often they push the button that will administer the painkiller. And they are usually told - in the form of a warning - that the more they take the more dangerous it can be. In other words they are frequently given the ability to control how long their last moments will be.
These measures are merely hypocritical and the system that has been adopted in Switzerland is much more open and honest. In fact the Swiss attitude to death has led them to be the "Suicide Tourists" first resort. The Swiss laws towards suicide are accommodating and the attitude is non-judgmental. Dignitas is a Swiss assisted dying group. As the name clearly suggests it is about giving dignity to those who choose to die. The person who has made this decision is first given medication to relieve nausea or vomiting. Approximately half an hour later they are given a lethal overdose that has been dissolved in a glass of water or fruit juice. Within about ten minutes they are asleep and twenty minutes later dead. And everything has been done in the most decorous manner.
At present there are only 4 places where assisted suicide is legal: Oregon (in the U.S.), Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. It is not illegal in Japan but it rarely happens due to certain traditions related to suicide. In the meanwhile in many other countries the rules are unclear and prosecuting people who help others out of compassion seems to be arbitrary and dependent on the mood of the moment. For example, when Dr. Christian Sandsdalen gave an overdose to a woman who begged for his help, he was found guilty of murder. But he was not incarcerated, he merely lost his license. Hardly a punishment for murder and when he died most of the important dignitaries in Norway attended his funeral as a mark of respect. Clearly a double standard is being employed here and in so many other countries where there are similar examples. It is absurd that such an important subject is left to whim or personal discretion. It would be far safer for all if clear laws were enacted that are in tune with the times.
Academic Reading
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