I’d Rather Undergo Euthanasia than Have to Spend My Youth in Asia?

Ok, maybe breathing Beijing air leads to slow suffocation, lung destruction and other bodily malfunctions. And it’s not just Beijing, but the cost of growing too fast all over the developing world, grabbing at energy sources regardless of the environmental destruction, and ultimately shortening lives and killing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, every year. I don’t think Buddha said, “Growth is suffering,” but perhaps if he had lived in contemporary society, he might have added those words to his search for simple and overwhelming truth. But he did say, translated: Life is “suffering” (“dukkha,” which can also mean dissatisfaction, stress, etc.).

But today’s topic is actually all about “suffering” and the legal and moral rights we might have to choose opt out of unbearable pain and embrace death instead… with or without the aid of sympathetic bystanders. In most jurisdictions, suicide is illegal (if you pull it off, you can avoid prosecution!) and almost everywhere, assisting suicide produces a Kevorkian-like prosecution and conviction.

Remember, Dr. Jack, the American physician/pathologist? “He is best known for publicly championing a terminal patient's right to die via physician-assisted suicide; he claimed to have assisted at least 130 patients to that end. He was often known by the nickname ‘Dr. Death,’ and famously said, ‘dying is not a crime’… In 1999, Kevorkian was arrested and tried for his direct role in a case of voluntary euthanasia. He was convicted of second-degree murder and served eight years of a 10-to-25-year prison sentence. He was released on parole on June 1, 2007, on condition he would not offer suicide advice to any other person.” Wikipedia. 

Suicide and assisting suicide is nevertheless deeply offensive to many of the earth’s religions, including Catholicism: “According to the theology of the Catholic Church, death by suicide is considered a grave or serious sin. The chief Catholic Christian argument is that one's life is the property of God and a gift to the world, and to destroy that life is to wrongly assert dominion over what is God's and is a tragic loss of hope.” Wikipedia.

But the world is slowly changing its view of suicide where the “chooser” has the strong desire to end serious and interminable pain through death. In 1994, a ballot measure in Oregon suggested how strong the movement to permit assisted suicide was becoming: “Measure 16 of 1994 established the U.S. state of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act (ORS 127.800-995), which legalizes physician-assisted dying (commonly referred to as physician-assisted suicide) with certain restrictions. Passage of this initiative made Oregon the first U.S. state and one of the first jurisdictions in the world to permit some terminally ill patients to determine the time of their own death.

“The measure was approved in the November 8, 1994 general election. 627,980 votes (51.3%) were cast in favor, 596,018 votes (48.7%) against. Measure 51, referred in the wake of Washington v. Glucksberg by the state legislature in November, 1997, sought to repeal the Death with Dignity act, but was rejected by 60% of voters. The act was challenged by the George W. Bush administration, but was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in Gonzales v. Oregon in 2006.” Wikipedia. In 2002, Belgium also passed a law permitting responsible adults to have access to assisted suicide as well. The world was tipping the balance towards alleviating suffering… even if the means might be rather extreme.

But what about children who are terminal and enduring suffering without hope of relief? Are they too young to consent? And can someone else make that decision for them? How would you like to be a parent making that choice for your child? These are the issues that roiled before Belgium’s parliament as they considered updating that 2002 law to include children as well. There are a lot of practicing Catholics (the predominant faith) in Belgium. With King Phillip likely to sign the bill into law, “Under the measure, approved 86 to 44 by the lower house [after approval by the upper house], euthanasia would be permissible for terminally ill children who are close to death, experiencing ‘constant and unbearable suffering’ and can show a ‘capacity of discernment,’ meaning they can demonstrate they understand the consequences of such a choice.

“The measure is an amended version of a 2002 law that allowed euthanasia for adults, and it extends this to those under 18. The legislation also requires that a request for euthanasia include the written consent of a parent…

“Opponents, including religious leaders, some medical professionals and conservative politicians, have argued that modern medicine can alleviate suffering among the very sick and that euthanasia of minors could lead Belgian society down a perilous ethical path.

“[In mid-February,] 160 Belgian pediatricians signed an open letter arguing that there was no urgent need for the law and that science and medicine were capable of relieving the worst suffering of terminally ill children. Demonstrators this week also took to the streets in Brussels. Some carried signs that read: ‘Care! Do Not Kill.’” New York Times, Valentine’s Day.  It is a touchy, emotional and messy subject. How do you feel about euthanasia generally? When it comes to children?

I’m Peter Dekom, and this is one of the most difficult and saddest issues that society can face.