Here in the UK, euthanasia is illegal. I understand that in some countries there is a legal choice and many people travel from here in the UK to these countries with loved ones, to help them pass in a dignified manner that they have chosen for themselves.
Loved ones have been prosecuted in the past for assisting their family member to die this way, but is it really so wrong?
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
I think it is safe to say that we all know someone who has been affected by cancer in one way or another. My grandmother was sadly eaten away by the indiscriminate disease and at the end it seemed cruel that she had to suffer the way she did. It was torture for both her and everyone that loved her. You cannot describe the feelings of hopelessness, watching someone in so much pain, but not being able to help.
There were moments when she would beg her children to help her die to put and end to the pain and suffering. It is a heartbreaking situation.
If she had the option to choose euthanasia, I believe she would have done so at the end. To be allowed to die with dignity and not having the fear of more pain and suffering is surely end of life care; not a criminal offence.
I hesitate to refer to animals as we are human, not animals, however we would not sit by and watch an animal suffer in this way. In fact veterinarians have sworn an oath to such effect. Anyone found to allow an animal to slowly die in pain would be prosecuted for animal cruelty.
Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash
So why do we have more compassion for animals than humans in this respect?
Are we more disconnected from animals than humans? Is it that we are scared of godly repercussions if we were to assist that choice for another human being? Do we have the right to chose when we die?
I believe in the UK, we have more empathy for animals than we do for humans. Not everyone of course, but on the whole I believe this to be true. Ask anyone if they will watch a movie where the dog dies and they will tell you it’s the most upsetting part of the film, even if people are being killed left right and centre! The dog dying has the most impact.
Perhaps we allow euthanasia for animals because of this increased empathy. Should we learn to love other people as much we love animals? Would it then be acceptable for euthanasia?
I am an atheist so I have no understanding of being afraid of god. To me this is an alien concept. I can only imagine the power of the fear someone has of being punished by a god for doing something against his will.
I do however believe in morality and that we all have an internal moral compass. We know right from wrong instinctively and that is down to how we have evolved over millions of years. We created society in an attempt to bring people together and create structure and order.
Law is another matter. You only have to watch an episode of judge Judy to realise that it’s all words and loopholes. Morality doesn’t come into it. I do not think that people who create these laws are making them for moral reasons and making euthanasia illegal simply confirms this to me.
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash
Should we have the right to choose when we die? If someone had the mental capacity to make that choice, and wanted it to happen in a dignified manner with loved ones being able to be by their sides without the fear of them being held accountable afterwards, then I genuinely don’t see a valid reason for not allowing the process to happen. I can only see cruelty and control being the only reason for taking away this end of life choice. I do feel that it should be the right of the individual to chose euthanasia, NOT a loved one, as the decision to endure should come from oneself.
In my humble opinion, I feel we should ultimately have the right to choose euthanasia if we have nothing but pain, fear and suffering left to endure. Quality of life should be exactly that, a certain quality, not just an existence until our body stops working, especially when medicines are being used to prolong the agony of staying alive when there is no hope for a cure or peace before death.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
What are your thoughts on this thought provoking subject? Join in the discussion and take part with Ladies of Hive Community Contest #125 which you can find here https://hive.blog/hive-124452/@ladiesofhive/ladies-of-hive-community-contest-125
My Mom used it, we call it MAID. She believed it was the best option, we had a living funeral, everyone was there at the time, and others came by the preceding days to say goodbye, she stayed at home, and never had to go to a hospital or hospice and lay there waiting with just strangers around. I will do the same when the time comes.
I’m so sorry to hear of your mum passing, but that does certainly sound like a very dignified and loving way of leaving this life. I wish we all had that option
You make an excellent point that I fully share. How is it possible to have compassion for an animal and not let it die of pain or suffering, while when it comes to humans, then it is illegal in many countries. I feel sometimes that there is a double standard. Only the people who suffer from the disease or their accompanying family members understand the suffering of prolonged departure instead of a dignified death.
!LADY
View or trade
LOHtokens.@tibaire, you successfully shared 0.1000 LOH with @beautifulbullies and you earned 0.1000 LOH as tips. (13/13 calls)
Use !LADY command to share LOH! More details available in this post.
The double standards make no sense to me.
Hello @beautifulbullies !
Your article was upvoted by @minnowsupport .
!LADY😍🌺🤙
View or trade
LOHtokens.@silversaver888, you successfully shared 0.1000 LOH with @beautifulbullies and you earned 0.1000 LOH as tips. (2/30 calls)
Use !LADY command to share LOH! More details available in this post.
Thank you so much ☺️
I'm sorry to read about your grandmother. It must have been very tough for everyone in your family especially to her, suffering all through until her last breath...
I share a similar opinion with you and I think we must respect whatever a person chooses for himself even when it is against our personal belief or practice.
I absolutely agree with you 💯
Religion is certainly one of the main reasons. I had to delete tiktok from my phone because It was outraging to see there how fanatic religious people believe there is no other way to know good and bad than a God being there (and so much more. I have nothing against people who go to religion for peace, but a lot of fanatics are not peaceful at all) they have those fears from their beliefs that become the law for everybody else and it makes no sense.
However, there is another side to this story and has to do with your comment about it being the decision of the patient, not the family. People have been proven to go deep to their evil side when money is on the table, and with all the murders related to the inheritance we have now, who knows how it could escalate, having the option of euthanasia. Can we be sure it's a decision made without extortion?
I think it should be an option, it's not fair to have to suffer because other people are scared or because of the possibility of a criminal attempt to get an inheritance faster, but I get why there is so much hesitance around it.
Yes you are right. The temptation for people to use it to gain financially has to be the biggest argument to me against it. We live in a world where money brings out the very worst in people and unfortunately it would be used to this end, without a doubt. It is such a hard subject isn’t it
Yeah, making it legal and accessible for people who actually need it would take heavy regulations and control to how the decision is communicated. Even to the lengths of eliminating succession of wealth. Idk. It doesn't need to be a big inheritance to people go feral. I've seen it with poor people over an cheap house.
Hi @beautifulbullies,
Thank you for participating in the #teamuk curated tag. We have upvoted your quality content.
For more information visit our discord https://discord.gg/8CVx2Am
You have received 1.0000 LOH for posting in Ladies of Hive. We believe that you should be rewarded for the time and effort spent in creating articles. The goal is to encourage token holders to accumulate and hodl LOH tokens over a long period of time.