Brittany may think her choice is a highly personal and private one, but it is not. Already, her decision has reignited hotly contested debates as to whether physician-assisted suicide should be expanded beyond the five states where it is legal.
It was a personal choice - she's the one who made the decision. And before discussing whether or not it was personal, we must define what it means for something to be a personal choice. She was very outspoken about her choice - in that regard it wasn't personal. But it was personal in the sense that it's something she chose.
But should access to lethal prescriptions be considered as merely another menu item available for dying patients? Is good hospice care allowing for people to control the timing and manner of their deaths? I do not believe so. Expanding hospice “services” to include an option to be put to death would not enhance palliative care, but actually interfere with the proper delivery of hospice services.
It
would interfere with hospice services? Then why isn't it? Keep in mind, assisted suicide is legal in five states already and we see no evidence of hospice services being compromised.
There are good laws throughout the U.S. that help people die with dignity — laws that provide advanced pain management therapies for people dealing with intractable pain. Plus, people have the legal right to refuse treatment if they don’t want it.
How does the author try to justify hospice care? By pointing out that it's a choice.
Assisted suicide is also a choice.
In addition, legalizing physician-assisted suicide in more states may send a bad signal to families who have little access to health care dollars: Would we be saying to low-income families, “We won’t provide health care for your critical condition, but we can make it easier for you to commit suicide”?
How is this any different than hospice?
Most of all, assisted suicide poses a real danger to people with disabilities. Who is to say when multiple sclerosis or ALS is classifed as “terminal”? People who receive a diagnosis of a chronic, disabling condition often experience suicidal feelings, but later adapt very well.
Multiple Sclerosis is not always fatal, therefore it wouldn't be considered terminal in most cases. But if a person is going to die from Multiple Sclerosis, then it does become a terminal illness.
The same goes for ALS, except ALS often is fatal.
A person who has breast cancer isn't going to easily obtain poison so that she may end her life. She's going to be evaluated and given the poison whenever it's clear her life is most definitely going to end and when she starts to experience pain.
Assisted Suicide relies on a very serious process to evaluate whether or not someone is actually terminally ill. To suggest non-terminal people might eventually be granted the choice of committing legal suicide is an unfounded statement.
Only Jesus was able to transform the landscape of life-after-death by conquering the grave and opening the path to eternal life.
If you believe this, then you don't have to partake in assisted suicide. But don't force people who don't believe this to suffer against their will.
Life is the most irreplaceable and fundamental condition of the human experience, and I implore Brittany and others considering her example to take a long, hard look at the consequences of a decision that is so fatal, and worst of all, so final.
Brittany put A LOT of thought into her decision. She concluded that she's either going to die right before the cancer kills her, or she's going to let the cancer torture her so she can't enjoy a single moment she's breathing until the cancer finally does her in. But what about suffering in hell for all eternity? Well, it's simple, not everyone believes they're going to suffer in hell for all eternity if they kill themselves to escape the pain of dying miserably.
If you believe assisted suicide will lead to an eternity in hell, then try to convince people assisted suicide will lead to an eternity of damnation. But keep it a choice! Don't force people to accept your views. If a person doesn't believe they'll burn for all eternity for killing themselves, then let them do it.
Lastly, many terminally ill people still kill themselves. Assisted suicide simply allows these people to die in a more controlled manner.
I think drinking alcohol to get drunk is wrong. But I believe it should also be a choice. I believe Christians should adopt similar views when it comes to assisted suicide.
