making the terminally ill suffer longer then they need to is inhumane. Not just anyone can get this prescription. And the doctor doesn't physically take your life...he prescribes the drugs necessary to end your life, but it is up to u to take them. And if the doctor suspects u r depressed or otherwise incapable of making this decision objectively, then they cannot prescribe u the drugs.
Some ppl who r actually being forced to deteriorate with MS or ALS or any other one of those other numerous diseases that will eventually, and painfully, take their lives, are probably quite content knowing that this is now an option for them...and that they can die with dignity. I think it is entirely necessary.
So how much pain and suffering do you have in your life? I have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis, which has had me bed ridden and in agonizing pain the last 10 months, as the meds kept failiing. There honestly were times I asked God to take me, the pain was so debilitating.
But God did not take me. Any more than he took me 15 years ago when I was in this same state. Instead, he used it for my good, and helped me grow in character, maturity and closer to him. How sad if assisted suicide had been available back 15 years ago, when the pain was so agonizing, and I didn't know there could be hope. Even now, when I know that my latest med combo seems to be working, I know it could stop working any day, because my RA is so severe. But God keeps me strong.
It is just so sad, that after all the work that has been done to stop people from committing suicide, we now have a law that hands people the drugs to die! ANYONE! Not just the terminally ill. That is our new law.
As for MS, I have a cousin and a sister with it. They are both incredibly active people. My sister gardens 3 acres and plays tennis daily. My cousin swims and is active in community and in various causes. Should they have had the right to kill themselves back in the early days when they didn't know if they had continuous or relapse and remit? And yes, they are both in pain all the time. But they have chosen to live their lives to the fullest!
I worked in long term care as a chaplain. One woman in particular stands out to me. She had continuous MS and was steadily going downhill. She had reached a point where she had to get a head controlled electric wheelchair, because she couldn't move her hand enough to control the wheelchair. She had to have the mouse on her computer right under her hand, or she could not control it. We talked a lot. She said she was continuing to live, and to defy her disease. She went to rock concerts, out shopping regularly, and did a lot of on-line work. She was one of the most positive people I have ever met. Should she have been allowed to kill herself when she was first diagnosed, or when it became apparent how ill she was? She would say NEVER!
As far as ALS, one of the students in the Seminary I attended got a diagnosis a few years after he graduated and was doing ministry. He went downhill quite rapidly. He became bed-bound, and had many caregivers. So what did he do from his death bed? He led all his caregivers to Christ! Imagine if he had been allowed to kill himself earlier.
I watched a movie on Kevorkian last year. Dr Death, he was called. Turns out a lot of the people were sick, but not terminally. They just suffered from depression and it was never treated properly.
Suicide is almost always about depression. It means the brain is not able to cope. It is almost never about the state of the body. God gave us these bodies, broken as they are, to live for him. It is never necessary to die. If you knew anything about palliative care, you would not say this. If you had ever ministered to a person who is actively dying, you would not say this. Even the dying have much to offer us, let alone those who have illnesses.
Again, the law in Canada makes no mention concerning the terminally ill. It makes me ashamed to be a Canadian.