This week has been quite a hectic one. One incident after another has led me to restart blogging. Here I was, quite satisfied with finishing my first blog after a long lay-off and I got another article in my hand which forced me to think.
This time, it's a quite controversial subject that I am going to touch upon with serious moral issues attached. The word is "Euthanasia". For many this might be something they have never heard of, for others it might be something they know about, but never cared to give it more than a passing thought.
Wiki states, "Euthanasia refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner". This word takes its root in two ancio-greek words "eu" - meaning good and "thanatos" - meaning death. Literally meaning "good death". I won't go into the details of it as you can easily wiki it. I will rather try to focus my views on the social aspects of it. I have neither pro nor anti views over it.
The question here is how can death be good! Think of a person who is terminally ill with no hope of living beyond a certain timeline in immediate future and suffering from insufferable pain. He knows he is going to die, but he just could not bear the sufferings the illness is causing. He does not want to die now because death is imminent, but because his life has become worse than death and his sufferings and pain making it unbearable.
The article described several cases where people's life has been worst than death. One case was of a teenage girl who was suffering from leukemia. Here was a girl, all of 13, suffering from an incurable disease. She had been operated upon several times. She was to undergo a heart replacement surgery which she was really reluctant to. She had suffered and didn't wanted to prolong her sufferings.
I remember a recent incident where a derby horse was euthanized because she broke her front legs while racing in a derby. I also remember that when a horse breaks its limbs, they don't join like human's. She would have been hampered for the whole life and would be suffering from the pain.
I remember another news where a lady was kept on life support system even after she was declared brain dead for more than 13 years just because her parents thought she will wake up someday. Her husband had to fought a long and hard battle to get permission to withdraw the life support system.
Such cases comes up which makes you sit up and think about the pros and cons of euthanasia. There seems to be a question which needs answering - "Is life so worthy that even in extreme circumstances we are forced to live? Is it really worth the sufferings entailed upon a person due to the advancement of medicine and technology which can prolong life?"
Whatever may be the answer, the thing to surmise is - "Who is responsible for deciding if a life is worthy enough to be protected inspite of all the sufferings?" Guess, that's the most difficult question to answer. How to determine if the person's suffering outweighs his will to live? There seems to be so many variables which determines it.
The other factor seems to be that all human being different has different level of tolerance. Who will decide if that tolerance limit has crossed? How to measure the point of tolerance?
The only answer, right now, seems to be in counseling. I feel it is the person who has to have right to decide because it is him who is suffering. Other's can just assume his sufferings. Pain is just a part of the suffering.
I have my objection over the other synonyms used for the word. Words like "mercy killing", "assisted suicide" does not really reflect true picture. Killing is ending of life which had to offer much more and was nipped at the bud. Suicide is a way of getting away from failure for whatever the reason.
If I touch upon the moral aspect of it, the main reason for countering it will be "sanctity of life". Life itself is sacred so ending it is a sin. But this seems to be a feeble argument in view of capital punishment being awarded in several countries. I will not try to compare these two, but they both fall under the same sanctity of life argument.
I will let you think for yourself over the issue. Every person has the right to his/her perception. Let sanity prevail...
This time, it's a quite controversial subject that I am going to touch upon with serious moral issues attached. The word is "Euthanasia". For many this might be something they have never heard of, for others it might be something they know about, but never cared to give it more than a passing thought.
Wiki states, "Euthanasia refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner". This word takes its root in two ancio-greek words "eu" - meaning good and "thanatos" - meaning death. Literally meaning "good death". I won't go into the details of it as you can easily wiki it. I will rather try to focus my views on the social aspects of it. I have neither pro nor anti views over it.
The question here is how can death be good! Think of a person who is terminally ill with no hope of living beyond a certain timeline in immediate future and suffering from insufferable pain. He knows he is going to die, but he just could not bear the sufferings the illness is causing. He does not want to die now because death is imminent, but because his life has become worse than death and his sufferings and pain making it unbearable.
The article described several cases where people's life has been worst than death. One case was of a teenage girl who was suffering from leukemia. Here was a girl, all of 13, suffering from an incurable disease. She had been operated upon several times. She was to undergo a heart replacement surgery which she was really reluctant to. She had suffered and didn't wanted to prolong her sufferings.
I remember a recent incident where a derby horse was euthanized because she broke her front legs while racing in a derby. I also remember that when a horse breaks its limbs, they don't join like human's. She would have been hampered for the whole life and would be suffering from the pain.
I remember another news where a lady was kept on life support system even after she was declared brain dead for more than 13 years just because her parents thought she will wake up someday. Her husband had to fought a long and hard battle to get permission to withdraw the life support system.
Such cases comes up which makes you sit up and think about the pros and cons of euthanasia. There seems to be a question which needs answering - "Is life so worthy that even in extreme circumstances we are forced to live? Is it really worth the sufferings entailed upon a person due to the advancement of medicine and technology which can prolong life?"
Whatever may be the answer, the thing to surmise is - "Who is responsible for deciding if a life is worthy enough to be protected inspite of all the sufferings?" Guess, that's the most difficult question to answer. How to determine if the person's suffering outweighs his will to live? There seems to be so many variables which determines it.
The other factor seems to be that all human being different has different level of tolerance. Who will decide if that tolerance limit has crossed? How to measure the point of tolerance?
The only answer, right now, seems to be in counseling. I feel it is the person who has to have right to decide because it is him who is suffering. Other's can just assume his sufferings. Pain is just a part of the suffering.
I have my objection over the other synonyms used for the word. Words like "mercy killing", "assisted suicide" does not really reflect true picture. Killing is ending of life which had to offer much more and was nipped at the bud. Suicide is a way of getting away from failure for whatever the reason.
If I touch upon the moral aspect of it, the main reason for countering it will be "sanctity of life". Life itself is sacred so ending it is a sin. But this seems to be a feeble argument in view of capital punishment being awarded in several countries. I will not try to compare these two, but they both fall under the same sanctity of life argument.
I will let you think for yourself over the issue. Every person has the right to his/her perception. Let sanity prevail...
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