Whether you agree or not with assisted suicide, Jack Kevorkian opened up a debate that I feel should still be open today. Do I agree with everything he has said and done, no but I do think that this is an issue that needs to be looked at more deeply and openly debated.
The common sense side of me says yes it is ok to assist someone who is in great pain and unable to do it themselves. Meanwhile the side of me that can appreciate the religious implications, says hold on maybe this isn't right.
I guess what it all boils down to is this; we put down our pets who have become a large part of our families and in some cases the centrepiece of the family. We know that the outcome will remain the same and so we take it upon ourselves to do the humane thing and stop their suffering. So, if this is the case why do we allow our family members to live and die in such agony? Living a life in severe pain, wishing you were dead is not living and I think as a society we need to think about what that person wants and respect their decision, no matter how difficult it is on us. Why should my loved one who has asked to be put to sleep not have their wishes met?
Is it a human rights issue? I would argue that it is, every human being on this planet deserves to choose their own destiny, be it acceptable to us on a personal level or not. Laws are in place in most countries to stop this from happening, but if we are going to look at it as a human rights issue then I think we would all agree that someone taking their own life when gravely ill or in severe pain only affects that person. Sure there is feelings of loved ones to take into account but that really plays no part when it comes to human rights.
Should religion play a role in this? This comes down to personal choice, if you are a religious person then you will probably not go for assisted suicide, but should your, or my religion stop someone else from taking their own life? Many say yes, but the common sense in me says no it shouldn't. We need to respect their decision as a human beings and move on.
Jack Kevorkian, dead at 83. He opened up a much needed debate on a public and personal level. He made us look inside ourselves and ask that questions.......would I if I was in that person's shoes?
The common sense side of me says yes it is ok to assist someone who is in great pain and unable to do it themselves. Meanwhile the side of me that can appreciate the religious implications, says hold on maybe this isn't right.
I guess what it all boils down to is this; we put down our pets who have become a large part of our families and in some cases the centrepiece of the family. We know that the outcome will remain the same and so we take it upon ourselves to do the humane thing and stop their suffering. So, if this is the case why do we allow our family members to live and die in such agony? Living a life in severe pain, wishing you were dead is not living and I think as a society we need to think about what that person wants and respect their decision, no matter how difficult it is on us. Why should my loved one who has asked to be put to sleep not have their wishes met?
Is it a human rights issue? I would argue that it is, every human being on this planet deserves to choose their own destiny, be it acceptable to us on a personal level or not. Laws are in place in most countries to stop this from happening, but if we are going to look at it as a human rights issue then I think we would all agree that someone taking their own life when gravely ill or in severe pain only affects that person. Sure there is feelings of loved ones to take into account but that really plays no part when it comes to human rights.
Should religion play a role in this? This comes down to personal choice, if you are a religious person then you will probably not go for assisted suicide, but should your, or my religion stop someone else from taking their own life? Many say yes, but the common sense in me says no it shouldn't. We need to respect their decision as a human beings and move on.
Jack Kevorkian, dead at 83. He opened up a much needed debate on a public and personal level. He made us look inside ourselves and ask that questions.......would I if I was in that person's shoes?
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