Recently, Brittany Maynard of Oregon chose to end her life through assisted suicide after battling severe brain cancer since New Year’s of last year, she was 29. This issue is so difficult to come to a decision on because of all the possible circumstances for assisted suicide, I can think of many pros and cons to it….
PROS:
- relief from the pain and suffering of a terminal illness
- should be the patient’s right to choose
- if we don’t let animals suffer, why people?
- saves money on pointless treatments/medications
CONS:
- possibilities of legalized murder
- possibility of conspiracy
- patient may not be in right mind state
- possible regret of decision
- the Hippocratic Oath
- doctors may not treat you well if they know you’re going to kill yourself
- (for the government) lose more money on drugs and treatment
- minorities, elderly elites at risk possibly
- religious concern
Now as you can see there are substantially more point in the cons, but these are mainly just possibilities, it’s easy to pull any scenario out of the air and use it because it hasn’t technically been disproven already. Out of both sides of the fight, I’m pro-choice, it’s your life and as upsetting as it is to hear of anyone leave this earth, it is more upsetting to hear how much pain someone may have to put up with and there’s nothing that can be done. Still, reading about Maynard’s story saddened me, partly because she was so young but also partly because of how content she was to die.
When I read she and her husband moved to Oregon where assisted death is legal, it also said she had done many of her bucket list ideas before the date she planned to take the death drugs. I thought that was great, who wouldn’t use the limited time they had to do everything they’ve ever wanted to do? I imagine it might have her decision easier, having no regrets or things she “wished she’d done”, even at 29 Brittany seemed sure she wanted to die. She was in a lot of pain near the end, having long seizures too but her family and husband stuck by her the whole time.
Brittany’s story brings this fight to a younger generation, where normally it’s demographic is in the 70’s, so now maybe this will spark more discussion about the subject. If we can put an animal to death to end it’s suffering, than why can’t we apply that rule to humans? Are we saying human life is more valuable than an animal? Even if in unbearable pain, facing inevitable death? No, they don’t want people to have a way out. Maynard said herself, she doesn’t have a suicidal bone in her body, but there was no other way to her. Surrounded by her loved ones, Brittany Maynard took the drugs that would end her life, and her suffering forever.
Laura Ω 