Human euthanasia is a very controversial subject. Thought I’d share this story to see what you all think about it.
Distraught about going blind, 45-year-old deaf twin brothers from Belgium chose to be euthanized because they couldn’t bear not to see one another, according to reports from Flanders.
Marc and Eddy Verbessem of Putte died Dec. 14 by lethal injection at Brussels University Hospital. Voluntary euthanasia has been legal in Belgium since September 2002.
The doctor who presided over the euthanasia described the twins as being “very happy.”
This is an interesting story, as the “Suffering” of the twins wasn’t the usual nightmare that many people go through with terminal illnesses. I’ll just say from a personal level that I have some relatives who had, or currently are fighting some horrible illnesses, where there is a lot of suffering involved. If we have a pet that gets as bad as they are, we don’t hesitate, we have them put to sleep, and we chastise people who wait too long for prolonging the suffering unnecessarily.
Now back to the twins, they were both born deaf, and they were faced with losing their sight. I must say, that’s a difficult way to live. Sounds like they own a business and have managed to be productive members of society, and are happy, but how would they be if they can no longer see or hear the world around them?
Frankly, I think its their body, and their choice, and Doctor assisted Euthanasia can be far more humane, than more crude suicides.
What do you think?
I think that the deciding to end your life at your own will – – not the state’s – – is an inalienable right.
I think it’s a very slippery slope.
I have mixed, aka undecided, feelings abou this. While I agree with Christina LMT that the slope is very slippery, who better to administer death than the medical professionals who understand it best. The can turn a sloppy or unsuccessful suicide into something that is clean, safe, doesn’t involve considerable pain, and it can be over in minutes.
Man, deaf and going blind. That’s got to be a special kind of hell to look forward to. I don’t blame them at all.
Having just put my 15 year old dog to sleep and seeing how she was during the last days of her life, I am glad that I was able to do that. I would hope that someone would do the same for me if I was in the same place.
I can see how it could be abused. But I can also see a system where we use it in the way is should be used. I am all for it.
And why does one that is otherwise capable need a third party to kill you if you want to commit suicide?
There are any number of ways that they could have done this without euthanasia. Jump off a building….go for a swim in the North Atlantic…. all sorts of ways.
I can see your point, but I’d note that, when assisted by a physician, death is almost a sure thing, not to mention painless. A “normal” (if there is such a thing) suicide attempt has a number of variables which may affect the desired outcome. Can you imagine the mental anguish if both brothers had attempted it on their own and only one succeeded? The survivor would almost certainly not be allowed a second attempt.
Plus, for reasons of practicality, there’s no “mess” afterward. Their affairs were squared away beforehand, and their family and friends hopefully understood and supported the decision. No surprises, and everyone had a chance to prepare.
I stated below, I’m morally opposed to suicide in general, but it’s not my decision to make for everybody else. Physician-assisted suicide, in some rare cases, may be the overall best option. I pray I’m never in that position, but I’d prefer to have the option, even if I won’t take it.
Yep, there was a kid in my high school who put a gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. He survived, but managed to sever both his optic nerves.
I’m glad he wasn’t successful, as he seemed to be pretty happy, making out with his girlfriend in the halls (a teacher joked that she must have told him they were all alone 🙂 )
I also know a guy who put a shotgun to his chest, loaded with buckshot, and survived the bast.
Both of these things are often a quick death sentence, but shit can go wrong.
I had a kid in my middle school take a circular saw to his jugular. He did not make it.
I didn’t know him (but knew of him). IIRC, he was a fairly troubled kid, but nobody really knew why. I still don’t.
As a parent now, I can only imagine coming home and finding the scene in the garage. The physician-assisted method seems better: psych screenings could have caught any severe depression and found treatment, and even if he was mentally OK (and assuming his parents signed off on it), they wouldn’t have that traumatic shock on discovery.
His body, his choice. But I still feel for his family and friends, and all the unanswered questions that must still haunt them.
Yeah that’s a big thing most people don’t think about with suicide is the mess. There’s the blood from bloody deaths, but also your last excretions will come too after death. There’s also vomit for many poisoning deaths.
I dated a girl who had a suicide in the family. I was horrified to hear the family couldn’t find (or possibly afford) a cleaner willing to do the deed, so they had to clean their loved one’s brains and skull off the inside of his shower.
Can you imagine?
We’ve had a state-level doctor-assisted suicide (“Death with Dignity”) law on the books for about a dozen years. Its passage was very controversial, with opponents painting images of untold thousands of people lining up to kill themselves, and doctors as cold-hearted murderers.
In practice, the process takes months and requires extensive physiological and psychological screenings (to ensure sound mind and rational decision-making capabilities, along with a verified terminal illness). In total, about 60 people have applied and completed the process – which, if I recall correctly, represents a majority of applicants.
60 people (or so). In 12 years (or so). The opponents’ “mass suicide/death” predictions failed to materialize. Kinda reminds you of some other activists’ predictions, huh?
Although I’m generally against suicide for moral reasons, I refuse to impose my morality on others; what’s right for me may not be right for everyone, and I’ll (hopefully!) never be in a position to learn what it’s like to make such a decision. As such, I have no problems with the law as it’s written and practiced, and I’d even support lifting the “terminal illness” mandate (the Verbessem brothers would not have qualified under the current law). Ayn Rand said that there is one fundamental human right: the right to one’s own life. All others grow from that. I think that – given a sound, rational mind – the right to one’s own life should include the right to decide if it should end early, and if so, how.