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EUTHANASIA... for turtles, horses, dogs... and HUMANS Selected from the on-going INTERNET BOOK, "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" ( http://www.terrific-tabs.com ) by John N. Todd III, M. D. (link)
SEE related subject SUICIDE; physician-assisted suicide (link) And: MORTALNESS... we are born ALIVE, and born to DIE (link) And: Looking into the tomb... Author's death note (link) Posted here 2/26/07; "Doctored": 2/26/07; 2/27/07; 2/28/07; 5/4/07; 6/12/07 This opinion-piece, written by the author of this website (John N. Todd III, M. D.), was published in its entirety in the Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.... on Sunday, February 18, 2007. Minor additions are shown (in italics) for this Internet version. CLICK HERE to go to the "FRONT PAGE" of "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" CLICK HERE for ALPHABETICAL INDEX of this entire WEBSITE CLICK HERE to EMAIL your thoughts to the author On the Tuscaloosa News editorial page of April 23, 2006, there was a headline which read, "Euthanasia is sometimes the best solution". I was delighted to see this headline, for I am a proponent of "assisted suicide", in alert human-beings who are suffering, intolerably, with a terminal illness. As I read the essay in the Tuscaloosa News, however, I quickly became aware that the lengthy article referred, not to euthanasia for miserable humans, but to euthanasia for injured turtles. The article posed the appropriate question, "What do you do with an animal that would be better off dead than alive?" I was reminded of that 2006 Tuscaloosa News essay, last week, when I read another major article in the Tuscaloosa News about the euthanizing of the race-horse Barbaro, who had suffered a leg injury, several months ago, in the "Preakness". As a result of the injury, this horse, reportedly, had undergone multiple ineffective surgical procedures, plus many torturous and futile medical treatments.... all in the vain hope of restoring the noble beast to a tolerable and productive existence, in this world. When all man-made therapies failed, the owners of the dearly-loved horse decided that they did not want to impose prolonged agony and disability and useless life, on this marvelous equine-creation that they loved so much. Therefore, because of love and compassion and mercy, they opted for "human-assisted death" for their companion horse-friend. For us human-beings, there is still another familiarity with euthanasia that many of us have experienced... the melancholic obligation of "assisting" one of our close doggy-friends, along the road to the canine forever-place. I have tearfully participated, along with my veterinarian, in whispering a sobbing "good-bye" to two of our lovable Sheltie cohorts... who suffered the pain and indignity and misery of impending-death-disease. I could not bear to allow a continuation of useless and painful and depressing life in these sweet creatures, each of whom had cheerfully and lovingly depended on me for several years. Now, along this same line of lugubrious thinking, the other obvious question comes to mind: what about euthanasia (or "assisted suicide") for us "human-animals". In today's world, there are many thoughtful individuals, who are considering these questions about death and dying, and the end-of-life... pondering about themselves, and about other humans who are near-and-dear to them... wondering about useless existence and agonal pain and pointless suffering... and yes, contemplating euthanasia, or "assisted suicide". I will mention here, briefly, a few points about euthanasia and "physician-assisted-suicide" (PAS). Only one state in the United States (Oregon) has approved PAS as a personal choice by an individual. The person considering PAS for himself must be awake and alert; and he or she must have been evaluated by two physicians who agree that the patient has a terminal illness, and less than six months to live. A physician then prescribes for the patient a large amount of a strong sedative, with instructions that if an excessive dose of this medication is ingested, the result would be fatal. The patient then makes the choice, and mixes his own sedative-cocktail. After ingestion, the patient quickly falls into a deep sleep, then quietly expires due to the toxic effects of the medication. The slightly different Kevorkian method of euthanasia, in which a doctor mixes a toxic intravenous solution, and then allows the fully-informed patient to initiate the flow of the toxic solution into his own vein... is no longer utilized in the United States. Dr. Kevorkian was found guilty of murder for his method of "assisting" helpless patients, at their request; and he has been imprisoned. It must be obvious to everyone that suicide, in a horribly suffering individual, cannot be prevented by laws, or by society, or by the church, or by Congress, or by President Bush. Nor can we mortals ever "dodge" the inevitable days of dying... and death. Thus, the question for a gravely-ill suicidal individual becomes, "How can I abbreviate this unbearable suffering? Shall I blow-out my brains with a pistol? Should I take a one-way trip to the bottom of the river? Will I dangle myself at the end of a rope? Or, will someone, or some organization, or some governmental ruling, assist me in my desperate situation... and offer me a sane and dignified way out of my misery, as I move toward the 'next-level' of my existence?" For those individuals who have never witnessed dying and death; and those who have never observed and cared-for miserable and helpless loved-ones, lying in a hospital bed, receiving unwanted and useless treatments that only extend suffering.... I would ask those individuals that they not become too churchy and preachy and sanctimonious in their thoughts about assisted suicide. The questions must be logically considered by all of us. Should human-assisted-suicide ever be contemplated? Who should decide? What will you want for yourself? Is it your religious duty to preach your notions about the "sanctity of life"? Do you choose to allow society, or your religion, or "the government" to dictate your terminal care? When the time comes, in your own life, if you find yourself under the pall of a painful and slow and paralyzing and incurable ailment.... what will your position be? How long will you tolerate your predicament? Would you like the mercy of an "alternative" quick-and-easy departure from this world... or will you choose to lie in misery, with a tube in your stomach for feeding; and a tube in your lungs for the pump-ventilator; and catheters in other orifices; and intravenous needles in several veins; and a cardiac monitor (so that if your heart stops, you can be shocked back to "life"... and then be subjected to additional "therapeutic measures".... for the prolongation of your mental and physical agony)? Will you allow pointless and painful surgical "whittling", on your own body? Will you agree to debilitating chemotherapy that may extend your existence.... and your suffering.... for only a month or two? Is it time, in Alabama and in other states, for every awake-and-alert individual, to have the "right-to-choose"... the right to control his own body... the right to refuse intolerable worldly existence... the right to request and be granted "assisted suicide"? Shouldn't our laws give as much consideration and respect and mercy to us human-animals... as we humans give to turtles, horses, and dogs? When the time comes in my own life, I hope I will have a choice... a choice with dignity and honor and pride and comfort.... so that I can avoid the horror of "taking matters into my own hands". Yes, I know, according to Ecclesiastes 3: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven... a time to be born, and a time to die." That same scripture adds: "A time to plant, and a time to pluck-up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up." I am not aware of any Biblical admonition that says we humans should not agree to "assist" our loved-ones, at their request, in the agony of their terminal days. END A personal remembrance.... quoting Dr. Tinsley Harrison, in the 1950's: "The proper function of a physician is to prolong life.... NOT to prolong suffering." AND "Life is qualitative.... not quantitative." |