Stepping out on a limb

[Casandra]

Probably gonna get flamed on this one, but here goes anyway...

If this country's citizens were a bit more enlightened on the 'right to die' with dignity, we wouldn't be in this 'awful place' we are today. Yes, currently and at any given time, there are countless thousands of people who's feeding tubes have been removed, thus edging them into the 'legal death' that either they or their families have decided upon. This being the most 'humane' of inducing a natural and painless way to die, still leaves those who are part of this...to deal with a long and uncertain length of time to oversee the process...and agonize every single day as to whether they made the right decision or not. I haven't personally had to deal with this yet, but I can only barely imagine how horendous this must be for a family member, watching and waiting.

Now that we've all been privileged to have this situation brought right into our living rooms, <NOT> and are having to wait and watch through the 'circus', discussing it over the dinner tables, in the bedrooms, family discussions...it really does come home to roost. As it 'roosts' right on our own doorsteps, we should ask ourselves, is this really the only way to fulfill this goal...

It feels to me that we are reacting more, due to the lengthy process involved, than we would were this 'end to life' issue handled in a much more gentle and kinder manner. Oregon is the front runner in this one We might take a good hard look and entertain some alternatives to this end of life experience.

Death row inmates <as convoluted as it may seem> are treated with a more gentle 'end' and certainly swifter. As heartwrenching as this whole thing is, the decision regardless of whatever it is, belongs to the family and loved ones...NOT to the government, as to how they want the 'end' to occur. They and all of us, need alternatives!

Just my own personal opinion..

[Dookus]

1. no flames here

People bitch and moan about how awful it is to starve someone to death, but the same people prevent us from even having a discussion on euthanasia.

We treat our dogs better than we do our families, in this regard.

[rodeodance]

2. No, they do not agonize over whether or not the decision was right/wrong

"Making' the decision is the hard part=---then there is generally a sigh of relief.

.....and agonize every single day as to whether they made the right decision or not. ........

[spooked911]

3. You're right. BUT-- legal euthansia sets a potentially

dangerous precedent. If it is ever allowed, it has to be controlled in a very careful manner.

[mmonk]

4. remember, persistive vegetative state.

Also, many people who are on their death bed and not in a persistive vegetative state receive drugs and care to make them comfortable and to pass without stress. Even though TS is in a persistive vegetative state, she may have even been given the same drugs and care though maybe not medically necessary.

[kweerwolf]

5. We are a death-denying culture

We treat the idea of "death" as if it was the enemy and not a natural part of life that will happen to us all at one point or another.

I've ofter wondered if it's because we have such a secular outlook that sees death as an ending. Granted, no one knows what, if anything comes after life, but we put so much emphasis on life that we overlook death. So when someone is nearing the end of their life, we view it as an embarassment or a character flaw.

Because we lack the vocabulary to discuss death (for the most part), we spend our lives avoiding and denying it.

[housewolf]

6. These folks hate death with a passion

I heard Dobson ranting about how the Schiavo controversy was brought about by euthanasia advocates and how they need to be stopped, they themselves love and protect life while bioethicists only care about their research and don't care about life...

Face it, this "culture of life" thing is a HUGE weapon they're using in the Culture Wars. We need to prepare a moral and ethical defense and offense because this isn't going away with the death of Terri Schiavo. They're going to be like a dog with a bone about it, they'll find all sorts of incidents to use this issue as a weapon.



From a more personal reaction: Why are they so defended against death? Why do they think is such a horrible thing, especially those Christians how think that one goes to heaven or joins their Lord upon death? Isn't death a natural part of life? Doesn't a person deny life itself when one denies natural aspects of life?

Do these questions make me "pro-death?" Does that mean that I advocate death and think that death should be heavily promoted? NO, it means that I think these issues should be private matters and that legislation in this area is completely inappropriate.

[watercolors]

7. the blame lays at the feet of Jeb

He took this on as his own, and to further his political agenda. I doubt any of this circus would have gotten this far if ha had not intervened in the beginning.