With euthanasia in the news I've decided to tackle this issue. There is no right or wrong; or at least it's not an easy issue to discuss and debate with the intent of arriving at a conclusion. Indeed, the issue of compassionate assisted suicide has its merits but it also has its pitfalls. Its implications not fully understood.
Mental illness (autism, depression and bi-polar disorder) runs in my family and so my views will reflect this reality.
The first part is a personal story.
Years ago my father slipped into a coma following complications to replace his aorta.
And the complications kept coming. He suffered from what I can recall at this moment: kidney failure, a stroke, flooded lungs and contracted hospital bacteria. Soon after he awoke, he lost the services of his voice because of the trachiatomy he needed to help him breathe.
It was awful but at no moment did we ever entertain the thought of "pulling the plug" on him. Instinctively, morally and spiritually we knew this was not right.
The doctors in the intensive care unit thought otherwise.
A standoff between science and spirituality ensued. Although, the surgeon and nurses sided with us.
The pressure to end his life was intense. At one point, it came to be so unbearable we considered legal action. I myself had to step in and request a private conversation with the head doctor of the ICU. In those five or ten minutes, he proceeded to lay a logical track about "what we were doing to my father." That even if he were to survive his ordeal, his quality of life would be minimal. In other words, he was going to be mentally and physically useless. He implied we were not letting him go with "dignity." It stunned me.
I don't know what happened but the sudden surge of inner-strength to rise and challenge him was powerful. I kept my calm and proceeded to reverse and throw his "logic" into his face.
It was a paternalistic and presumptuous of use of a broad term such as dignity.
My angle was simple. I put myself in his shoes to understand where he was coming from. He was playing the percentages. ICU is essentially a death warden. He knows when the Grim Reaper comes and selects his victims. However, in time, I explained a few things about my father; my mother (who was an "irritant" as he put it) and my family. Life is not just about logic.
I don't remember what I said in detail but I do recall the look on his face change abruptly. He had met his match. A lady came up to me and said, "I heard everything. I'm proud of you."
Long story short, my father survived. The doctors were stunned. He's not at full capacity (he's not allowed to drive and can't work. Luckily for him, he was essentially retired and built himself a strong financial base as a small business owner) but he's far from being a "vegetable."
Far, far indeed.
So much so it was spine tingling to listen to him speak about his dreams while in a coma. In one instance, he had a conversation with a long lost brother who died (possibly killed in a mental institution) before my father's eyes when he was just a child.
Next: Are we in a post-nihilist society?
You did expose the real dilemma. Unless the situation is really, really desperate, you don't pull the plug. We had much the same experience with my mother-in-law. The hospital had even stopped feeding here. She was 90 at the time and had caught a virus that severely impacted on her brain. We had to fight but we won. She survived recuperated all but her ability to walk. She had a good life till 96 when she lost her hearing then her sight. She died at 97 from a severe bronchitis after surviving, the year before, a double pneumonia...go figure. We are all convinced that she decided to give up and go very quietly and serenely even saying good bye to her eldest son before laying her head on the pillow clutching her beads and closing her eyes forever.
ReplyDeletePlaying God is not easy.
It will surprise you to hear that I am convinced you did the right thing. I’m not for killing people who have chances of living, even with lesser ability and quality. And it is true that life cannot be judged with too much logic.
ReplyDeleteThe “natural” end is always the best to me. I only think one should be free to decide whatever he/she wants to do of his/her last phase, in case it is ‘very’ critical. One is not free in Italy in this, very simply said.
And in fact in my 2 posts there are only examples of ‘personal’ decisions of ending one’s life, of decisions by the same person who then dies. The only exception is Eluana, 17 years (!) of vegetative life (very different case from your father's), with Eluana's father knowing her will (but I imagine it could have been invented), and acting accordingly.
And, friend, believe me, the 'dignity' I was referring to in my post has nothing to do with what that doctor told you. Plus, saying that a person must be killed because ‘useless’ seems like Nazi talk to me.