To: Mama Bear who wrote (2002 ) 3/8/1999 11:36:00 PM From: nuke44 Read Replies (1) | Respond to
No apology necessary. As far as euthanasia for terminal patients in the Netherlands, I haven't heard or read any outcry against the way they have implemented their program and I'm sure if there was even a single case contested, we probably would know about it. I am not against euthanasia for the terminally ill, per se. Especially not if it is a choice that they have made consciously for themselves. My own father died from a particularly virulent form of cancer that debilitated him, dropping from a healthy weight of 240 lbs.(he was 6' 5") to 105 lbs over a period of 6 months. The last several weeks he was taking up to 16 shots of Demerol per day just to try to combat the pain. I know that if he had a choice that he believed wouldn't have hurt his family to carry out, he would not have stayed with us as long as he did. My own aversion to doctor mandated euthanasia is purely from my own fear of death (In my universe, when you shuffle off this mortal coil, your only hope of immortality is through your progeny or as worm food) and the fear that the choice was not mine. Twice in my life, I have regained consciousness after traumatic injury, under the care of doctors and/or medics, once for more than 30 hours. The fact my corporeal body had traveled more than 200 miles while I was in my own private Idaho, near death, (No, I didn't see a bright light. It was more like being locked in an outhouse with no light, on a cold night) left me a feeling of vulnerability that is hard to explain. The thought that it could happen and I may not have the final say so whether to hang around or get the hell out of Dodge, just doesn't set well with me. Since I can't advocate it for myself, I don't suppose I'm qualified to suggest that it's allright for anyone else.
