So, yesterday, Friday February 7th, 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the ban on doctor-assisted suicide, or, euthanasia. According to the reports I read, the decision seemed pretty unanimous, and quite a few of my classmates and colleagues have expressed support and superiorly pointed thumbs to the decision.
Personally, I don’t believe that legalizing euthanasia is morally right. There, I said it. I mean no offence to the people who do think it’s fine, but if you’re a true advocate of “freedom”, then you shouldn’t be taking offence anyway. A majority of the justification for my stance is on a foundation of my values and beliefs as a Christian, so if it doesn’t resonate with you, understand that that does not mean my reasoning is not valid. I do have some more “secular” reasons, too, so it’s not like I’m totally biased to a religious standpoint, haha.
I think it sets a frightening precedent that may lead to the legalization of more flexible terms of assisted-suicide, perhaps even to non-voluntary or involuntary euthanasia, ie: the infamous “slippery slope”. Historically, this has happened before, and coincidentally, it also happened with an issue that involves the question of human life; namely, abortion. Back when it was first introduced, abortion was advertised as being only justified under very specific, medical circumstances (ie: if the mother’s life is in danger, and as a way of stopping back-street abortionists who often messed up the procedure and inflicted pain/injury on their clients, etc). Abortion was not intended to be available on-demand. Last time I checked Canada’s policies on abortion, it was, what do you know, available on-demand. There are literally no legal restrictions. Abortion is another sticky subject, but in this case, I only bring it up to prove that the slippery slope is real, and legalizing euthanasia means it’s going to take a lot of conscious effort to avoid going places that further compromises human morality. That being said, is there an ideal, objective way of regulating euthanasia to ensure we don’t slip down?
I also believe that euthanasia just opens too many doors to be abused. It gives unnecessary power to doctors, whose main objective should be to preserve life, period, not to preserve life until the costs no longer outweigh the supposed benefits of killing the person. It makes these vulnerable, suffering individuals susceptible to feeling pressured to take action and end their life on their own terms, perhaps because of their family, or because they feel they are “wasting” medical resources. There are just too many ways it can be exploited and used as justification for ending a person’s life.
Which leads me to this one reason euthanasia just doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t know how else to say this, but euthanasia, in some sick way, glorifies death. Okay, I know that sounds offensive, but I’m not saying that people who choose to end their own lives want to do it, or that supporters of euthanasia are pro-death, or anything like that, goodness, no! But when people say that euthanasia allows a suffering person to “die with dignity”, that seriously makes me mad. Are these people implying that the patients who don’t choose to end their lives don’t die with dignity??? Now that’s offensive. Our society views pain, weakness, and fear as states of being that are undignified. It means you are dependent, fragile, and struggling, but does that mean it’s shameful? These people are fighting battles a healthy person like myself couldn’t dream of facing. Being in pain, and being afraid, does not undermine a person’s dignity. I wouldn’t say that choosing to end your suffering on your own terms undermines it, either. But saying things like “dying with dignity” presents euthanasia as this way for an otherwise helpless person to retain some semblance of control over their lives. Yes, perhaps that level of control is what a person wants, but the reasoning that having control of your life is what defines your level of dignity, is extremely flawed. Anyways, I know it might seem a bit trivial, but yeah, it just makes me mad when people use that as a reason for euthanasia.
Finally, as a Christian, I believe that human life is sacred, which I think most people tend to agree with, but I also believe that every human’s life is not their own, which I think most people tend not to agree with. Individualism and free will and self-empowerment are the norm, so I get that believing that God made people, and that we were made in His image, and therefore our lives belong to Him as the Creator, probably doesn’t sound very convincing or enticing. If you don’t believe that, just be a real advocate for tolerance for a second, and walk a mile in my shoes. Hypothetically, if you DID believe that every human life is God-given, and that a Creator made every single person specifically and purposefully, then it would make sense to believe that euthanasia – putting human lives in human hands rather than the Creator’s hands – would contradict your core beliefs, right? God made every person, and that makes each life unspeakably valuable. So, that’s basically where I’m coming from. The crux of my personal opinion rests on what I believe to be a fact.
I’m sorry this post is so darn long. If you read the whole thing, thank you so much! I appreciate it, whether or not you agree with me, or even care what I think. I just felt the need to express my feelings about the new direction Canada has taken. Even though I don’t agree with the decision made, what’s done is done, and I really hope everything works out for the best. Being in dental/medical school right now, these issues impact me professionally, and emotionally, a lot more than before, so thanks for bearing with me while I vent.
God bless.
Thought Bubbles 