cocknbull:
Not that I expect I have an overwhelming Catholic following any longer, if I ever did, but it seems that each and every time I post something even loosely related to euthanasia, I receive anonymous messages telling me, in no uncertain terms: “Life is sacred, from conception to natural death.”
I’m sick to my fucking core of this bullshit.
A) Stop pretending conception is the be-all, end-all. Something like one quarter of pregnancies end in miscarriage. Your god doesn’t care whether or not conception is the starting point of human life, and neither do I.
B) “Natural death” is the single most meaningless term I’ve yet be eye-fucked with. For one, all death is “natural”. And what, pray tell, could be more “natural” than consciously choosing when, where, and with whom my life will end? For another, chemotherapy prevents “natural death,” so, if we’re attempting to be logical, you’re almost certainly far, far, far more guilty of subverting the natural order than I am.
So, metaphorically, pick a side of the fence, attempt to leap over into it, and mortally injure yourself on the barbed wire, please, so I can say, “Whoa, hey, better not get immediate, necessary medical attention! That’d be unnatural…”
I’m not a fan of euthanasia per se, as it implies the person may not have consented, but I am all for physician assisted suicide, which a few states have legalized. I have seen first hand the technology used to keep people alive long past when their “natural” death should have occurred. With a ventilator and cardiac bypass machine, you could possibly stay “alive” forever, so long as your organs stay funtional and minimal tissue break down occurs. But who in their right mind would want such a thing to happen to their body?
And who would want their loved ones to suffer such a fate? No one I would trust.
Then, of course, there are those who are fully aware of the constant pain and struggle their condition causes, want to end their suffering, but can’t. I suggest reading this article to educate yourself on what this means. It’s pretty compelling:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/blog/2012/jun/18/locked-in-syndrome-tony-nicklinson
(tumblr wouldn’t let me hyperlink)
