DEATH WITH DIGNITY
With the recent release of Jack "Dr. Death" Kevorkian I got to thinking..What do I think about assisted suicide? I have always had mixed feelings on this subject and I am sure that many of you are in the same position. On one hand, it seems like a coward's way out. That is most certainly true. But if you look at it another way, it looks the very definition of self-determination. What is more self-determined than walking into Dr. Death's office and saying "I am done man, gimmie the cyanide". In the following article, I am going to make the case that supporting "Death with Dignity" is a conservative view point.
We, as conservatives, extol a view point that values the ideas of self-determination and personal responsibility. We do not support people whining and crying about their plight, we tell them to do something about it. Conservatism, at its core, is about the responsibility of the individual not the collective. Why then do we, as the collective, tell people who are "suffering" or "in unimaginable pain" or "terminally ill" that they have no right to take their own life into their hands. The idea that society knows better than the individual is a Communist idea and has no place in our nation.
Christians are a sizable group on this site and within the conservative movement as a whole and it is their opposition to assisted suicide that eventually landed Kevorkian in prison. As a Christian, I understand the trepidation that Christians have about this idea. Suicide is a mortal sin in our view and the thought that someone would trump God to kill themselves is a blasphemous idea. I will say that I generally agree with this view. On the other hand, we have to understand that Christianity, while critical to our nation's heritage and development, is not the law of the land. A decision about taking your own life is clearly not an easy one. To think that our self-righteousness is more important to that person's fundamental right of self-determination is asinine.
One of the major sticking points in this argument is determining who is eligible or "worthy" of doctor assisted suicide. To me this is a scurrilous argument. I believe that if you want to kill yourself, there is no reason for society to get in the way. I know stupid 19 year olds will go get it done and I say good. If someone takes the time and effort to do this there is a good chance they will never be worthwhile to society anyway. There are people who do not have the mental wherewithal to make this decision and they would be dealt with in the same way these issues are dealt with now. If someone in the person's family objected to the decision based on diminished mental capacity they would have to prove to a judge that the person is incompetent. The patient would not have to prove their sanity..the burden of proof would be on the person objecting to the patient's decision.
Another reason I have decided to be a supporter of assisted suicide is the financial benefits to our nation as a whole. As we all know, our federal government is being overwhelmed by the cost of taking care of our aging population. Almost every old timer qualifies for Medicare and many qualify for Medicaid. Of course, I do not support either of these programs whatsoever but getting rid of them is an uphill battle to say the least. Making assisted suicide a legitimate option for suffering seniors would not only give them more options but would potentially save our nation billions of dollars per year. This seems crass and it is but statistics don't lie...when people die earlier, they drain less of our resources.
Our medical system has been created, in large part, to lengthen lives regardless of misery and pain it puts people through. We have all seen family members waste away to nothing while receiving thousands of dollars of medical care per month that only seems to prolong the inevitable. Is this humane? I don't think so. I know that if I had a terminal illness and I knew that I would live the rest of my short days in agony knowing the death was coming for me I would want to say "Fuck you death, I will go when I want" and get it done myself. That is really what this whole debate comes down to. If you believe that society at large should limit competent people's options..then you should continue to oppose assisted suicide. But if you believe, like I do, that the individual should have the right to decide their fate then support assisted suicide. Death with Dignity is a right that all Americans should have and supporting the right to make this horribly difficult decision is your duty as a freedom loving American.
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