A Euthanasia Clinic would provide a place where a Compassionate Law could be implemented allowing people to choose the time, place, and manner of their own death while in the company and companionship of their friends, family, and loved ones.

What's wrong with that?

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Here Are a Few Thoughts on Euthanasia

I do not have all the answers, but the answers I do have err on the side of compassion and dignity

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God created man so man's life is sacred

There are two separate responses to this that I know of:

    1. It should go without saying, but this would only apply if a person believed in God.

I could tell you that Sam the dog had told me that eating chocolate was bad for my health. In order for you to use that claim of information to help you decide whether I were telling you the truth, you would first have to believe that Sam the dog could talk and had some knowledge of my health and the effects of chocolate on it.

Some people might find it difficult to entrust their end of life choices to talking dogs acting as health practitioners. They may feel the same about God.

And if they don't believe in God they will not be swayed by an argument put forward in His name.

    2. According to the Christian religion:

God gave man the ability to choose. That was one of the first and most important abilities. Choosing the time, place, and manner of one's own death is in accordance with that free will, and therefore in accordance with God's will.

But if you choose to believe that this particular choice is somehow excluded from God's will, then don't do it. Deny yourself the God given choice of a peaceful and painless death.

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Suicide is murder of one's self

If that is what you think or believe and it troubles you, then you shouldn't do it. Otherwise, what harm is caused and who is the victim?

Murder is wrong and war is beyond evil. Yet each is condoned, (capital punishment and Iraq come to mind), while Euthanasia is condemned. If that is your idea of what constitutes a world in which we have achieved all that God had hoped for us then you are at the wrong web site.

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Death is too important a decision for an individual to make

It is my life and I am the one who is responsible for my decisions. Those decisions should be based on reason, not fear.

Death will either be Natural or Enabled.

A Natural death will either be peaceful and painless or it will have pain and suffering.

Pain and suffering is not sought by a sane and rational person.

It is reasonable to prefer a peaceful and painless death.

Nature allows a peaceful and painless death to happen occasionally, but an Enabled death achieves it every time.

It is not unnatural to have a peaceful and painless death.

It is reasonable to prefer an Enabled death, which offers a peaceful and painless death every time, over a Natural death which is fraught with the perils of uncertainty.

Anything else is gambling. And, according to Albert Einstein, 'God does not play dice with the universe'.

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Life is precious and should be prolonged

Imagine that you somehow stumbled into a mine field and stepped onto a mine.

It will not explode if you do not lift your foot.

You have absolute control of your life at this point. Lift your foot and you will die. Do nothing and you will live. 

What kind of life is that?

For some, life is like standing on a land mine. The delaying of the inevitable may not appeal to them and should not be forced onto them.

At some point the quality of life may become more important than the quantity of it.

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The Slippery Slope

"...  If we ever decide that a poor quality of life justifies ending that life, we have taken a step down a slippery slope that places all of us in danger..."
             -- C. Everett Koop, M.D. 

The slippery slope we are on is one of repression and intolerance. We have been on it for a very long time.

When you die you will have made one of two choices about your manner of death. You will either have chosen to accept whatever came along or you took control of it yourself.

Making your own decisions is what life is all about.

It is not for us to decide for some future generation what choices they should be allowed to make. Let those who follow us make their own decisions.

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If Euthanasia is legalized then the old, sick, poor, etc will be encouraged to die

It is equally possible that they may be encouraged to live, given the ease with which they could choose death.

Those who oppose Euthanasia imagine scenarios such as; 'Granma, you've lived a long time. Shouldn't you think about us now?', or the anguished late night thoughts, 'How will I pay these hospital bills? They just keep piling up.'

There is another side to this.

An acceptance of Euthanasia would allow compassion to rule over cash. 'Granma, stop. You don't need to lose hope. Tomorrow is another day. If things aren't better, then you can decide. We'll support you. What ever you decide. We love you, and we'll be here with you at the end'.

If a person's loved ones were encouraging them to die, then death might seem a preference to them over the life they are living. It is the opponents of Euthanasia who are familiar with the selfishness of encouraging a person to end their life. I, and others like me, want only to offer them that choice.

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It is not necessary for anyone to die while suffering from intolerable or overwhelming pain.

That is not true.

While end of life palliative care is getting better and is to be applauded for it's ability to help some people have a pain free end of life experience, it does not work for everyone.  Some people will not benefit from hospice care, even if they can afford it.

The ability to choose your own time, place, and manner of death is the only absolutely effective way to avoid unnecessary and debilitating pain.

What's wrong with that?

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What if you have a debilitating injury or illness while waiting for your chosen time to die, wouldn't that be worse than giving up control of your own destiny?

All the more reason not to hesitate once the decision has been made.

Until the act is completed nothing else is determined. Your life will continue to be as it was. And if, in the life that continues, you experience a debilitating injury or illness, isn't that the life you chose?

So why complain. It's what you wanted or were willing to accept as an alternative to taking responsibility for your own life. If you thought the time was right then the time was right. Making excuses for delay is just an excuse to allow you to continue to live the life you have now.

Your destiny is in your hands only when you make it so.

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What about the pain and suffering of those who will be left behind?

They will be left behind regardless.

Better to be open and honest with them and explain your reasons for choosing to take control of your own end of life experience.

Better yet if there were to be Euthanasia Clinics so they could be with you at the end.

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As more and more people get older, suicide rates are going to increase. (See this link)

There is no justification to deny access to their loved ones for those who choose a dignified death.

As more and more people get older, and as they are denied dignified alternative options, they will insist on using all available means to stay alive, or perhaps they will make no decisions and allow attending physicians to make those decisions for them.

As a result, more and more people will be sustained on life support mechanisms and decisions will have to be made, without their input or consent, regarding  'pulling the plug'. 

Society will argue endlessly over each case while loved ones are left to suffer and pay for the legal and medical bills.

A Compassionate Law and a Euthanasia Clinic could help make those end of life decisions easier by allowing people to choose the time, place, and manner of their own peaceful and painless death.

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A Compassionate Law

Those about whom we care the most may be subject to legal prosecution if they choose to be with us when we need them most.

Man sentenced to life. May, 2007

Man convicted of manslaughter. Feb 5, 2008.

A dying person does not need the additional worry that their manner of death might cause felony charges to be brought against their loved ones.

A Compassionate Law would make it possible for a person to be in close physical contact with the dying at the time of death and not be subject to legal prosecution afterwards.

A Euthanasia Clinic

would be a place which would be morally defensible, legally acceptable, and compatible with a Compassionate Law.

A place where people could be together at the time of death and know that they would absolutely not be subject to criminal prosecution afterwards.

A Euthanasia Clinic would provide a place where a Compassionate Law could be implemented. 

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