This letter is in response to the article "Terminally ill deserve right to die," from Oct. 9. I want to agree with the previous article that the right to die should be given to those with fatal illnesses. I also agree with the author’s concept of suicide being ‘an escape from the turbulence and responsibilities of life. Where the author and I disagree is that I believe that the right to die should be given to everyone born into this world, not just those with fatal illnesses.
Euthanasia —the idea of ending a temporary life of suffering with the knowledge of an imminent death. The previous author says that euthanasia is often compared to suicide, and I agree, and also says that these two should not be compared, with which I do not agree. Is death not imminent to us all? I can think of many cases of immortality, excluding any ideas of afterlife, but most of these cases, actually all of these cases are gods of various religions, and therefore not really applicable to our situation.
Everyone learns that death is going to eventually happen to everyone, including themselves. They have to think of their loved ones dying, losing grandparents and family members and friends. They even have to think of their own death. These thoughts are completely natural and should be reflected upon, not to be ignored or repressed in our minds because they are "bad thoughts."
The previous article used the "pitiful" case of Brittany Maynard’s choice of death, rather than a few agonizing weeks of life from cancer as an argument that only fatally ill patients should deserve this right. The author was correct when he said that euthanasia is the recognition of an imminent death and controlling how you die, rather than suffering a temporary life. The author was also correct when he said that suicide is the escape from life, the confirmation of death, the avoidance of the burdens of life.
This suicide, this confirmation of death, is a decision that should be given to everyone. The previous author even said, “None of us were born into this world with our consent.” Are not these turbulences and responsibilities of life which compel an individual to end their life similar to the disease plaguing a terminally ill patient? The patient did not choose to have this disease and most likely does not want to continue to have it or the effects it produces. This person did not choose to have that life and presumably does not want to endure the consequences of possessing that life.
The previous author mentions Robin Williams, and said that he would rather have Robin Williams alive than dead. While this may be true, that statement places the life of another individual under the possession of another person. Personally, I believe that my life is my own possession and, like all of my possessions, should not be taken or tampered with without my consent. Everyone should have the right to end their life whenever they wish. Since we didn’t choose to live come into this world shouldn’t we at least be able to choose how we go out? But if you’re someone who feels like these burdens of life are enough to end your life over, there are an infinite amount of things to consider before committing the act.
First and foremost, your death is the recognition of your life. Your life is the story of you, a testament to how you lived your life and the decisions you made. This personal testament is your greatest tool to change the world with. If this world that is causing you to take your own life is that hard for you, won't your suicide just create a world that much more difficult for current and future generations to live in? Think of your loved ones. The previous article said that the hardest thing someone can go through is watching a long and painful life. As someone who has witnessed both the death of a friend through a disease and a suicide of a friend, I feel safe saying that the suicide caused more sorrow for the victim’s peers (this is not to say that other types of mourning or lament are inferior or inappropriate at all).
So, although the right to die should be extended to everyone of this world, the actual commission of the act should be reserved to an individual who has reflected and thought about how the loss of their life will make the world that much worse of a place to live. Your family will have to think if it was because of something they did. Your friends will think that maybe they picked on you just a little too much. That time you helped that elderly woman up those stairs, or that time you held that door for someone whose hands were full — all possible future events like those that would enable you to help someone else, even strangers, disappear forever. So rather than let the burdens of life force you away from living, live your life so that the burdens of everyone else are lessened. You can live your life in a way to try and make the world a better place because of you having lived in it, with the constant hope that you are helping create a future world that nobody will want to escape from.