By Gery L. Deer

Deer In Headlines

Do the terminally ill have the right to choose when and how they die? Or, should those patients be forcibly subjected to the pain and horror of suffering a slow, agonizing death as a result of their disease and the effects of its treatment? Who, but the patient, should have the right to decide when they’ve had enough?

One might assume in a free society that an individual who was so inclined would have the right to end his or her life, at the time, place and method of their own choice. On the contrary, for those who wish to avoid what awaits them towards the end of their days, there are few options available, none of which are dignified or 100 percent successful.

In the United States, suicide, in and of itself, is not a crime. After all, someone who has taken his or her own life has pretty much outrun the long arm of the law, so what would be the point? What most people forget, though, is that society already has a variety of accepted “assisted suicide” methods already in place, but no one thinks of these options in the same way.

When a person is being kept alive artificially due to an accident or illness they are usually in some kind of unconscious state. In these cases, a living will can be used to inform the doctors of precisely how and when to end treatment.

Many proponents see assisted suicide as the same set of choices. The only difference is that the patient is capable of making their wishes known at the time.

Here’s another example. Hospice organizations do what they can to address complications from illness and provide comfort care to terminal patients while making every effort to preserve their dignity; even if doing so means withholding treatment and allowing a patient to pass away. None of these procedures are ever attacked as immoral nor are those responsible prosecuted.

In 1990, Dr. Jack Kavorkian supervised the suicide of a 54-year-old Michigan woman who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Immediately following the incident, he was arrested for murder. Since no laws were in place specifically listing assisted suicide as a crime, Kavorkian was released and the charges dropped.

Kavorkian eventually served eight years for second-degree murder after admitting to assisting with the suicides of 130 terminally ill patients and died earlier, at the age of 83. Though even proponents of assisted suicides had reservations about his methods, it was hard to deny that the so called “doctor death” had set a precedent that could not be ignored.

Keep in mind that the majority of non-assisted suicides are the result of mental breakdown or emotional impairment. Any widespread sanction of assisted suicide would most likely require that the medical community agree to guidelines relating to the mental status of the patient and a specially trained physician would be required to administer the procedure.

Since the legality of such a practice is based on a society’s cultural beliefs, there are also moral issues to consider. Most religions view suicide as a type of murder – the murder of oneself – which is, of course, a sin. In the case of assisted suicide the person who helps the patient to die would also be guilty of murder.

Ultimately, however, the moral and spiritual consequences of assisted suicide rest with the terminally ill patient and their attending physician. For those who make the choice to end their own suffering, they should have the right to do so medically and painlessly, under the care of a doctor. Physicians with the courage to honor a dying patient’s final wishes with dignity and care should be commended, not prosecuted.

On death row, lethal injection is used to painlessly and humanely execute the condemned prisoner who is attended by a physician and supervised by someone who makes sure the procedure is done with dignity and care. It is somewhat ironic and shameful, however, that Americans, in all their moral superiority, have yet to bestow that level of dignity and compassion to free citizens who are suffering the horrific ravages of terminal disease.

Gery L. Deer is an independent columnist and business writer based in Jamestown. More at http://www.gerydeer.com.

Commentary By Gery L. Deer

Deer In Headlines

California pastor Harold Camping has been in silent seclusion ever since his predicted time of the end of the world came and went without incident. The 89-year-old founder of Family Radio Worldwide has spent considerable money, time and effort over the last several months to convince people that the Christian rapture would occur on Saturday, May 21st.

According to the Bible no one will know the exact date and time of Christ’s return to earth or the end of the world. In Matthew 25: 13 it says, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man comes." Matthew 24:44 continues the concept, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes."

The biblical language may be a bit over the top, but the intent of the passage is pretty clear. Then again, that’s the thing about biblical quotes; they have a tendency towards the melodramatic. After multiple claims by what would have to be referred to as less than reputable religious leaders over the years, so far, nothing has happened.

Like so many others before him, Camping’s prediction may not haves come true, but the faithful refuse to given up hope. To many of the devout, the excessive number of natural disasters now plaguing the world is doubtless a prelude to the events described in the book of Revelation.

From massive earthquakes in the Pacific to deadly tornadoes in America’s south and Midwest, at a glance, the world does appear to be coming apart at the seams. The recent torrent of man-made problems in the Middle East only exacerbates the panic and theological speculation about the final moments of man’s reign on planet earth.

A broader view of the situation by an observer who is less indoctrinated to religious mythology might reveal a totally different interpretation of recent events. Remove any kind of supernatural influences and one would see that our big blue marble in space is, for lack of a better description, a living entity.

Scientific observations tell us that earth is constantly changing. There is indisputable proof that through the millennia, the planet has experienced ice ages, mass flooding and continent-wide drought, not to mention fluctuations in climate and changes in animal species and population. In fact, earthquakes are a real-time indication that the crust of the earth is always shifting.

But man’s rule over a 6.4 billion year old planet must certainly have a shelf life. So how long will it last? Well, that’s one point that the Bible probably has correct. No one will know.

My guess is that the end will not come about in some predictable, easily recognizable sequence of events leading up to a final end. Instead, the fall of man will probably be far less grand, ending in a long, gradual extinction. And the end of man certainly does not mean the end of the world. Millions of species have come and gone on earth, why should humans be any different?

Experts say that before they mysteriously died out, the dinosaurs had free run of the world for over 200 million years, versus man’s roughly 200,000 year occupation. In theory, we’re smarter than the previous tenants and should be able to hold out at least as long. Or will we?

Animals don’t spend their time looking for new ways to ruin the atmosphere or build atomic bombs to kill each other off in pointless arguments over religious differences. So, it’s always possible that we may shorten our time here because of sheer stupidity.

Then again, I’m not really a fan of the fatalistic view of the future. I would like to think that we will adapt and grow as we always have. It might not be as elegant an ending as the rapture and elevation to a heavenly plane but, after all, we’re only human. And maybe that’s the word that best describes us.

Gery L. Deer is a columnist and business writer based in Jamestown. Read more at http://www.gerydeer.com.