Euthanasia, the Right to Die with Dignity — III
“Never has man been so alone as today during his last hours, confined to some room, abandoned to his pain, to his fear of death, to his need for human warmth.”
- Kschocke.
The legalization of Euthanasia is a fact that for the moment, is improbable and even impossible, since for every favorable opinion there are fourteen against.
Poor poor man! Those who oppose this Legalization raise their voices saying: legalizing Euthanasia is not necessary, since with the production of sedatives, analgesics, hypnotics and anesthetics, pain and other discomforts can be kept within the limits of what is tolerable. No trained doctor lets his patients die in pain
Its defenders claim: they forget, however, a very important factor to consider, poverty. Is it false, perhaps, that there are very few who can afford to soothe their pain with all the new medicines? Is it false, perhaps, that very few are fortunate enough to be treated in hospitals organized and dedicated to ensuring that terminally ill patients spend their final days comfortably? Are these hospitals accessible to the general population? And as for pain, we would like to tell you that progress has been made in the “conquest of pain,” but this “conquest” has not been complete!
Poor poor man! No, this is not a bolero by Felipe Pirela. It is instead an expression that contains a social tragedy. In our public hospitals there is no room for the great demand that exists in terms of Public Health. The main consequence is the impossibility of providing medical care to all. And it is very sad to observe how when two seriously ill patients arrive, only one of them is chosen to be admitted, perhaps the youngest, or perhaps the one with the best chance of survival. This is what Dr. Efraín Zukerman called social euthanasia. Father Rivolta, an equally studious and capable man, called it: Social crime or War declared on the poor.
The duration of life and God
Some have expressed their opposition to Euthanasia, because the duration of life is predetermined by God and we cannot interfere in his decision. I am in favour of the idea that every opinion deserves respect, whatever it may be. Taking this as a starting point, and even accepting the criterion of the predetermination of our lives by God, we must think that it would also be an interference with God’s plans to postpone death by medical or surgical procedures. God gave man free will!
In conclusion, we can cite three conclusions from all that has been said in relation to Euthanasia:
1) Medical progress has made the act of dying an even more traumatising situation for the patient, for his family and for society.
2) There has been no synchronisation between the progress of technology and the advance in the process of ethical maturation.
3) Euthanasia should be a cause for deep reflection for all of us, as it is an ethical dilemma that at some point in our lives we may need to discern. And perhaps in such a situation we would say in an ironic tone: Oh, how difficult it is to die with dignity!