posted on Nov, 21 2016 @ 11:03 AM
This whole topic is unsavory. I have worked in elder care facilities and it's sad. Sad to see aged people who have no sense of who and where they
are, cannot even feed themselves, pumped full of food, water and meds to keep them alive in order to collect a paycheck. At the same time, I believe
everyone should have the right to choose euthanasia with the exception of those sentenced to die for crimes they commited. However, at what point is
someone out of their mind so they can no longer make that decision and it is made for them?
Just a few weeks ago I had to have two of my dogs put down because of terminal cancer diagnosis. I delayed the inevitable until it was obvious my dogs
were suffering and there was no quality of life. I stayed with each dog in succession while the vet administered the 'kill' shot. She explained it
was a massive overdose of anesthesia medication and that the first few seconds, the dog would feel a complete loss of pain and then death would follow
within a few more seconds. She wasn't wrong and my dogs were quickly put to sleep with me holding them. Each instance of passing from life into
death lasted no more than 10-15 seconds. Their vitals were checked for confirmation. I was able to then take one home and bury it while I chose
separate cremation for my very large lab mix. I paid extra for the separate cremation even though I don't know for sure the remains I received back
belong solely to my dog but in my simple mind it makes me feel better, but I digress.
One of my points is, if euthanasia is a choice, why starve someone for a week and withhold water and food for the second week? Why not make it a non
torturous event? The process of a long drawn out tortuous inhumane event is wrong.
My other point is, I think it's wrong to kill people unless they choose that option while of sound mind. I personally would not do it but then, I've
never had to put anyone in an elder care facility either so I haven't walked in those shoes. I can say that many of the people in the facility I
worked at were cognitive, funny, intelligent.
At the same time, after watching the tear jerker movie 'Million dollar baby', I thought that Clint Eastwood did the most humane action by terminating
the life of his protoge' who also asked for the ending of her life. It's a terrible dilemma to be caught in though.