Posted on 06/03/2011 10:50:23 AM PDT by SmithL
Jack Kevorkian and his supporters portrayed the death doc as a compassionate man who offered "death with dignity" to individuals suffering from a poor quality of life. I always saw him as a man who preyed on vulnerable individuals by telling them their lives weren't worth living -- as I watched Kevorkian survive over the years, despite medical problems that dwarfed those of many of his victims.
In 2007, I wrote:
Fans of Kevorkian ought to be asking themselves: In that the ailing Kevorkian is in worse physical shape than many of the people whose lives he helped snuff out, why hasn't the death doc used his vaunted "medicide" on himself? . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Took Satan a while to ramp up the furnace?
opportunities for repentance?
Duh, because he didn’t die?
The irony would be if he was on life support before he died.
I have seen people whither away from cancer and if I had my druthers, assisted suicide doesn’t seem like such a bad way to go if I want to be honest.
Gasping for breaths, gurgling against the inevitable. Where the worst pain is the pain of watching my family around me see me suffer and slip into a shell of myself.
I can see the appeal and won’t pretend it’s not something I would think about.
Kevorkian was looney, but the topic of assisted suicide is not something I would discount as a means to die with dignity (having my kids wipe my ass is not dignifying to me).
I think the problem that most of us here have, is that very quickly the "right to die" becomes "duty to die."
Because he didn't take his own medicine.
Many years ago, Jay Leno gave a zinger on Kervorkian as part of his Tonight Show monologue. It went something like this....
"I hear that Jack Kervorkian has applied for a permit to own a gun. Supports say that he's doing it to protect himself, but me - I just think he's gotten lazy in his work."
He believed that, in the case of terminal illness, quality of life is a personal evaluation. Apparently, he was satisfied with his.
“I can see the appeal and won’t pretend it’s not something I would think about.
Kevorkian was looney, but the topic of assisted suicide is not something I would discount as a means to die with dignity (having my kids wipe my ass is not dignifying to me).”
Agree 100%
I agree. There is a slope there we don't want to get on.
But this is a discussion I have had with myself and it freaks me out to no end to go the way I have seen others go. It lacks dignity more than anything I have witnessed.
Euthanized by God!
Because he was so very afraid of Hell?
Because “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. “ 2 Peter 3:9!
After having taken care of my mother for her last few days, I believe you owe it to your kids to have them care for you.
In our family, I was the one most likely *not* to be the caregiver. My sister had that role and I was thought to be the one who would swoop in, do a few things and run away. I certainly have not enjoyed trying to figure out how to tell my parents what they should do.
However, at the end, it didn’t work that way. I was tougher and more able to do the necessary things than I thought. I call that “Mama’s last lesson.” http://lifeethics.org/2007/04/08/mamas-last-lesson/
Kevorkian.
Marshall Matt Dillon (James Arness)
Both the same day.
What a contrast!
Because he was too much of a coward to off his divergent eyed self.
I had a dog whom I loved dearly. He developed diabetes, and then to complicate things, his Liver and Kidneys failed too. I took him to the vet, and held him and pet him as he was put to sleep. Afterwards, I cried like a baby; and even after 18 months, I still awaken at nights, crying.
Now consider, he was 12 yrs old; he had lost 30% of his body weight - and I could have given him 2 shots a day and MIGHT have kept him alive for one more year. This seemed selfish and cruel to me; to force him to stay alive, in misery and pain - and then to be forced to lie still while I gave him his shots twice a day.
So, realizing that the most humane thing I could do; was to ask the vet to use the smallest needle he had; and to hold him close, pet him, lovingly and soothingly talk to him and tell him how much he was loved; as he slowly closed his eyes, laid down in my arms; and passed. I continued to hold him a few minutes after the kindly vet informed me that his heart had stopped. To call it heart-wrenching is perhaps the most understated word I can think of.
This mercy I extended my beloved pet; would never be bestowed to me, or a family member by the hypocrits I see on this board. No, I would have arrogant, selfish people dictate that no matter how much pain I was in, despite the fact that I was slowly dying - they would demand that every medical proceedure (regardless of expense and how my beloved wife would be bankrupted after my demise) be used to prolong my life. Instead of letting me call my loved one close; say my goodbyes and depart surrounded by my family and friends - I would be forced to wither and die, slowly, painfully and likely alone.
Pathetic, isn’t it? We extend more compassion to our animals, than we do our fellow human beings.
Kevorkian is yet another example of a really deranged individual to whom a forum is given because he’s entertaining and can attract eyeballs.
I’d imagine Speakers Corner has been attracting people of this type for hundreds of years. In our time, Speaker’s Corner is on cable, and sell advertising.
I hope when it's my time go that it is not a long drawn out painful and devastating end. It's a real slippery slope but I think there are many doctors out there that do it quietly.
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