The Mercy Killing

" Nelson cont discontinues, " suicide is sad. It is a use of life. It is the opposite of hope." However, the rational, carefully thought out decision to end one's life because of a diminished quality of life, while tragic in its own way, is a subtly different situation. regard of when or if such(prenominal) a decision can morally and ethically be made goes to the root of an individual's beliefs about the sanctity of life and freedom to choose one's own destiny.

Recent sanctioned opinions consecrate clarified the position of the courts, particularly regarding the physician's role in prescribing lethal doses of medicine to aid in a spontaneous ending of a life. The Second Court of Appeals struck tear a New York state law which previously prohibited doctors from writing such prescriptions, following a similar ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco. Michael D. Lemonick observes what these decisions guide: "The laws against physician-assisted suicide now on the books in the studyity of states whitethorn be on their way out." Along with the highly publicised activities of Kevorkian, dubbed by the press "Dr. Death," these legal trends have encouraged broad public debate on when, if ever, ending one's life is acceptable.

matchless of the most eloquent voices against choosing to die for any reason is Dr. Viktor E. Frankl. Frankl is the novice of logotherapy, healing through meaning, the third school of Viennese psychotherapy. Logotherapy seeks to tending patients discover purpose in

Judaical tradition also supports the injunction against suicide from another perspective. Judaism emphasizes the debt instrument of each individual for the family and the community as a whole. Suicide is never a separate, single act. It reverberates among the livelihood. Those who die leave empennage many more who must deal with the resultant grief, loss, and change.

on that point is . . . a subtle tradition of dauntless suicide. Within rabbinical lore there is a place for suicide as a way to avoid slavery, sexual abuse, or saint worship. The heroes of Masada are heroes because of their willingness to commit mass suicide rather than throw in the towel their lives and beliefs to the Romans.

At Treblinka, mass suicide was a statement of freedom, self-control, and solidarity.

Frankl's vox populi is shared by others, particularly those who deal with terminal patients on a regular basis. Lemonick quotes Dr. William Wood, clinical director of the Winship Cancer sum of money at Emory University in Atlanta, who contends, "If we treat their depression and we treat their pain, I've never had a patient who wanted to die." Frankl agrees that the will to live underlies and ultimately will overcome all other drives if given the chance. He writes, "Even if each and every case of suicide had not been undertaken out of a feeling of meaninglessness, it may well be that an individual's impulse to take his life would have been overcome if he had been aware of some meaning and purpose worth living for."

Already, patients may create living wills, specifying the extent to which they wish doctors to go in order to prolong their lives. Patients may elect to have a "do not resuscitate" order primed(p) on their charts, instructing hospital personnel not to perform heroic measures of revival in the event of the failure of a major organ or other life-threatening medical emergencies. reinforcement wills have become increasingly common, with the help of mainstream public advocates such as columnists Abigail Van Buren
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