Tag Archives: physician assisted suicide

The Death of a Dog

Old black lab whose fur is beginning to grey

“Wise old man” by Shaun Hopkinson is licensed under CC by 2.0

In our society, it is common practice to euthanize dogs in old age either with or without chronic medical conditions. However, physician assisted suicide for human beings is controversial and only legal in some parts of the United States. Now, I understand that the comparison between the death of a dog and the death of a human may appear insensitive or tactless, but I think it is one that deserves attention. I frequently hear dog owners, myself included, say that they love their dog as if they were their own child. If this love is so intense and comparable to the love we give other humans, why do we, as a society, condone and even promote the euthanasia of dogs while we shudder at the idea of euthanizing humans?

Pet owners often decide to put a dog down because they are in apparent pain, or the family believes that they should not suffer any longer. The family makes this decision based on the observed quality of life, but they have no idea of the dog’s wishes. Dogs cannot speak for themselves or express their will, but humans make the decision to end their life for them. It is never an easy decision, but it is one that our society supports.

The euthanasia of humans is a much more divisive topic in our society. In recent years, physician assisted suicide has become legal in some states. The idea is that those with chronic conditions may choose to die with dignity. Yet, many regulations are in place, for example, the patient must request to die at least three times, twice verbally and once written, and the person requesting to die must be able to administer the drugs themselves.

These requirements are not necessary for euthanizing dogs. The consent of the dog is not obligatory, and the fatal concoction is administered by a veterinarian, not the dog. While it may seem silly to expect anything of that nature from a dog, I think in some situations it is also ludicrous to expect it from a chronically ill human. Quadriplegics with a poor quality of life and the desire to die are not eligible for physician assisted suicide despite their request because they would not be able to submit a written request nor administer the drugs themselves.

This post is by no means an extensive analysis of euthanasia nor is it an argument in favor of physician assisted suicide or one against the euthanasia of family pets. I simply found it to be an interesting perspective on the matter. An article from the New York Times, titled The Death of the Doctor’s Dog offers a more detailed account of the moral questions that arise when discussing the euthanasia of any living being.

 

References:

https://www.deathwithdignity.org/learn/death-with-dignity-acts/

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/well/live/death-dying-doctors-dog-euthanasia.html

Life panels and the idea of physician-assisted suicide

This morning, I came across this article that discusses the concept of “life panels.” Life panels are a reimagining of the concept of the death panel, which has become a heavily politicized idea. Life panels, however, are removed from the stigma that comes with the death panel idea. While life panels are not yet a thing, they raise issues with the current approach America has to physician-assisted suicide.

Currently, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont are some of the few states that allow for physician-assisted suicide. However, while this sounds great for those states, the decision to end one’s life has to be made when the person is fully competent. This complicates things for people like the author of the article from earlier, whose mother is 95 years old, limited to a hospital bed, with little to no quality of life. However, because she has entered dementia, she is no longer legally competent to choose to end her life.

Why is choosing to end one’s life such a controversial topic for Americans? For me, I see it as a product of America’s religious fervor and how it has intertwined itself with American politics. Because religious Americans often tout the idea of allowing someone to end their life as tantamount to playing God, it has long been outlawed in America. However, these ideas have been partially disrupted by America’s aging population. There are a growing number of Americans who fear losing their faculties, and thus want the right to die in a dignified manner. Speaking from personal experience, my mom’s greatest fear is that she’ll languish with Alzheimer’s in a hospital bed. Because of this, my mother has always had open and candid talks about what she’d want me to do in certain situations. I think this is increasingly common as families experience grandparents that have died under similar conditions.

While “life panels” don’t currently exist, I think that someday they’ll be a common part of growing old in America. Physician-assisted suicide is becoming increasingly accepted across America, and American politics will soon catch up to this.