Editor:
I have been a registered nurse for three years. I have witnessed the suffering people endure and the injustices they have tolerated. Palliative care doesn’t ease all suffering. In some cases, death is the only way to end all suffering.
Society’s fear of death has falsely portrayed what it’s really like. It depicts death to be a peaceful and instant experience when in reality it is anything but. Many people haven’t experienced or witnessed true suffering.
Patients have desperately asked me for relief to escape their agony, but I was unable to alleviate their suffering. I would administer narcotics and couldn’t relieve their pain. No matter the amount of oxygen and suction I provided, I couldn’t stop them from feeling like they were suffocating. Death for them is inevitable, so let’s allow them to have an alternative choice.
Who are we to say a person isn’t entitled to euthanasia? Only you know how much suffering you can tolerate and when you can’t any longer. Torment is subjective and interpreted differently from one person to another.
Disabled persons feel with legalizing euthanasia, doctors could manipulate the system, which could put them more at risk for euthanasia as some people assume disabled persons have undignified, poor quality lives. Euthanasia isn’t for just “disabled” people. Legalizing euthanasia has nothing to do with others executing health care decisions for you.
With medical advancements, people will continue to live longer with complex health needs. People won’t necessarily have healthy, quality lives. What gives us the right to keep people alive when they have no quality of life?
Banning euthanasia doesn’t stop people from committing suicide. People are left to end their lives without medical assistance which could lead to horrific deaths or unsuccessful attempts.
Let’s empower people to have the choice to die with dignity.
Angela Moore, Sechelt
