Fairy Tale Fatality

When we are young, we are told many fairy tales and riddles, some of which remain trapped in our heads for a lifetime.  One specifically that I remember was called “Try, Try Again.”  The message in this catchy tale was to never give up. The intentional death of a terminally ill patient is just another way of giving up.  The teams of doctors have decided they have tried everything. The only remaining option is to euthanize the patient; which seems perfectly fine because the “ill” patient is no longer alive they are merely a body lying in bed. The patient’s family loves him/her and wants to extinguish all the pain and suffering. Therefore, “pulling the plug” just seems right.

However, Stanley J. Swierzewski, III, M.D. says otherwise. A comatose person is “still very much alive.” Isn’t euthanizing a “very much alive” person the same as murder?  Even though these “ill” patients are not completely functional, they are still living, breathing, people (with help).  In fact, a December edition of The Sunday Times mentions forty percent of patients in a vegetative state “may be misdiagnosed.”  If a “terminally ill” patient is one of the forty percent then euthanizing them would be nothing less than an execution. These people have the right to LIVE not a right to die (as well as a right to a proper diagnosis).

“If at first [the doctors] don’t suceed, [they should] try again.” …NOT kill off the problem!