i had to put down my best little’guy this september after nursing him about nine months. he had good quality life i’d say for everything except part of the few days.
i’always needed to have a number of things to watch for to know when i knew it was time. had a great appetite all the way through ups and downs, excited to get meals, treats. happy to be with me, got enjoyment from being held and being pet, spending time with me. was able to be pain free through pain meds, and various treatments to help his conditions, and responded well to the meds/treatments. basically across all this he had a will to live, a desire to stay. good outweighed bad.
he was tired the last couple days. appetite went first. later in the day he didn’t want to drink. had to sub-q him to make sure the vet would be able to insert a shunt in a vein easily and not cause discomfort. he still enjoyed being held and pet, which i did the entire night with him.
hardest thing to do.
bottom line is i think if people are old and/or clearly terminally injured/ ill, aren’t taking in food and water anymore on their own, can’t get clear of pain, and can’t find any comfort from’others, they’re dying and shutting down. in obvious cases where it’s’just a matter of time, days, and the person can still make a clear affirmation or rejection, i can see a doctor fulfilling the wishes of the dying patient. i’d make sure severaltimes during that last day they still want it though.
if i was in great pain and it’d be that way for weeks or days without real relief before dying, that it truly was not just a short “down” period i wouild bounce back from for awhile, if i felt i knew i was going home, a morphine overdose may not be the worst thing in the world. but the criteria i would go by is high, and the person would have to be exhibiting signs of dying - disconnecting from food and water, disconnecting from people, - the kinds of things we’ve seen happen in people going through the dying process.
this woman, by my standards, was not at that point yet. she was suffering from the temrinal illness, but she had not entered into the dying process yet.
for my pet, i erred on the side of giving him the longest amount of qualiy lifepossible. i knew that he’d have periods of ups and downs, but the downs didn’t last for more than a day or two. when it lasts longer and then interest in food and water go, and don’t come back, you know.
i’d set the same high criteria for people. they would geninely have to be at the very last stages of life, in the dying process, essentially a couplemdays away from deth anyways. aftr you’ve seen the dying process and talk with people who see it all the time,’like in hospices where people go and expect to not come home from, people there just know how long people have by what they’re doing, and stopped doing, and the ‘order they occur, and they can gauge pretty closelyhow much time someone dying has left.
i’d’onlyconsider it if the person’s obviously past the point of no return. and make damn certain they are and still want this to happen. and if not, you don’t do it. it isn’t imperative to any of the rest of us they do it, it’s being doneonly at their dying request.
Secret Agent Man, animals are not made in the image of man. I realize that you may not hold the same views as I do in this regard, but as a Christian, the Lord never describes animals as creatures with souls. God never mentioned in the Old or New Testament that Christ came to earth to save animals. Jesus was crucified and concurred death for man.
Committing suicide is self-murder. Our lives are not ours to take. Furthermore, to do so is not only against the Lord’s will, but you’re hurting your loved ones and society as a whole.
Our “quality of life” is not determined by our ability to function, produce, or how we feel. We are intrinsically valuable and beloved because we are made in the image of God. Also, we express true love, sacrificial love by caring for those who are ill. This kind of love is an important and integral part of a healthy society. It’s the reason we would lay down our lives for others.
My heart breaks for Brittany’s family. I’m saddened that Brittany believed that not only did she have the right to end her life, but that life was not worth the dark beauty to Iive until the very end.
I’ve lost dearly beloved family members to cancer. I am thankful that they lived out their life and death with courage and inner strength, and allowed those who love them to express the most profound the sacrificial kind of love we can give.
My deepest condolences to Brittany’s loved ones. May they know a peace and comfort that only comes from Christ.