Posted on 11/02/2021 6:07:18 AM PDT by Morgana
A woman in Colombia seeking euthanasia despite not having a terminal illness will be allowed to die, a judge has ruled. Martha Sepúlveda would have been the first person in the country to be euthanized without a terminal illness until a medical committee decided earlier this month that she no longer qualified.
Sepúlveda was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2018, and began considering suicide once she could no longer move her legs. Originally, she was scheduled to die on October 10, a Sunday, which she chose because it was the day her family attended Mass together. Sepúlveda argued that as a devout Catholic, she believed God was rewarding her decision to kill herself.
“If it is from the spiritual plane, I am totally calm,” she said in a previous interview. “I am a Catholic person, I consider myself a very believer in God, but, I repeat, God does not want to see me suffer…. No parent wants to see their children suffer…. I know that the owner of life is God, yes, that is, nothing moves without His will. For many people I am very wrong, but I think He is allowing this; He is rewarding me in a certain way because I am not going to be bedridden.”
But the Friday night before her scheduled death, her lawyers were told that the Colombian Institute of Pain, or Incodol, ruled that her condition had improved, and she no longer qualified for euthanasia. The media coverage reportedly played a role, as footage of Sepúlveda laughing and eating out at restaurants spread around the world. Incodol further pointed out that she almost certainly has more than six months to live, and though she has ALS, it “does not completely affect the functionality of the patient in instrumental activities or daily life as the patient and her family had expressed in previous medical records.”
Her lawyers said they would appeal immediately, and it now appears that they were successful. According to El Pais, a judge has ordered Sepúlveda’s euthanasia and has given a clinic 48 hours to coordinate a date and time for her to die.
Should this euthanasia be permitted to happen, it will open a very dangerous door for people in Colombia. After her euthanasia was canceled, Sepúlveda’s son argued that her fight was “the fight of thousands of people.” And he’s correct that this decision will affect thousands: now, anyone who decides they are “suffering” can demand that a doctor kills them. Suicide is no longer a terrible tragedy to be avoided at any cost; it’s something to be accommodated, and that is the real tragedy.
If you want to kill yourself, kill yourself, but don’t drag other people into it.
Exactly.
I think it’s a bad choice, but bringing other people into it and having them “pull the switch” for you is just going too far, IMO.
I thought ALS was terminal.
ALS IS terminal, but it takes a while.
Right to Die quickly turns into Duty to Die.
It will end no differently than government defining marriage.
Or government defining what an assault in a marriage is (getting into the marriage and relationship).
Or government defining what is essential woman's health care.
Or government defining when a minor can decide to over ride their parents.
***When government gets involved, it ALWAYS becomes stupid eventually. Government is a political apparatus and every decision made is based on political and economics considerations. There are no morals, best national interests, public health, there is no pragmatism or "follow the science." That's all bullshit.
If government now gets into the business of deciding who gets to live, and who not, based on their idea of worth, ethics, and who has the faculties to make such a decision, that's a bad thing!
I think it is so bizarre when people say they think God would or wouldn’t want whatever it is that they themselves want or don’t want.
So sad....
“I am a Catholic person, I consider myself a very believer in God...”
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Belief in God saves NO ONE. I hope YOU are not counting on this. The Word of God says ‘the devil believes, and trembles.’
ONLY repentance of sins, then trusting Christ thru faith alone, will save you.
If God said her time on earth is over she'd be dead now. He doesn't need her "help".
Bottom Line: Government is the greediest, most corrupt and murderous force on Earth. It is not even debatable.
Roger that.
This particular case it "tailor made" for our mendacious <sarc>intellectually superior global overlords</sarc> since they will soon transform it from an individual's choice to one by a central planning bean-counting bureaucrat.
Thanks. My brother-in-law died from it but I don’t remember how long it took.
I have no idea what her condition feels like from day to day, hour to hour.
Self termination should never be for anything fleeting or frivolous.
I don’t think ALS would be described in that manner. I dont know what it’s like being encased in that body with my mind still quite clear. I cannot condemn her without knowing more.
We are not talking about some 14 y/o girl who just got dumped by her 15 y/o boyfriend via text message. This is neither fleeting nor frivolous.
This inherently leads to the bureaucratization of the process.
I would suggest reading up on ALS before commenting. A neighbor of mine, was recently diagnosed with Bulbar ALS, that’s the very aggressive kind. Six months ago, he was walking three miles a day. Now, he’s confined to a wheel chair, on a feeding tube, and wearing a diaper. He’s unable to talk. It will only get worse. I can see where one might believe it’s time to end it.
Voluntary now, “voluntary” soon, mandated a few years later.
Some bedridden folk find their prayer life expands.
Yes, and their endurance and faith are a beacon to others.
Sorry ALS is terminal and a horrible way to go. Leave her to her own decision on this
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.