Euthanasia/Suicide crowd beating the drums of acceptance again. It’s not hard to find a few elderly folks who are delusional, fearful, early Alzheimers or have screws loose to be the poster child for these movement(s). Given their first names, I’d assume they’re Christian; nice to see how well the Judeo-Christian ethic regarding caring for others, heck, the 10 Commandments, having respect for your parents, took root in their offspring. Selfish jerks. When the shoe’s on the other foot, we’ll see how much they’re own children care...years down the road. Tragic.
I love my wife dearly. If I die before her, my wish is for her to live and love the children and grandchildren and if lucky to find love again in her life. The above are my intentions if she is gone before me.
As a medical professional I also know that the endstage of life can be brutal and agonizing for self and family. I have been there in my personal life. I can not make the decision to help end another ones life in these conditions so long as they are competent and rational. I can make the decision for myself and it is between me and the maker. It does not have one damn thing to do with the government or the law.
More than a decade ago, I kept watch at the bedside of my grandmother as she approached death in the hospice wing of a local hospital. As the day progressed, I took a break and walked down the hall, peering into darkened rooms where others lay dying .. alone. A nurse, seeing the concerned expression on my face, explained these other patients had families that chose not to be there. They would call to know the status of their "loved one" and ask when they could expect to pick up their belongings, once they passed. Perhaps those family members lived far away and could not make it in time; perhaps they simply could not look death in the face. Whatever their reason, is not for us to judge.
Someone once described death as birth in reverse. She had kept watch at her father's bedside as he slowly slipped from this world. Perhaps in death, like in birth, there are those waiting for our arrival. Life on earth is short whereas death draws us to eternal life. We came from God and, at the end of our lives, we get to go home.