Cancer & Physician Assisted Suicide Choice

I read this article condemning the physician-assisted suicide of Brittany Maynard, and I must say I disagree. I wonder if the writer has any personal experience with cancer or suicide.

The tragedy of physician-assisted suicide

I note she mentions that she is a Christian, so I have to believe that her opinion is probably dictated by the notion that a person who takes their own life will "burn in hell". It is good to protect life, but it seems to me that these people want to not only protect it, but also to control it from conception, through death. Entirely taking any choice in the matter away from the individual, and handing it to the church or state.

The writer states "If it is truly a gift, then it is ours to receive and care for – but not to presume to control.", then tries to justify imposing control. They state, "Personal autonomy is not enough for a good society, we also need an idea of the good choices." I challenge that notion on a couple grounds. The notion of "good choices" they refer to are imposed values, decided by persons with a personal agenda. Personal autonomy is good enough for personal choices in the matter of deciding to end one's own life. Physician-assisted suicide is a much better choice than allowing the prolonging of it by trying to reduce pain with drugs, which the writer seems to advocate.

I knew a man who's father took their own life. The father had a brain tumor, and could no longer endure the effects. He decided to put a gun to his own head and blow his own brains out. They found him in a bloody mess, and they all were devastated. I could tell it still had profound, and long lasting effects on him. I could see it in his eyes. The eyes don't lie when it comes to things like this. I think they all would of had a better memory of his father's passing if it had been Physician-assisted suicide. The horror the family endured from finding their beloved father, laying in a pool of blood, would of been avoided.

Persons like the writer of this anti-Physician-assisted suicide column has no right to butt in to this. No one has a right to tell someone they must endure suffering to the end, because of religion. Especially when they haven't personally experienced the pain and suffering cancer can cause. When it comes to pain, a person can only endure so much. Drugs will only go so far. In the end, when it gets to much to bare, any person will seek any means to remove that intense pain. It is not a first choice of any person of reason. It is the choice of a person who can no longer endure. That choice must never be taken away. No one has the right to dictate someone's choice in this matter.

These person are on the out side looking in. They can not feel their pain, or think the cancer suffer's thoughts and despair. How dare they presume authority over that? How dare they even presume they have any moral high ground on something they haven't felt the pain of? They dare because of misguided thoughts of religion, and a haughty attitude of superiority.

I am a neck cancer survivor. The doctors keep an eye on me in case of reoccurrence. I went through pure physical hell defeating cancer. Don't think that taking my own life didn't cross my mind. Even though I was in dire straights, things didn't get so bad that I follow through. I love my life, and fight like hell to keep it. But keeping things real, I'm well aware that cancer could come back at any time. I know that there may come a time I lose that battle. I would hope my loved ones would not make me continue to suffer instead of allowing me to fine peace. Don't take that choice away from me.