The So-Called Right To Kill

To the Editor:

This letter is in response to Bill Collins’ article entitled “Just Hope You Die Quick.” The assisted suicide of the elderly, terminally ill, and physically handicapped members of our society is a dangerous spiral downwards. One country that is experiencing this problem currently is the Netherlands. In 1995 there were 8,000 cases of patients dying because doctors advocated for their death; even with stricter regulations imposed by the Netherlands Supreme Court, 1,000 of these people died without their consent or previous knowledge. Mentally and physically challenged individuals out of fear of unwanted termination, secure ID cards that they carry on their person should they be unable to speak when receiving emergency care.

And so, you want it to be your right to kill? Where in the US Constitution or the Bill of Rights is the so-called right to kill another person mentioned? The United States stands for the constitution of equal and fair rights for every citizen of this nation. The state of Oregon with the help of the Hemlock Society has passed a law legalizing the killing of terminally ill people. (Anyone who has read Deadly Compassion by Rita Marker, the second ex-wife of founder of the Hemlock Society, knows they are not the feeble, frail organization Mr Collins implies.)

Will the use of medicine and the advancement of technology to save lives (ex. Defibrillation/pacemaker implants) become nonexistent? What will become the criteria for the life versus the death of an individual? Problems such as the high rate of depression in elderly individuals can economically be ended by murdering older persons. Emotionally driven decisions of suicide as a result of depression will occur, when in essence all one needed was social interaction and family support.

Perhaps the need for assisted suicide is more a symptom of the demise and illness of the institution known as the family. Perhaps doctors should treat families instead of influence the rate of mortality. Research on, and education of, physicians regarding pain management and the use of hospice as viable treatment alternatives. However, it is truly through the healing of our families, the place where we learn our roles and offer support that we will once again attribute value to all human life; those of the unborn, most lonely, most poor, physically and mentally challenged, and the elderly.

Rebecca and Ann Marie Mitchell

17 Butterfield Road                       October 11, 1999