After having a heated discussion with my dad and sis the other day about euthanasia, abortion and the death penalty, I thought to myself why is it that we cannot determine our own life and what we want to do with it? Of course to a certain extent we can decide on our lives but when it comes to the important questions of taking our own life or giving life to another person, why does the State control all that?
Do we not have the right to determine our own death or whether we want a baby or not?
What is the reason behind religion condemning suicide and abortion?
Only God can determine who lives and who dies.
This is the same reason given by those who are anti-euthanasia and abortion. Because only God can determine who lives and who dies, so we cannot have laws which allows another person to decide on life and death.
However, let us look at it rationally and as a society as a whole.
Euthanasia:
Let us think of a situation whereby a man is involved in a horrific accident. He barely survives, he is a vegetable, brain dead and unable to function. Before this happened, he has written in his will that should he ever be in this condition, he will not want to burden anybody with medical bills and that he would choose to die, peacefully, knowing that he no longer becomes a burden to his family.
Do we grant his wish?
The law says No. Nobody has the right to determine his death. Not his parents. Not the doctors. Nobody. He should die when its time for him to die naturally.
Technically, if we think about it, if he is brain dead, isnt he already dead? He is merely kept alive by a machine. If we liken this situation to say, where a person dies and his parents decide to harvest his organs and donate them, is it similar? To allow his parents to decide after his death? So why not allow a person's parents to decide whether to pull the plug once he has been declared brain dead?
How is it wrong? The person is brain dead. He serves no function in society. He no longer responds to anything or anybody. In fact he is a prisoner in his own body. Isnt the more humane thing to do is to allow him to die as he intimated in his will?
Abortion: The number of babies being dumped daily is astounding. If they are found, they are lucky. But most of the time, they are already dead by the time anybody discovers them. After all, that is the whole point of the mother who left them there. To die.
Does this not make us think of whether the abortion laws are correct?
Is it more humane to terminate the pregnancy when the foetus has no life(scientifically proven) than to push unwed mothers to dump their babies for fear of being ostracised and leaving the babies to die?
Why are we not allowed to decide whether we want or can raise a baby? Society today is not tolerant or understanding of unwed mothers. We have MPs calling them 'gatal' in Parliament. Who can survive being shunned by society? Why not give these women a choice. If they think they are strong enough to raise a child and love the child then they can have the baby. But if they KNOW they are not ready for one or that they know they will be shunned, give them the choice of terminating the pregnancy while it is merely a foetus with no signs of life. Do not push them to the brink of desperation and have to dump their babies after 9 months of pregnancy and going through labour.
Perhaps we should be more open in our understanding of what is termed "right" and "wrong". While we may stick to our religious beliefs, sometimes it is good to be less politically correct or religiously right but search deep within ourselves and try to be humane.
Perhaps then life for some, wouldnt be so hard.
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