| Our life expectancy in the Western World is ever increasing. Generally, this is seen as a very positive thing. However - the suicide statistics show there are quite some people not exactly waiting for an extended stay at planet earth.
I firmly believe that we should have a right to die.
I also firmly believe that we can't implement it right now for practical reasons: the family pressure on elder people to choose to die, sect hysteria & so on & so forth.
What I would like to discuss is therefore twofold:
1. Generically, why shouldn´t we have a right to die?
2. What measures can be practically taken to ensure some of us can actually go & execute their right to die in a way that doesn't compromise the right to live of what are weaker individuals or classes of individuals in society?
I am NOT talking about euthanasia in the sense of an exit strategy for chronically ill individuals. I am als NOT talking about random suicide born out of isolation, or, a medical condition. As to the latter, the more we avoid it; the better. What I am talking about is somebody that chooses in a controlled way to die in a controlled way.
GN |