Euthanasia: What do you care?

This week, I read about Chantal Sebire the French woman who (likely) offed herself after courts rejected her plea for euthanasia. The woman was severely disfigured by facial tumors and said drugs were ineffective against the excruciating pain caused by the condition.

This is just another example of government trying to save us from ourselves. I’ve often wondered why assisted suicide is illegal. We put our pets to sleep when it is obvious they no longer enjoy any kind of a normal life. We do it because we know it is inhumane to allow that pet to go on suffering. We don’t question it because it is inarguably the right thing to do.

Yet we lock up our parents and grandparents, our disfigured and dying, to live out the rest of their pathetic lives in nursing homes because we are concerned that somewhere, somehow, a happy person might accidentally get mercy-killed. (Yeah, because that never happens now.)

It’s the same with religion, abortion, gay marriage– how come it’s not good enough for some people to simply hold their own personal beliefs; they have to force them upon everyone else in order to feel like they’re doing the right thing.

I was pleased to read that, according to CNN, Sebire’s case has prompted nominally Roman Catholic France to reexamine its stance on euthanasia. I hope its also prompted the United States to reexamine ours.

And, after rereading this and realizing I sound pretty harsh -not apologizing-  I would also like to say that I am glad this woman is no longer suffering, and I hope that her family’s pain is also eased by the memory of her life and her courage.