euthanasia?

College Confidential Community
1

<p>[Using the term "euthanasia" in a very, very loose sense.]</p>

<p>a) You're 78, terminally ill, and almost unbearably weak. You've been housebound for months, and your back hurts like hell. Your muscles have atrophied slightly from lack of use. All your friends have forgotten you except your son, who's mostly taking care of you because he's afraid you'll leave him out of the will. Trashy novels and daytime TV have left you intellectually frustrated and bored out of your mind. The only thing keeping you sane are memories of better days. And that tasty veggie lasagna your son makes on occasion. Do you kill yourself, while you still have the strength to do it?</p>

<p>b) You're 24 and suffer from a debilitating, incurable mental illness that's rendered you unable to study or hold down a job. You are, for the most part, housebound. You've alienated your friends and ruined several past relationships with your emotional issues. If it weren't for your parents, you'd be homeless. You're in terrible pain and bored out of your mind. You'd rely on memories of better days to keep you sane, but you can't seem to think of any. And your mom can't even cook veggie lasagna. Life is unlikely to change -- your mental illness is the primary source of your troubles, and you don't see yourself recovering within the next ten or twenty years. Grounds for suicide?</p>

2

<p>a) no - i'd pick up a worthwhile book, request that my son make veggie lasagna, then insist that he move me to a place near a window.</p>

<p>b) how do we know it's incurable? am i in terrible physical or emotional pain?</p>

3

<p>a) "not now, Mom, I've had a long day at work and I'm tiiired, can't you just heat up the hot pockets like you always do?"</p>

<p>You contemplate stabbing your son in the bloody eyeballs as he rants on and on about career problems you only wish you had. Can't follow your dreams when you're lying in a goddamn bed, now can you? You used to be happy and successful and make lots of money and now you're sitting at home dying.</p>

<p>b) Bloody hell it's incurable. You've had this for years, you've been on every antidepressant and therapy known to man. Your illness is defined by emotional pain. Not to mention you are a useless undignified human being and your life is completely in shambles.</p>

4

<p>I would welcome the bliss of death in both of those situations.</p>