Right to die

Much has been said in the papers and debated hotly over the right to die. Most time, most people argued passionately about it and usually the pro camp are those who have been in a situation before whereas the against camp are those with strong religious beliefs and those who have not been in such situation before and do not fully comprehend the impact of the right to die.

Let me said that I am pro life but I am also pro right to die. My views like many people however applies only to myself – ie if I am so sick and suffering from an incurable disease, I rather be allowed to die with dignity than suffer for long period and in the process drag loved ones into misery. The pro life part of me said that life is precious, a gift from God and we should treasure and nurture it to the best of our ability and not destroy what God creates. So what happened when something like that occurs? 

I have never actually thought too much about it but yesterday at CGH, I found myself contemplating this as I visited a relative who has been warded there. She was already ‘brain dead’ and apparently being kept ‘alive’ for 2 to 3 more days. I am not too sure what are the reasons for keeping her alive. Is it that none of the children was willing to make the decision to pull the plug preferring to just let her go on her own or they can’t bear to be parted? Thank goodness, the call was not mine to make. But as I stared at her and looked at her children standing watch, I could feel the dilemma, the burden they carried as they struggled with the decision of when to let her go. And I wondered……..