The Nation (http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070730/hedges) recently published an article in which they interviewed 50 Iraq war veterans about their experience and what things are really like over there. This stuff struck me as obvious, but I still had to force myself to wade through the 12 pages of horrifying description. It occured to me that this used to not strike me as obvious–I used to think that war actually works well and is a great idea.
In Iraq, Specialist Middleton said, “a lot of guys really supported that whole concept that, you know, if they don’t speak English and they have darker skin, they’re not as human as us, so we can do what we want.”
Posted in Death, United States, Violence, War | 11 Comments »
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Euthanasia?
Tuesday, June 5th, 2007As you no doubt know, the notorious Jack Kevorkian, aka “Dr. Death”, was released from prison this last week after serving 8 years of his prison sentence for the second degree murder of Thomas Youk, whom he assisted to commit sucide in 1998. Thomas Youk was in the final stages of ALS, popularly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
I must confess that my personal jury is still out on the issue of suicide/assisted suicide. The news this week has made me ponder this again. I find I have lots of questions and no answers.
- Is it okay to kill oneself in some situations?
- Is it okay to help someone kill themself in some situations?
- Do we have the right to demand that everyone live out their every last moment of suffering if they are terminally ill?
- How do these questions relate to the fact that we are in the minority of nations which still regularly execute people?
- Should we as a society dictate, by law, what shall and shall not happen in every individual case? Or should there be some leeway left to individuals and their doctors?
- Did Jack Kevorkian’s assistance to Thomas Youk constitute murder? Did it constitute an act of kindness?
- How do we approach all these questions with respect, kindness, compassion, and justice?
I’d love to hear your thoughts, feelings, ideas, experiences, knowledge, etc.
Posted in Death, Health Care | 13 Comments »|