Dn the debate on euthanasia, we mainly hear “experts” of all kinds, medical personnel, representatives of religions… The big forgotten are the sick, directly concerned, at least those who are possibly contemplating suicide.
Three years ago, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome. The current debate, for me, is not a clash of universal and disembodied principles but an urgent existential question that torments me to the very depths of myself.
Just because the Nazis misused the word “euthanasia” doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be used anymore. It means a “good death”, that is, a peaceful death, as much as possible. A new law should set the terms of this death: lethal act or assisted suicide, conditions to be met…
An overwhelming majority of caregivers reject active euthanasia. It is their strictest right. A small minority say they are ready to administer a lethal product or to accompany suicide. It is more than enough. Others shouldn’t be concerned. Can we imagine that anti-abortion impose their choice on all women who want to terminate their pregnancy?
The shock of trauma
Those who seek assisted dying claim a freedom that harms no one. Those who do not want euthanasia legalized have the right to go through with their lives and their sufferings. I respect their choice. But why do they refuse the others the right to leave a little earlier? Who can tell me how I should die?
The alternative, if I no longer want to live, is a violent suicide or a “gentle” death, surrounded by my loved ones. Admittedly, a suicide, even non-violent, remains a trauma for loved ones, but witnessing a slow agony for months or years is even more traumatic. Opponents of euthanasia sometimes change their minds when confronted with their own suffering or that of one of their own. Catholic theologian Hans Küng has declared himself in favor of euthanasia after watching his 23-year-old brother dying for months from a brain tumor and his best friend, a professor like him, sinking into dementia.
I claim the freedom to have a personal conception of a life that does not seem worth living. I have the right to find that my life could no longer have meaning, no longer be consistent with what I was, and that is my responsibility.
The lethal act, which for some is a “assassination”, is seen by others as an act of humanity, even brotherhood. Anne Bert, who suffered from Charcot’s disease and received euthanasia in Belgium, wrote that the doctor who protected her from the terrible suffering that was to come was ” fair “ who held out his hand. Compassion must be stronger than principles, which remain outside the tragic reality of a person who no longer wants to live.
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