Writing in yesterday's Times, David Aaronovitch describes the right to die as "a victory for optimism." He goes on to call the GP who helped Peter Smedley commit suicide in Monday's BBC documentary as "the most impressive woman I have met."
Just how we have reached this place - where those who promote death are lauded as angels of light - is beyond me. It appears that the values of Christ have been twisted beyond all recognition. Death is presented as something to reach out for, and those who assist people in this are brave and compassionate souls.
The central point of Aaronovitch's argument is that people should have the maximum autonomy over their own lives and deaths. It is up to the individual to choose the time and manner of departure from this world. They are the ultimate sovereign of themselves and such a decision is nobody else's business.
For any Catholic, who understands life as a precious gift from God, such a view is of course wrong and deeply troubling. But even without this spiritual perspective the argument is fundamentally flawed. The idea that we live in a vacuum, where our actions have no bearing on the people around us, is nonsense. Peter Smedley's wife somehow has to live with the consequences of what she experienced at Dignitas. The
emotional trauma she is left with is probably far greater than any physical pain the Swiss clinic is so eager to alleviate.
And what about the effect on society in general? The removal of the fundamental principle that life is sacred - even to accomodate a minority - will have far-reaching consequences. Aaronovitch is naive if he thinks that pressure will not be exerted in the future on individuals whose lives are deemed less worthy. An elementary knowledge of history shows what human beings are capable of doing.
The battles of the 21st century are direct assaults on the dignity of the human person. Assisted suicide is the ultimate attack on our humanity. We need to oppose it with every fibre of our being.
The wife gave the impression of being on sedation medication. The very act of agreeing for the death to be filmed indicated a dissociation from reality, a sense that this was theatre.
ReplyDeleteWell, the curtain has come down on the patient but life continues in the raw for those left behind.
I predict that this woman will break down into a severe depressive illness.
Pray for her.
"The central point of Aaronovitch's argument is that people should have the maximum autonomy over their own lives and deaths." The problem with this argument is that he forgets that he did not create himself, he was not "responsible" for his Life in the first place. His argument fails before it even gets off the ground. Also, experiencing a normal death with a loved one is at the same time excruciating painful and spiritually transformative, it is part of God's plan. When we submit to God's will, miracles of faith happen. (The beauty of our faith is that we know we have found true freedom when we submit to God's will, don't you think?) When we are constantly trying to mastermind our own destinies (been there, done that) we are, in fact, thrashing about in the dark and falling into serious error. Just my two cents.
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