Who decides when, where, and why to die

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Who wants to live forever?

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Have you ever wondered what life is? Well, I have many times! And why I am here and now. What I am sure of is that I did not decide to be born, and by simple logic, neither did my ancestors or yours.

We are driven by the instinct of survival, so thinking about death is very uncomfortable for us. However, we also know that we will die on the day we least expect it, and yet we live as if we will be here forever.

In recent days, I have witnessed the suffering of my wife's family due to my mother-in-law's illness, who suddenly fell into bed with abdominal pain. Sadly, after almost three months, she has deteriorated so much that she can no longer take care of her basic needs. She has just turned 72 years old.

I remember my grandmother telling me a few months before she died that when you get old, everything hurts. She died in 2006 at the age of 83 after being admitted and spending less than a month in a hospital where she received the necessary minimum attention. At no time did I hear any of the doctors recommend euthanasia to alleviate my grandmother's suffering. On the contrary, they always looked for ways to help her, and she even died on the operating table in the wee hours of the night.

Now I see my mother-in-law going from hospital to hospital under the observation of insensitive doctors, who to this day have not diagnosed the causes of her deterioration. Meanwhile, fatigue and wear and tear on the physical, spiritual, and economic aspects emerge in family members. Hope is the last thing left in these cases.

I don't want to overwhelm you with the problems in my environment. I know that your problems may even be greater. But I found the topic of euthanasia raised by our Australian host attractive. Also, writing after a prolonged break will serve as catharsis in these bleak moments.

When it comes to euthanasia, there are arguments for and against it that one must carefully consider. On the one hand, those who support euthanasia argue that it can be a compassionate and humane way to allow terminally ill and incurable patients to die without suffering. Euthanasia may be the only way to relieve the unbearable pain of these patients, and it allows them to have control and autonomy over their own lives and decisions. Well, in the case of my mother-in-law, we still don't know what kind of illness she has. I want to clarify, no one is currently considering applying euthanasia to my mother-in-law; she is in God's hands.

However, suppose it were so. In that case, it is important to consider that there are many arguments against it that one must consider in the event of a diagnosis of an incurable disease. There are those who argue that it is immoral and unethical to intentionally end the life of a human being, regardless of the circumstances. So, legalizing euthanasia could also lead to the abuse and exploitation of patients, as well as the dehumanization of medical care and the reduction of efforts to find curative treatments.

Another argument against euthanasia is that it can be difficult to determine if a patient is really suffering unbearably and if their decision to end their life is really voluntary. It can also be difficult to evaluate the mental and emotional capacity of the patient to make an informed decision.

I remember conversations with my mother-in-law about the circumstances of long-lived biblical characters of over nine hundred years. She expressed her disbelief about it and the possibility of a long life full of illness. Of course, a long-lived person should not suffer from serious illnesses beyond normal.

I wonder then, how does suicide relate to euthanasia? For some legislations, would failing suicide be a crime?

Don't be surprised by the abrupt jump. Yes, someone making an attempt on your life is suicide.

I wonder again, could hospital failures be a euthanasia policy against older people? Excuse my digressions, but if so, wouldn't this be homicide?

Again, don't be surprised by my supposed dyslexia. Maybe I'm flying behind shadows.

In the end, if we do not decide to be born, why would someone have the right to decide when, how, and where to die? It is natural for circumstances to determine this. Meanwhile, I believe that one should be content to follow the instinct of survival and try to understand why we are here and now. Or simply enjoy life while preserving being healthy until the end.

Maybe the band Queen asked the right question.

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The photo was taken by me

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