Assisted suicide is something that has been debated not just in the US but through certain parts of the world for years. I always equated euthanasia with animals being put to sleep. I did not become aware that humans could be euthanized until the Jack Kevorkian case gained notoriety in the early 90's. Years after Kevorkian became a household name the debate about assisted suicide became one of those hot button issues that no one in America really wanted to touch because it was too controversial.
Today I read about a set of twins in Belgium that agreed to euthanasia because they found out that they were going blind. To the twins going blind meant they would no longer see each other and given their bond that was unthinkable. The twins were born deaf and they lived together in a flat plus they worked as cobblers. To me it's shocking but the Doctors stated that the twins took the decision in full conscience.
This happening brings forth an interesting question which is the following: Was Kevorkian right? Is assisted suicide a good way to go if a person is in extreme pain? In 2011 in Belgium alone there were over 1,100 cases of assisted suicide due mostly to cancer. A good question to ask is: How do people define extreme pain? It seems like the twins were suffering from emotional distress rather than extreme physical pain. The over 1100 euthanasia deaths registered in 2011were terminal cases.
The fact is that while there are religious arguments to be had as well as moral and ethical discussions this seems to come down to the individual's perception of life. We can't say one way or another if euthanasia is really wrong or for that matter really right.
We can always ask: Was Kevorkian wrong?
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