Years prior he had been diagnosed with cancer. After his diagnosis, he decided that he would not go through with chemotherapy, radiation, or any other form of treatment. He was content with the life he had lived and decided he would live out the remaining days God had planned for him... however many that may be.
While my grandparents were staying with us, my grandfather started experiencing excoriating back pain. Yet he was still able to walk around and do normal activities. Being a veteran, and wanting to help his pain, my mother took him to the VA. During his week stay in ICU, the doctors withheld food and water from my grandfather. And my family and I were instructed not to give him anything either. The doctor(s) believed that my grandfather would aspirate if given any food or liquid.
Being a smoker, he had several other health conditions such as COPD. He was put on a CPAP and BIPAP machine (something he had never needed or used in his life). These machines were kept on him 24/7 and we were discouraged to take them off while visiting. When my family brought our concerns to my grandfathers team of doctors about his lack of meals they fitted him for a feeding tube. Yet it was never used. Whenever we were at the hospital, which was practically all hours of visitation, the feeding machine was never on.
Mid week, my mother, grandmother, and I, met with the team of doctors and the decision to move my grandfather to a Palliative care facility was made. The morning of his death, an unrequested dose of morphine was administered. In route to the facility, later that day, my grandfather passed away.
As I began my own grieving process, I started writing; which is a coping mechanism of mine. I also began googling questions I had since the VA had been in the spotlight for killing veterans. Little did I know, I would be exposed to the whole world of physician assisted suicide. I read several stories that were eerily similar to my grandfathers. http://www.hospicepatients.org/hospice-nurse-observes-euthanasia.html
It wasn't until then that I began to allow myself to believe what had just taken place. My family and I blindly put our faith in my grandfathers team of doctors. After all, aren't doctors meant to heal the injured? We never would have imagined this happening to someone, let alone a loved one. In the beginning you feel guilty for even thinking that someone is capable of murder. Whether or not they see it as a "mercy killing". But this is what happens when a human plays God.
This is why I believe physician assisted suicide should not be legalized. Instead, it should be outlawed. It's a dangerous practice and no one should ever have the power to take another's life.
And the fact that physician assisted suicide is already happening illegally, without consequence,
is appalling. Instead of individuals fighting for the so called "Right-to-die" they should be pushing for better hospice and palliative care.
It's a no brainer that most religious people such as Christians and Jews believe that physician assisted suicide is wrong. The current Pope claims that physician assisted suicide offers a false sense of compassion and treats a human person as a problem and many people who are against it share this view. Even in individuals who don't believe in God, they still believe that suffering has value.
