It would seem that only Fate is crueler than the human heart when a patient becomes unrecoverably incapacitated. Everyone's life shows some of the cruelties of fate. People who would deny such unrecoverables the Right to Die can be just about as cruel as fate can be.
Deciding when to terminate Life Support should be up to the patient first (a Living Will, DNR letter [Do Not Resuscitate] or verbal consent), relatives or loved ones second, and should only be up to the government or the courts when no other option is available. And, of course, such a decision should never be up to any of the not-so-moral morality groups which are so prevalent today.
For Those Who Are Against Euthanasia:
If, say a pet dog is on its last legs and is visibly suffering, it is usually more humane to put the poor animal out of its misery than to allow the pet to suffer. It is arguably cruel to let such an afflicted animal to suffer out its last days. Perhaps that is why in the wild carnivore's typically prey on the weak and the sick. As far as I'm concerned, the exact same principle should apply to incapacitated patients who are unlikely to recover or even live a normal life. The mercy killing that Claus Von Bulou allegedly committed was wrong and Dr. Jack Kevorkian did go too far, but in the future mercy killing should perhaps be legalized for those realistically beyond recovery; provided certain regulations are followed. (to be cont'd)
[The original version of this essay, then entitled "Cryonics" first appeared in Eastern Connecticut State University's Campus Lantern student newspaper and as part of my unpublished manuscript "In Mediocrity We Trust... In Debt We Die" And Other Essays]
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