Death and the Business of Dying.

Assisted dying or Euthanasia is still a very hard topic to open up and discuss in Filipino society. The subject is often taboo among social circles and people in general exhibit a fear of confronting death and the thought of dying. In this post I’ll try to talk about Euthanasia (for those who are ill and chose it).

To lose someone is hard. This I know and have experienced for myself. The emotional battle that we, the ones left behind, will face is immense.

Dying, although many have accepted as natural, is still viewed as evil. And many times I've heard of the sentiment expressed that if they are granted one wish, they would want immortality.

But as humans, we are doomed to die and most times before we approach our final stage; expiration, we are often going through a series of pains and illnesses.

I see the rationale of Euthanasia because to keep someone alive through artificial means, even when death is a more humane option to take, is a cruel thing to do. But killing someone even with their permission is a big issue because to deliberately take someone's life is not natural.

But is there really a natural death? Death is death. Some die in their sleep, accidents, and murder.

Is the act of taking your own life really a cowardly way to go or a rational decision to make?

Wouldn’t it be much better for you and your loved ones to see you go peacefully and in clean conditions than see dying miserably and in a lot of pain?

I believe Euthanasia should NOT be a crime and should be an option that is open to all.

If I would ever be in a state of dementia or extreme pain I see no point in living when I am robbed of my abilities to reason, be aware, to know, to enjoy life.

No one has the right to tell me to continue living, enforce their will on me, despite me expressing that I'm tired or extremely suffering. If someone is WILLING to help me achieve my goal in my incapacitated state then that person does not deserve to be jailed for it.

Who will do the killing is another topic though. I'm sure there are individuals who will have the guts to "help" people who wish to take this option. The killer instinct is a debatable issue. How to kill and the instinct to kill are two different things.