I've just finished the module on bioethics and when we covered end of life, it brought back memories of journeying with my father and also with a friend, A.
Vestiges of grief still cloud my heart even though it will be eight years to the day that my father departed.
Whether dealing with issues like contraceptives, IVF, abortion, organ transplants or euthanasia, the same principles hold:
* Good ends do not justify evil means.
Vestiges of grief still cloud my heart even though it will be eight years to the day that my father departed.
Whether dealing with issues like contraceptives, IVF, abortion, organ transplants or euthanasia, the same principles hold:
* Good ends do not justify evil means.
* The objective good of the human person is to be respected over the private best interest of the individual.
* Equal dignity is accorded to every person regardless of whether he or she has a voice (this includes the embryonic and comatose) or state of life (young or old, rich or poor).
Obstacles to acceptance of these principles are utilitarianism and Cartesian dualism where human life is measured by functionality and we tend to think we can treat our bodies as objects.
This has led to a disregard for the inviolability of human life, especially in the womb and at the end of life.
I am glad I have the principles written above to guide me through life for I have seen firsthand how easy it is to make wrong decisions out of fear or guilt when it comes to the process of dying.
It is tough to watch someone you love suffering and dying a slow death before your eyes.
As you support them in their fight against death, agonizing if treatment decisions made are the right ones (at what point does the treatment from curative become palliative), you also combat a mix of fear, grief, anger and guilt that course through you, the helpless bystander.
You wish their suffering would end yet you are not ready to let them go in the arms of death for you fear you will never recover from the loss.
One of the reasons why people subscribe to euthanasia is because they do not want to be a burden to those around them. They may see their existence as meaningless for they are no longer functional and they want to end their suffering.
I was privileged to journey with my father who was always courageous and looked life, and death, straight in the eye.
One of his greatest fears in life was to be a burden on others for he was a proud man. Yet in his battle with cancer which I would consider humiliating for someone who was so fiercely independent, he abandoned himself to God and in the process found strength to face death with inspiring grace.
Never once did he contemplate giving up fighting the disease. At the same time, he wisely knew that his time on earth was in the hands of the Almighty, to the second he drew his last breath.
Watching how A suffered the indignity of being a guinea pig as she desperately sought a cure to the end made me resolute that I would do my best to choose the truth, no matter how unpalatable it is.
I have made known my wishes to family and friends that I would not wish for disproportionate means to be used to keep me alive, in the event I am unable to make the decision myself.
I am also very clear in my mind that suicide is never an option no matter how tough my life may get. God willing, I will be given the strength to maintain this stance should I be faced with great suffering.
My greatest wish is that I will be my father's daughter to the end: living life meaningfully and dying with undying faith.
Obstacles to acceptance of these principles are utilitarianism and Cartesian dualism where human life is measured by functionality and we tend to think we can treat our bodies as objects.
This has led to a disregard for the inviolability of human life, especially in the womb and at the end of life.
I am glad I have the principles written above to guide me through life for I have seen firsthand how easy it is to make wrong decisions out of fear or guilt when it comes to the process of dying.
It is tough to watch someone you love suffering and dying a slow death before your eyes.
As you support them in their fight against death, agonizing if treatment decisions made are the right ones (at what point does the treatment from curative become palliative), you also combat a mix of fear, grief, anger and guilt that course through you, the helpless bystander.
You wish their suffering would end yet you are not ready to let them go in the arms of death for you fear you will never recover from the loss.
One of the reasons why people subscribe to euthanasia is because they do not want to be a burden to those around them. They may see their existence as meaningless for they are no longer functional and they want to end their suffering.
I was privileged to journey with my father who was always courageous and looked life, and death, straight in the eye.
One of his greatest fears in life was to be a burden on others for he was a proud man. Yet in his battle with cancer which I would consider humiliating for someone who was so fiercely independent, he abandoned himself to God and in the process found strength to face death with inspiring grace.
Never once did he contemplate giving up fighting the disease. At the same time, he wisely knew that his time on earth was in the hands of the Almighty, to the second he drew his last breath.
Watching how A suffered the indignity of being a guinea pig as she desperately sought a cure to the end made me resolute that I would do my best to choose the truth, no matter how unpalatable it is.
I have made known my wishes to family and friends that I would not wish for disproportionate means to be used to keep me alive, in the event I am unable to make the decision myself.
I am also very clear in my mind that suicide is never an option no matter how tough my life may get. God willing, I will be given the strength to maintain this stance should I be faced with great suffering.
My greatest wish is that I will be my father's daughter to the end: living life meaningfully and dying with undying faith.
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