In the Philadelphia Inquirer today, Michael Vitez reports on the case of Barbara Bitros, a hospice nurse planning to commit suicide before she succumbs to dementia. Bitros has been exhibiting the early symptoms of dementia-possibly Alzheimer's-and does not wish to go through what she has witnessed her patients suffer.
What makes her case particularly noteworthy is that physician-assisted suicide is not an option for her. As she describes in the article, by the time she would be within six months of death, her dementia would have progressed to the point that she would no longer be able to make a rational decision one way or the other. (Six months till death is the standard used in Oregon, where physician assisted suicide is legal.)
My Gut Reaction: I hope she's ready for all the religious fanatics who will be jumping down her throat on a matter that's really none of their business.
More below the fold...
If you do a search online on a topic like euthanasia or physician assisted suicide, you will encounter any number of blogs and opinion pieces attacking those who resort to such solutions. These range from the merely insulting to the downright creepy. A typical case is the treatment of NPR host Diane Rehm, who has become an advocate for physician assisted suicide after her terminally ill husband starved himself to death. An article on Life Newscompletely misrepresented the case, with a headline-"After Starving Her Husband to Death, NPR Star Diane Rehm Heads Euthanasia Group's Fundraiser-implying that Rehm killed her husband rather than him choosing to die. The article, written by Tim Graham of the conservative pressure group Newsbusters, also lambasts NPR for keeping Rehm on their staff despite her pledge to keep her views out of her reporting.
Much of this is based on poorly thought out moral logic. Many religious bloggers, especially from the conservative Catholic viewpoint, believe that to endorse euthanasia or physician assisted suicide in one case or a limited set of cases means endorsing it in all cases. For example, a post on the Catholic blog From the Field of Blue Children, compares the physician assisted death of Brittany Maynard to the depression induced suicide of Robin Williams, saying you can't support one if you don't endorse the other. There is a difference between a decision brought on by mental illness and a rational decision in response to a terminal diagnosis.
Cases like this highlight the need for a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing bodily sovereignty, which will prevent the government and religious fanatics from dictating what people can do in the face of a terminal illness.