YouÆre watching a horror movie about a man who has been taken captive in the hospital of a mad doctor and strapped to a hospital bed. The doctor walks in, wielding a large hypodermic needle and eyes the ôpatientö diabolically. ôWeÆll be taking care of that terrible illness for you, Mr. Parker. In just a few moments, your pain will end forever.ö The camera focuses on Mr. Parker, who frantically tries to signal that he does not want to dieùthat he is not even sickùbut he is unable to speak because he has been heavily sedated. His face drenched with perspiration, his eyes darting about wildly, he makes some guttural sounds in his throat just as the doctor makes the injection. The camera goes out of focus and the screen is filled with a bright light. Mr. Parker is dead.
Dramatic? Yes. Exaggerated? Yes. Unrealistic? Noànot really. Euthanasia is a concept that purports to painlessly end the lives of people who have incurable or painful diseases or handicaps. It has been framed in such a way that many people see it as mercy, a favor to someone who is suffering so much that life is not worth living. An astonishing number of people believe that euthanasia is the right thing to do in cases of terminal illness or unbearable physical or emotional pain. They persist in believing that this is merciful in spite of the fact that the suffering caused by the euthanasia can be worse than the patientÆs everyday life with the illness or handicap. This was sharply illustrated in the Terri Schiavo case, where approximately 80% of those polled felt that removing her feeding tube was justified, in spite of the fact that she articulated as best she could, ôI want to live.ö Her husband, who had fought long and hard in the courts for the right to have her life terminated described her grueling death by starvation and dehydration as ôpeaceful.ö
In recent years, the euthanasia movement has gained new momentum after being re-t...