Dr. Donald Low was a physician who provided a voice of calm and leadership during the 2003 SARS crisis. He is back in the news but for a very different reason. Dr. Low was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February and he died on September 18th. In his dying days he made a video appealing for the legalization of doctor-assisted suicide. He died 8 days after he made the video.
Dr. Low – a leading microbiologist, knew that, given his condition, death was inevitable. In the video he said that were he able to, he would have preferred the adminsitration of a lethal cocktail, thereby choosing when he would die so that he could have death with dignity.
This is not a new discussion in the Canadian public forum. Sue Rodriguez, who died in 1994, suffered the debilitating, terminal illness, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. As the disease progressed and her conditioned worsened she pushed the right-to-die debate into the spotlight.
Canadians are reluctant to embrace this notion. Today MP Steven Fletcher spoke in favour of doctor assisted suicide. At the same time those advocating for the rights of the aged and the disabled quickly spoke out challenging the notion. Currently in BC and Quebec there is legal action in the courts as people challenge the laws that makes doctor-assisted suicide against the law.
This is one of those questions that has a theological and faith component. As Christians we believe that life is precious and a gift from God. Do we have the right to choose our own death? Is doctor-assisted suicide at the time of terminal illness acceptable? Is it a slippery slope or a humane act? I think it is easy to make it a philosophical debate unless one is terminally ill, then it is a pressing concern.
What is your feeling on this discussion? Do you think there is a time when we should take the power of life into our own hands?
