When Straits Time devotes 9 pages of its real estate to talk about euthanasia, that gets me excited.
The concept of euthanasia is, simply put, assisted killing. Whether it is merciful or otherwise, seen from the perspective of the dying man in pain, or from his wife who labours to take care of him, or from his son who is anxious about the medical bill, is subjective and debatable.
In life, we are at different time given options to choose. Sometime, we come across situations when there is no choice. However, when it comes to life and death, I hope I can can choose how I die.
I have seen a person, when confronted with a very difficult situation, took suicide as his way out. I have also seen the same widow, while battling with cancer pain, chose to die slowly, continued to encourage people around her, and only stopped when the pain overwhelmed her.
We already have the advance medical directive in Singpaore ( http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_543_2004-12-18.html). I can decide in advance that, at some point in time in future, when faced with a terminal disease, I will stop taking medicine or accept medical procedures in order not to prolong my suffering.
Euthanasia takes that decision one step further. I can now get somebody to have me killed when I decide I cannot take it anymore. It is a "pro active" way of not prolonging pain and suffering.
I believe in not killing anyone including myself. I hope that when it comes to my turn, I will have the encourage not to take my way out of life through murder. But I certainly cannot impose my way on others who have different conviction.
So my stand on euthanasia is this. If you want to kill yourself or have someone to kill you to ease your pain, that is your choice. I can respect that choice. However, I have no intention of killing myself or getting people to kill me. I am especially weary that my son, if he becomes more concerned about his pocket than anything else in this world, would want to capitalise on anything to help end my misery (and his).
Therefore, if attempts are made to change our laws to allow people to make the choice of killing themselves or have themselves killed by others, I want the rules to be made very clear, in the following manner:
(i) I did not say I need any "assistance" to complete my journey on this earth. Please do not put words into my mouth that I have ever said I wanted myself killed, that at various time and venue I have alluded or expressed opinion about my "altruistic" desire. Please just assume that I am an old fart who refuses to die.
(ii) I do not want any expert to declare that my mind can no longer make any "logical" decision, that under any "reasonable" circumstances, in the interest of my poor suffering wife and children, it is best that I be put out of the way as a favour to society and the rest of mankind. I do not want to die, sir.
(iii) Please, and don't ever tell me that assisted killing is henceforth an "opt out" option, that I will be automatically awarded a $10,000 medisave voucher for the procedure unless I choose to forgo the good money. I need to make a living to save up for my coffin money, but I do not really need a new joke to tell my PRC business associates.
The concept of euthanasia is, simply put, assisted killing. Whether it is merciful or otherwise, seen from the perspective of the dying man in pain, or from his wife who labours to take care of him, or from his son who is anxious about the medical bill, is subjective and debatable.
In life, we are at different time given options to choose. Sometime, we come across situations when there is no choice. However, when it comes to life and death, I hope I can can choose how I die.
I have seen a person, when confronted with a very difficult situation, took suicide as his way out. I have also seen the same widow, while battling with cancer pain, chose to die slowly, continued to encourage people around her, and only stopped when the pain overwhelmed her.
We already have the advance medical directive in Singpaore ( http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_543_2004-12-18.html). I can decide in advance that, at some point in time in future, when faced with a terminal disease, I will stop taking medicine or accept medical procedures in order not to prolong my suffering.
Euthanasia takes that decision one step further. I can now get somebody to have me killed when I decide I cannot take it anymore. It is a "pro active" way of not prolonging pain and suffering.
I believe in not killing anyone including myself. I hope that when it comes to my turn, I will have the encourage not to take my way out of life through murder. But I certainly cannot impose my way on others who have different conviction.
So my stand on euthanasia is this. If you want to kill yourself or have someone to kill you to ease your pain, that is your choice. I can respect that choice. However, I have no intention of killing myself or getting people to kill me. I am especially weary that my son, if he becomes more concerned about his pocket than anything else in this world, would want to capitalise on anything to help end my misery (and his).
Therefore, if attempts are made to change our laws to allow people to make the choice of killing themselves or have themselves killed by others, I want the rules to be made very clear, in the following manner:
(i) I did not say I need any "assistance" to complete my journey on this earth. Please do not put words into my mouth that I have ever said I wanted myself killed, that at various time and venue I have alluded or expressed opinion about my "altruistic" desire. Please just assume that I am an old fart who refuses to die.
(ii) I do not want any expert to declare that my mind can no longer make any "logical" decision, that under any "reasonable" circumstances, in the interest of my poor suffering wife and children, it is best that I be put out of the way as a favour to society and the rest of mankind. I do not want to die, sir.
(iii) Please, and don't ever tell me that assisted killing is henceforth an "opt out" option, that I will be automatically awarded a $10,000 medisave voucher for the procedure unless I choose to forgo the good money. I need to make a living to save up for my coffin money, but I do not really need a new joke to tell my PRC business associates.
