I'm slow what can I say?
Apr. 24th, 2005 05:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stonebenderWhat follows are my thoughts around physician assisted suicide. As a relatively public person with a disability I have felt compelled to say something for awhile now but I've been unable to be coherent about the subject. Hopefully, this will make sense.
I believe that an individual has the right to decide to die. In my mind, its ultimately about having control over one's own body. Because suicide is a pretty permanent "solution" I feel some responsibility to make sure that individuals who are contemplating suicide aren't being coerced or that what makes them want to die can't be solved in some other manner.
My opinion in this area seems to be wildly divergent from most politically active people with disabilities in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the United States. Most of my advocate friends are against physician assisted suicide. I truly understand why they are against it. After all we spend a most of our time advocating for services or equipment or medical treatments that help us live relatively self-directed, productive, interesting lives. These services, equipment and medical treatments aren't free. I'm sure that the cost to society and the environment related to maintaining our lives is more expensive than most people. Perhaps not as expensive as a others, but our lives aren't cheap to maintain.
Already there is anecdotal evidence of inordinate pressure for people with disabilities to sign DNR's when entering the hospital for even routine procedures. There has been few times in my life that the social services I need to maintain my life *have not* been threatened with cuts. All Schwarzenegger would have to do to make my life pretty unbearable is no longer allow my wheelchair to be repaired or end my personal care attendant money. I would suddenly be literally housebound. A couple of years of that could certainly put me in suicidal frame of mind.
I don't see Jeb Bush or Terry Randall [Correction: Randall Terry]or Tom De Lay making sure that those services I need to make my life livable are guaranteed. On the contrary, they would be thrilled to cut Medicare, Medicaid, SSI etc. they were desperate to "save" Terry Shiavo. Yet seemed oblivious to the fact that her hospital stay was made possible by funds recieved from a "frivolous" medical malpractice lawsuit against her original doctor and her continued hospital stay was being paid for by Medicare.
The reality is that there is a fiscal benefit to allowing people with disabilities to kill themselves with the help of their physicians. Although, I believe in people's right to do with their bodies what they want. It is entirely too simple to help people with disabilities to come to the decision that their lives are unlivable or too much of a burden to the people they love.
For the most part doctors are able-bodied. They have no idea what living in a wheelchair or with another disability is like. It is ludicrous to think they can make any informed decision about quality of life for someone with a disability. Unless and until we can get people with disabilities to provide input on the quality of life of someone with a disability. Unless and until we as a society can guarantee medical and social services that would allow people with disabilities as free and self-directed a life as possible I can't advocate for physician assisted suicide.
I believe that an individual has the right to decide to die. In my mind, its ultimately about having control over one's own body. Because suicide is a pretty permanent "solution" I feel some responsibility to make sure that individuals who are contemplating suicide aren't being coerced or that what makes them want to die can't be solved in some other manner.
My opinion in this area seems to be wildly divergent from most politically active people with disabilities in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the United States. Most of my advocate friends are against physician assisted suicide. I truly understand why they are against it. After all we spend a most of our time advocating for services or equipment or medical treatments that help us live relatively self-directed, productive, interesting lives. These services, equipment and medical treatments aren't free. I'm sure that the cost to society and the environment related to maintaining our lives is more expensive than most people. Perhaps not as expensive as a others, but our lives aren't cheap to maintain.
Already there is anecdotal evidence of inordinate pressure for people with disabilities to sign DNR's when entering the hospital for even routine procedures. There has been few times in my life that the social services I need to maintain my life *have not* been threatened with cuts. All Schwarzenegger would have to do to make my life pretty unbearable is no longer allow my wheelchair to be repaired or end my personal care attendant money. I would suddenly be literally housebound. A couple of years of that could certainly put me in suicidal frame of mind.
I don't see Jeb Bush or Terry Randall [Correction: Randall Terry]or Tom De Lay making sure that those services I need to make my life livable are guaranteed. On the contrary, they would be thrilled to cut Medicare, Medicaid, SSI etc. they were desperate to "save" Terry Shiavo. Yet seemed oblivious to the fact that her hospital stay was made possible by funds recieved from a "frivolous" medical malpractice lawsuit against her original doctor and her continued hospital stay was being paid for by Medicare.
The reality is that there is a fiscal benefit to allowing people with disabilities to kill themselves with the help of their physicians. Although, I believe in people's right to do with their bodies what they want. It is entirely too simple to help people with disabilities to come to the decision that their lives are unlivable or too much of a burden to the people they love.
For the most part doctors are able-bodied. They have no idea what living in a wheelchair or with another disability is like. It is ludicrous to think they can make any informed decision about quality of life for someone with a disability. Unless and until we can get people with disabilities to provide input on the quality of life of someone with a disability. Unless and until we as a society can guarantee medical and social services that would allow people with disabilities as free and self-directed a life as possible I can't advocate for physician assisted suicide.
