What if we helped terminally ill people pass as we do with pets?

    I've received many emails from people who have made the choice to euthanize their terminally sick and dying pets, and recently found an organization that is striving to allow terminally ill people to pass with dignity. This has been a controversial topic throughout much of the U.S. for many years. 

   Moderate U.S. religions have supported the choice, while conservative U.S. religions look down upon it (although for some reason, they don't have an issue with it when it comes to pets who have the intelligence of a 4-5 year old child). 

   As someone who talks with spirit all the time, they would rather not have endured the suffering that prolonged the agony and feelings of helplessness of their family and friends. 

  I feel that it should not be governed by religion, however, just as allowing a precious pet to pass with dignity is not ruled by religion. From the messages I've received, People should have the right to choose how they want to pass. There are some places in the U.S. that do allow people to make that choice, although not many.

   So, where is it legal? As of March, 2016, Physician aid in dying (PAD), or assisted suicide, is legal in the states of Washington, Oregon, California, Vermont and Bernalillo County, New Mexico; its status is disputed in Montana.

    I know this is a controversial topic, and I know many people have opinions based on their religions, but I'm asking you to put your religion aside and think about this topic from a human perspective. 

   What choice would you personally make? 

   I do remember that my mother suffered for several days in a vegetative state after a stroke totally disabled her. I know her spirit was conscious of her physical body's state, because she conveyed that. She was in a U.S. state that didn't allow assisted passing, and watching her suffer was something that was troubling. 

    Have you encountered that feeling?

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 I recently stumbled upon this organization: Compassion and Choices. If you know someone that is dealing with terminal illness, you may want to check this organization. (I have not spoken with them, and am not affiliated with them- just sharing the information I found).

Website:   https://www.facebook.com/CompassionandChoices

·  Compassion and Choices works to improve care and expand choice at the end of life.

Compassion & Choices creates an atmosphere free from judgment where everyone can talk about, and come to terms with, the difficult issues surrounding death and dying. Unlike most end-of-life organizations, we are not a religious organization; nor do we promote one ethical or belief system. We honor all people as individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, race, or any other category.

·  Mission:  Compassion and Choices, a nonprofit organization, improves care and expands choice at the end of life. We support, educate and advocate.

·  Phone (800) 247-7421·  Email info@compassionandchoices.org
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Lessons Learned, Ghosts and Spirits

For Rob Gutro's books: "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead," "Pets and the Afterlife" and the new book "Pets and the Afterlife 2" -  visit Amazon.com   (or click this link) 

Pets and the Afterlife 2, Pets and the Afterlife

Reader Question: Euthanasia for Pets... What about People?

Euthanasia Decision Guidelines for Pets

Here's a very interesting question about a very controversial topic: Euthanasia. Because I just published my book "Pets and the Afterlife" and talk about making the decision to euthanize our pets when they are suffering, I received a question asking why I think that people have an issue with ending human suffering.

QUESTION:  My question is regarding euthanasia.  We euthanize our beloved animals as an act of compassion  yet we won’t extend the same compassion to people.  What about all the people that have died by their own hands as a desperate act of self-euthanasia when life has become unbearable or impossible. We think it’s cruel to let an animal suffer like this, and yet we expect people to suffer like this, often bankrupting families and we tend to condemn those who choose not to suffer and choose to end their life instead.  And what about someone like Dr. Kevorkian that (I believe) compassionately helped people die. I’m really curious to know if you’ve ever gotten anything about this type of situation?

MY RESPONSE: 

   You bring up a very important point about euthanasia that I've talked about before many times with my partner. It certainly does seem cruel that humans don't give the same care to each other as we try to give to pets at the end of their lives during times of severe suffering. This is something I've recently struggled to understand.
    I believe that line of thought against euthanizing people originated with some religions that said that "pets don't have souls and humans do" - which we know to be false. In addition some religions have looked at euthanasia as "murder" instead of humane treatment of people. As a result, we are sadly not able to treat people in a humane way at the end of their lives to end their suffering.

What about people?

   My mother died this past December. She had a stroke and was suffering horrendously, and I had to make the choice with my brothers to remove her from life support - so she would not live paralyzed and in a vegetative state- so your question strongly resonates with me. I do know that my mother suffered in that week it took for her to pass after her debilitating stroke.
  Perhaps as people realize we need to focus more on the humane treatment of others over doctrine, we will be able to assist our loved ones cross over at the end of their lives and shorten their suffering.
  In July, 2013, when we had to make the decision for our 16 1/2 year old dog Sprite, who could barely use his back legs, had kidney failure, strong heart murmur, was going blind and deaf before something ruptured in his nose causing bleeding for hours (I took him to the emergency vet and they said it was likely a tumor in the sinuses, not a broken blood vessel)- and we made the choice the next day, because he was suffering so much.  We didn't want to see him suffer any further - and yes, it was heartwrenching.

SOME PLACES IT IS LEGAL - After responding to this question, I learned that the Netherlands and Belgium, and states like Oregon, have legalized euthanasia. 

   WHERE DID THE WORD COME FROM? - The word "euthanasia" was first used in a medical context by Francis Bacon in the 17th century, to refer to an easy, painless, happy death, during which it was a "physician's responsibility to alleviate the 'physical sufferings' of the body." 

  WHERE WAS THE CONCEPT FIRST MENTIONED IN HISTORY? - The first apparent usage of the term "euthanasia" belongs to the historian Suetonius who described how the Emperor Augustus, "dying quickly and without suffering in the arms of his wife, Livia, experienced the 'euthanasia' he had wished for." (Ref.   Philippe Letellier, chapter: History and definition of a Word, in Euthanasia: Ethical and human aspects By Council of Europe)