19 October 2006

How can you justify murder?

I heard a story on the radio on my drive home. A man, David March, helped his wife to commit suicide. Mrs March suffered from MS and had often expressed her wish to end her own life "While she could." She did not want her condition to deteriorate to the stage where she felt her quality of life was not worth living.

Mr March returned home one evening to find his wife had taken an overdose and put a plastic bag over her head. Mr March tightened the bag, and shortly after his wife died.

This is the story as I heard it on the radio this evening. I really feel for Mr March, how difficult times must have been for him since his wife's death. I hope the end of the court case brings some closure on the episode to Mr March and he can live a serene life for himself.

But the story raises a point to me. Is it ever right to kill someone? I don't want to make Mr March the subject of my question, the story is just to illustrate one of the many combinations of "but what if?" when it comes to assisted suicide.

I can't see how it is ever justified to take the life of another human being, no matter what the circumstance may be.

"But what if that person is ill?" "But what if that person wants to die?" "But what if I have had enough of this life?"

I can't justify it. Can you?

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