Hello! So, I recently read a book called “Breathless” by Lurlene McDaniel that I found very interesting. It was centered around the topic of Euthanasia, which is a very controversial subject. First I will talk about the basics of the novel, and then about some of the research I did afterwards surrounding the subject. The story is basically about this boy named Travis, who is a champion athlete and seems to have all the opportunities in the world. One day when Travis, his sister Emily, his best friend Cooper, and his girlfriend Darla, all go to the lake for the afternoon, Travis notices a sharp pain in his upper leg, but still decides to show off by diving off of a huge cliff. He hears his leg crack and it is soon found out that he has bone cancer and a tumor in his upper thigh that will make it necessary for his leg to be taken off. All four of the main characters get a chance to tell the story from their point of view at different points in the novel, which is very interesting. Travis journeys through a dark time in his life, as his body no longer allows him to do what he loves most, or follow his dream of being a professional diver. As his situation worsens, many questions of morality and ethical matters are brought up, including and most predominantly, the idea of Euthanasia, or “mercy killing”. Everyone has beliefs, whether they be religious or moral, and everyone thinks they know the difference between right and wrong; but, I do not think anyone knows how they would feel about Euthanasia if it was being considered for themselves or for someone they love. In the novel, Travis’s situation gets so awful that he WANTS to be killed painlessly; but, because he is only 16, his parents are the ones with the final say on his life and death. It really made me think about what I would do if I was in Travis’s position, or the position of his family or friends. Would you let someone you love give up on life, if the only way they could live was to suffer? Or would you do anything to keep them alive, even if they would rather die? If the novel does not make a person lean one way or the other, it definitely makes you contemplate your thoughts on life, death, and morality.
After researching the topic of Euthanasia to find out a bit more about the scientific aspect of it, I came across something called Palliative Care which, opposed to Euthanasia, focuses on giving a person with a life threatening illness comfort and relief from suffering in order to improve their quality of living and dying. Usually, Palliative Care has positive connotations and Euthanasia has negative connotations. Palliative Care is a branch of medicine that focuses on end of life care. Its purpose is to keep the patient comfortable and pain free, despite their illness, and to improve the quality of life of the patient and their family. Some of the approaches used in Palliative Care include medication management of pain and other distressing symptoms, providing social, emotional, practical, and spiritual support, and helping caregivers. Scientific studies of Palliative Care treatment have shown that it can improve quality of life, reduce time spent in the hospital, preserve feelings of dignity, and possibly even prolong life. Unfortunately, good quality Palliative Care is not consistently available to people with terminal illnesses.
It is believed by MOST people that Euthanasia is murder, and therefore is not legal in all places; however, I tend to think that sometimes Euthanasia is the best way to quickly relieve someone from pain who is already on the path towards death, or who decides that they want to end their life. It is said that Palliative Care leaves the dying person with a higher sense of dignity, but in my opinion, in some cases it could be more dignified to die painlessly than to be hooked up to respiratory tubes, feeding tubes, or other forms of life support.
Euthanasia is a provocative subject through which science and ethics meet. This is merely MY opinion on the subject and some of the science behind it, so I will let YOU be the judge of whether it is right or wrong. What are your thoughts on Euthanasia and Palliative Care?
If anyone is interested in the novel, here is a link that shows the cover, a brief description of the novel, as well as an option to purchase the book from a bookstore of your choice: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5599045-breathless
Thank you!
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