Kevin Drum on Assisted Suicide

It would be unfair to call this “banging on”, but Kevin Drum of Mother Jones has written a very sad story backed up with all sorts of facts and figures, as well as charts to help marshal those facts and figures as a buttress for his argument in favor of assisted suicide.

Daniel Payne (I presume that last name is pronounced just like the word “pain”, with whatever association you’d care to make) has written a reply without as many facts or figures, let alone as much emotional punch, but with a whole lot of sound reasoning. Here’s a bolus:

It is a ghastly future in which people take their own lives to the gentle and smiling encouragement of their loved ones.
It is a ghastly future in which people take their own lives to the gentle and smiling encouragement of their loved ones who would rather just get the whole thing over with and move on.

I will pray for Drum, and you should, too. Pray his cancer disappears and he lives to be a grumpy, curmudgeonly old liberal geezer still talking nonsense about gun control and other progressive ballyhoos.

If his cancer should return, however, I pray he does not take the easier way out. I pray he gives his wife and his loved ones a final, priceless, and irreplaceable gift, a gift of himself that only he can give: the gift of needing their love, their attention, and their full and unconditional care in the twilight moments of his precious life.

Comments

  1. Big Jon Bully says

    So sad, so very sad. Thanks, Quin.

  2. Louise Orrock says

    Every now and then I thought that those I was spreading my message to might be feeling suicidal for other reasons than disease, including loss of others, or guilt about something, and also I thought a couple of times that they might be spending all their money or have borrowed on a card to go on holiday.

  3. Louise Orrock says

    I noticed it in the US, or thought I did, but haven’t really thought of it here in the UK, except for now I remember seeing something about suicide drinks, or mentioned the word in the name of them, in an internet cafe that has now closed down. Unless they were warning people not to drink.

  4. Louise Orrock says

    In terms of the wisdom of what I’ve been doing, the class and occupations of those who have encouraged me, not that many of them, eg, in saying where I should go, encourages – ie, quite down to earth people.

  5. Louise Orrock says

    Wall Street Crash, Wannsee Conference, working class suicides? Eduard Bernstein suggested share ownership.

  6. Louise Orrock says

    I’m a bit tired to write at the moment but while the totalitarian media/state is depressing, I’m not sure it would drive anybody to suicide – if you’re looking for tips. I did wonder when I was in the US whether communism could be depressing, in the sense of lack of aspiration if all needs are taken care of but one cannot rise above a certain level and can contribute no more than by joining an acting school, and either there or here have wondered if that is its aim. And losing one’s appetite can be depressing and frightening (and fear may also be a motive)- poor food, gassing, extreme heat (although mine didn’t go until I had been moving around for a couple of months, by which time it was cooler), but if you force yourself I think you can get it back. And I think if you begin to have information and to know what is going on, you have less fear, even if it is otherwise depressing. But in terms of assisted suicide, I think it is fascist inversion of values where murder becomes merciful and, I assume, entertaining to watch.

    • ” … in terms of assisted suicide, I think it is [a] fascist inversion of values where murder becomes merciful, and, I assume, entertaining to watch.”

      Very well said, Louise – simply spot on. Thank you.

  7. Is this a good place to announce I just signed a contact with Cascade Books to publish Why You Shouldn’t Kill Yourself: Five Tricks of the Heart Against Assisted Suicide ?

    🙂

    Prayers appreciated. As my spiritual director said, he’s doubling prayers for me because this ought to bring the spiritual warfare on. :/ But we need to be marshalling ourselves NOW for reality. It’s coming.

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