Gandhi on Euthanasia

The Times of India received this letter concerning a recent series of stories on euthanasia in India. The subject is Mahatma Gandhi's view of euthanasia, and the writer included this interesting quote:

"A calf, having been maimed, lay in agony in the ashram and despite all possible treatment and nursing, the surgeon declared the case to be past help and hope. The animal's suffering was very acute.

"In the circumstances, I felt that humanity demanded that the agony should be ended by ending life itself. The matter was placed before the whole ashram. Finally, in all humility but with the cleanest of convictions I got in my presence a doctor to administer the calf a quietus by means of a poison injection, and the whole thing was over in less than two minutes.

"Would I apply to human beings the principle that I have enunciated in connection with the calf? Would I like it to be applied in my own case? My reply is yes. Just as a surgeon does not commit himsa when he wields his knife on his patient's body for the latter's benefit, similarly one may find it necessary under certain imperative circumstances to go a step further and sever life from the body in the interest of the sufferer".

[thanks Dominic Sisti]

Physician-Assisted Suicide: Is Vermont Next?

The State Legislature of Vermont may reconsider the issue of physician-assisted suicide in the upcoming session, the Brattleboro Reformer reports. A "Death with Dignity" bill, which would have allowed doctors to help terminally ill patients die, was introduced in the last session. Sponsored by a variety of representatives from all political parties, the bill never made it out of committee. Supporters of the bill have pledged to reintroduce the bill this month and continue seeking support for it. Dr. Robert Orr, president of the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Health Care and bioethicist at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont, testified against the bill in front of the legislative committee last fall: "It's not needed...We can do an adequate job of taking care of people at the end of life." The debate promises to continue and cross party lines. Currently, Oregon is the only state that has legalized physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. -- Linda Glenn

Euthanasia = Kevorkian?

Wesley Smith thinks so.