Patient’s Choice to Die
Bravo! You have given voice to a qualified spokesman for the disability community, Dr. Paul K. Longmore, regarding the Elizabeth Bouvia case.
In his article (Editorial Pages, April 25), “Urging the Handicapped to Die, a Victory for Bigotry,” Longmore calls it like it is: Bouvia is devalued because of her incurable disability and is, therefore, seen by a non-disabled society to be without acceptable options to continue living.
On the other hand, Dr. Lawrence D. Wellikson, in his article (Editorial Pages, April 24), “Choices for the Most Desperate of Us, the Right to Zone of Comfort,” concurs with the latest court self-determination ruling: when you are severely and incurably disabled, you are probably better off dead, and now we (medical personnel) can (and should) legally let you die comfortably.
My question: Since it will be much easier to comfortably let someone severly disabled die--than to help them live--whose comfort zone are we really talking about here? To me, this reeks of self-determination for the wrong set of reasons.
With the same problems, what would we do if Bouvia were not also disabled? Get her qualified counseling, for one, and a social service advocacy agency second. In Bouvia’s case it should have been a qualified disabled psychologist and an Independent Living Center’s services. The court, the attorneys and Wellikson have probably never heard of either, nor bothered to investigate the possibilities of the existence of such services and qualified professionals. Yet Wellikson talks about giving the widest range of choices. Choices to live, or choices to die?
I believe Elizabeth Bouvia can be helped to find an acceptable life, which she has proven she is highly capable of living, by people who are qualified to do so. If, after receiving such help, she still wants to die, she can do so--privately, at home. But, because she has gone public, my own observation is that, instead of wanting to die, she desperately needs people to say they want her to live--that her existence counts. She needs assistance to live, not die.
It is time for the courts, the attorneys, and the Welliksons of this world to recognize alternative life options and resources. There is an active disability community in this country qualified to help Bouvia with expertise and caring. A community whose comfort zone includes advocating for and with others to live a meaningful life of dignity.
DIANNE PIASTRO
North Hollywood