Euthanasia Debate

Parachini’s article gives us a glimpse of a society in which euthanasia is morally accepted. One important advantage of euthanasia is that it allows society to focus more of its resources on the health care needs of the young instead of the terminally-ill elderly. The young, after all, are our future and deserve just as much of our financial support for their health care needs as the elderly, something they do not receive today.

This cannot occur--and euthanasia will not be accepted in our society--until our attitude toward death changes from one of avoidance to one of acceptance.

Not until death is accepted as a part of life itself, as its final stage, can euthanasia gain acceptance in our society and our attention shift to the needs of the young. The Netherlands is such a place, where death is accepted as the normal completion of one’s life, and not something to be fought off at all costs while enduring great physical and emotional suffering.

GREGG MICHEL

Beverly Hills