Right-to-Die Controversy

In response to “Make Life Worth Living,” by Bill Bolte (Commentary, Dec. 8):

Bully for Bill! He has guts and spunk! He enjoys life, and I admire him tremendously. He is severely disabled and yet will not give up and makes a real life for himself; he makes the best of what he has and is happy doing it. But . . .

The message came across to me that he feels we should maintain the ethic of prolonging life at all costs. He implies that he believes society should intervene to prevent one from having life end when he or she personally feels the proper time has come. Bill may not have intended this message, but I certainly got it. In my opinion this point of view, which is widely held by many well-meaning sincere people, is cruel and intrusive.

When the subject is young or depressed or in pain, then surely counseling, assistance and advice should be made available. However, there are many of us who advocate that ultimately an individual’s personal decision should be respected when he or she wants to die.

There are many who argue that “euthanasia” is what Hitler practiced on the Jews, his political enemies and also the aged and infirm. Therefore, we should have nothing to do with it. You can make any interpretation of a word that you like, but the right- to-die movement is not advocating Hitler’s interpretation of the word. Neither Dr. Jack Kevorkian, nor his act of kindness to (Alzheimer’s disease patient) Janet Adkins, is in the Hitler category. But Bill says he fears that people like Dr. Kevorkian, or even I, advocate legislation that might end up by executing people like himself. Bill, we are advocating the right to choose to die, not the right to choose to kill.

Whatever your own convictions may be about our creation, you must surely agree that it did not originally include protracted dying in nursing homes and “modern” life-support in hospitals.

I am in excellent health and will be 75 in two months. But I am convinced that death is as natural as birth, and both should be helped when the patient is desirous of the help.

C. DESMOND PENGELLEY, La Mesa