Euthanasia Controversy

In response to “ In Extremis , Pets Fare Better Than People,” Commentary, Aug. 4:

The column advocates the “humane option” of killing with kindness, as we do for our animals.

I was saddened to read of the struggle and death of the mother of Carol Agate. As an emergency room nurse, I have witnessed many patients and families overwhelmed by pain and suffering. As a daughter, I have been witness to my father’s death and the grief surrounding it. Soon my dog of 13 years will die. But to compare or even speak of the two events in one breath is ludicrous. Human life is sacred, deserving of dignity from conception to death. Should not the focus of the medical profession be that of healing and health care? The goal of medicine should encompass easing the burden of the terminally ill by pain management improvements, readily available nursing and hospice care, and selected social services.

To this end we should strive, not the utter gravity of taking another human life.

DONNA IBBETSON

Laguna Beach