At least one person brought up the issue of euthanasia, the killing of people to end their suffering, in her recent essay about the death of Candy's dog, and a report on the BBC News website last Friday discusses the same issue. "How should the end come?" briefly discusses the history of failed attempts to change the law in England to allow people to tell doctors or others to kill them, and it argues that cultural norms may have changed enough that such a law could, and should, now succeed.
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These are a few questions that it occurred to me might be worth considering in a response:
What do you think, either about George shooting Lennie in Of Mice and Men, or the wider question raised in the BBC article?
Should people be killed to end a life of misery? Under what circumstances?
Did George do the right thing? Was Steinbeck right to present it as the act of a caring and true friend?
Should the law in your country be changed to allow mercy killings? Why? Why not?
Would your culture accept such a change in the law? Why? Are the reasons commonly given for or against such a change in the law strong or weak?
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References
- How should the end come? (2008, August 15). BBC News. Retrieved August 17, 2008 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7564061.stm
- - Of Mice and Men. (2008, August 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13:39, August 17, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Of_Mice_and_Men&oldid=232480946
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In Korea, mercy killing is illegal but people who appeal legalization is getting larger. Nation is keeping the law as reason that respecting human's life and dignity. But I don't know what is really for human right. I agree that the law of mercy killing should be legal. I agree with Slim who said "I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I got old an' a cripple" in Of Mice and Men(Steinbeck, 2006, p. 51). I also agree with my Mam. My mam is nerse at the special hospital which is caring elder people who have serious psycal and mental problems. She see many unconscious people, sufferers and death. Many time she told me and my brothers that if she is suffering incurable disease and can't see, eat and to do something or she is in unconscious situation, we have to let her go. And she said it is not for mam that we take her at hospital and inject food with equipment and try to keep her life, it is that we make her harder and give another suffer. However, I can't decide it whenever I guess the situation. If I will be same situation, I also would like to choose mercy killing. It will be good for me and my family, I think.
ReplyDeleteI'm a one of the person who strongly agree with Euthanasia. I have been considering this for long time which is really good for people. Actually, I already told my husband, If i would have suffering without any hope, pls let me go without any pain and I would let you go when you're in same situation.(He may have been scary because I'm not sure if he agrees.) Patients themselve suffer from awful pain and some people are unconscious what condition they're in.Just being alive itself can be importand and meaning. But for me,how maintain my life is more important. I don't want to live depending injection which supply food in unconscious. In addition, for remaining people, it can be better idea. They suffer from many thing, it can be time, money, physical exhausted condition and so on because nobody knows when ending is. I think like that right now, but in the future, if I really get this situation, I'm not sure what I can do.
ReplyDeleteWhen slim said "I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I got old an' a cripple", I thought, that's what I have been thinking. I agree with Michell.
ReplyDeleteIn Australia, one state made euthanasia legal in 1996, but the Australian Commonwealth Government interfered to make it illegal again shortly after. No other state has since tried to make it legal, but as in Korea, increasing numbers of chronically ill and old people are demanding changes in the law, and a few months ago, we got a new government at teh federal level, so perhaps one of the states will try again soon.
ReplyDeleteLike Michelle and J, I think George did the right and best thing for Lennie, and I also think that I should be able to instruct a doctor to kill me if my life becomes awful and no lonfer worth living. That decision should be mine, not the government's, so I am also in favour of changes in the law.
A completely irrelevant comment:
ReplyDeleteI wish we could edit Blog comments the same way we can edit our posts. As you might have spotted, there are a few errors in my last comment.
I regularly mistype the word the as "teh", so please forgive me when you see it. I really do know how to spell it correctly; my fingers don't.
In Thailand, euthanasia is illegal because it like a crime but I agree with the changing of the law in England. I think the death is a personal right of human, they can choose that they are alive or dead. I think if i get a cripple, rheumatismis, suffering from disease or in unconscious situation, I will tell the doctors or others to kill me. I don't want to suffer any misery and iI think it better for me and my family. They don't to warry or to be bothered by me.
ReplyDeleteIn Steinbeck's novel,I think George do the right thing because Lennie often kill and hurt some people by unconscious,so it's good thing for Lennie and George.
ReplyDeleteAbout mercy killing,If I'm the person who suffer from incurable disease and can't do anything by myself such as can't see,can't eat,got a pain all the time,I'll request a doctor to kill me. On the other hand,if I'm a doctor who is requested to kill a patient,I don't want to do it because I fear the sin,even I know that is a good thing for patients and their family.Fortunately,I'm not a doctor and I support to change the law about people can decide to terminate their life.
Paully mentioned "sin" in her comment. What is sin?
ReplyDeleteKilling other people is a "sin" because it's against my religious laws(Buddhism laws).
ReplyDelete