Killing the Dying
...example for other people having similar situations. For instance, Christopher Reeve, a former Hollywood famous actor, had become a quadriplegic after an accident when he was riding on a horse. Yet he did not give up his life, over the couple of years, he traveled around and gave talks to people who faced difficulties, sharing his personal experience of getting recovered mentally. His talks effectively touched those who were desperate and pessimistic, strengthened their will to fight against their fate again. The example of Christopher undoubtedly showed how a quadriplegic could influence the world. By providing a real life example to help people, paralyzed patients may find themselves someway to benefit the society and put aside the thought of ending their lives. Quadriplegics can still lead a meaningful life if they can make use of their remaining abilities. British Physicist Stephen Hawking, who suffer from motor neurone disease, won his Nobel for his achievement in investigating the mysterious black hole. Ordinary people may not have the talents as Hawking does. But most conscious quadriplegics are able to communicate in different ways. In the case of Ah Pun, he can type with a chopstick. Therefore, he can do work related to writing or computing. As quadriplegics can lead a meaningful life, death is not the only option for them. Furthermore, the advanced technology may help the patient recover someday in the future, or at least somehow assist their movement. Technology is now advanced enough to make a dog with similar problems stand up. Soon human will possibly be the next beneficiaries. Thanks to the improvement in technology, patients can hardly get bored. Custom-built “information centre” around the bed can allow the patients to watch movies, listen to music, access the internet and get in contact with other people online. In short, they can enjoy entertainment while waiting for newly discovered treatment to their illness. Once the patient is alive, he still has the hope to recover. Some may argue that patients have the right to decide if they want to continue their lives. However, instead of being responsible for their own decision, patients who intend to terminate their lives also need to be responsible for a whole bunch of people like their family, friends, people that care about them, and from the religious point of view, they even need to be responsible for God which gifted them with their souls. If they die, all mentioned above will...