The “choice” of dying

To die on one’s own conditions: it is the hope of English writer T. Pratchett, who was sadly diagnosed a rapidly degenerative disease. For himself he hopes that the moment he will decide, he may find himself comfortably seated on the long-chair in his garden holding a glass of brandy in one hand and a box of drugs for euthanasia in the other. For everyone he calls for the creation of an independent tribunal of wise men that may act for the good of society and of the patient when deciding if he will be allowed to choose how he is going to die. These statements reported by the authoritative English paper “The Guardian” on June 7 2011, are emblematic of how euthanasia is understood in Europe. Indeed, claiming the right to dying has extended beyond traditional scenarios of tragic unendurable sufferings, calling for life’s conclusion with a gesture of compassion: a false form of compassion. Euthanasia today has become ‘death by choice’ that pretends to be recognised as the expression of cultural pluralism, as an alternative imposed by the changes in healthcare assistance or as a demand of respect for the will of those who prefer death over life.In fact, the question of individual freedom was very important over the past decades also in Europe, starting with the legalization of abortion. According to its proponents, those who propose the inviolable value of life in all its stages of development should give up and accept that there is a value that is greater than life which is individual freedom, understood as the complete autonomy to decide how to give birth and death. In reality, a lot could be said against this priority inversion. One of which is the weakening of doctor-patient relationship. Euthanasia, as a result of individual choice, is thus understood as assisted suicide since the drugs to be kept at hand’s reach have been obtained with a doctor’s prescription. Moreover, expecting a doctor, bound by Hyppocratic oath, to act as the indispensable support in ensuring the patient’s death is not only a deviant act, it’s also remarkably unjust. It’s hard to understand why the death will of a sick person should prevail over the conscience and the professionalism of the physician, whose commitment is aimed at saving human lives and providing medical assistance with effective palliative treatment. Causing human death is a choice that would seriously question the figure of the doctor. Pretending such cooperation is to conceive the patient-doctor relationship as a relationship that focuses on the costumer’s satisfaction.In short, the understanding of freedom is once more at stake. If it were an eternal verity then it could be practised in all circumstances, while already a couple of centuries ago I. Kant claimed: “My freedom ends where yours begins”. Indeed, only life’s value and dignity are eternal truths, representing the benchmark of all other freedoms. But “death by choice” reveals another serious tragedy that Europe should not forget and it is the loss of the ultimate meaning of existence. Death puts an end to physical life, but it’s not the end of man nor is it its goal. Man embodies the yearning to eternity, the hope that the experiences of a lifetime won’t be lost, that it will be recovered and decoded by Someone who bestowed that life. How it is possible that all of this is discarded, and not even mentioned? To forget that man has always understood himself as being projected beyond time, does it mean to live a full life? The British journalist claims that if he knew that he had the possibility of dying the moment he wanted, every day would be worth one million pounds. What makes days precious? Is it the abundance of finite experiences? “The end of life is life itself”, remarks Romano Guardini, who explained the true meaning of the last days of earthly existence. “Values unfold that could only unfold in this circumstance”. By accepting life’s natural termination behaviour is marked by peacefulness and supremacy, enabling to overcome anxiousness, the yearning to enjoy pleasure, the “need to live what remains to be lived”, “the anxiety that marks every moment in the time left to live”. By peacefully accepting our caducity, we are increasingly aware of perpetuity. “The eternal is not related to biological life but to the human person”. It is the discovery made by all those who accept human existence notwithstanding self-decline.