Subject Brings Heated Discussion

Dear Ann Landers: Seldom do I disagree with you. However, on the matter of suicide, I wish to put in my two cents worth.

I am a woman, 51 years old, and I would love to know that the option for suicide is available when I am no longer fit to live the good life. If I had a terminal disease, I would like to get my affairs in order and plan my final journey. It would not have to be a negative thing.

I would view it as quite positive. To say goodbye and to plan one’s own death would truly be a gift from God.

I would love to plan the time, the music, the guest list, what I wear and so on. Why would one not want to do this? It sure beats a surprise. And what if a sick person lingers for years? What about the expense and burden on the family? It could wipe them out.

Count me 100 percent in favor of suicide if one is terminal. You can worry about the “sin” part, Ann, and I’ll worry about the pain and inconvenience. - An Independent Thinker in Houston

Dear Independent Thinker: The mail on this subject continues to be heated and heavy. The vast majority who wrote agreed with you. Keep reading for more on this highly controversial subject.

Dear Ann Landers: The idea that suicide is against the law or against someone’s religion makes no sense to me. The underlying assumption is that the government, or some religious group, knows better than I do what is right for me. I don’t believe it.

As one who has a family history of mental illness, kidney disease and cancer, I do not believe anyone has the right to tell me what I should do with my life. We Americans are more humane to our cats and dogs than we are to our terminally ill and elderly.

My grandfather suffered from cancer and spent his last eight months in a hospital bed until he weighed only 89 pounds and was too weak to cry. My father tried five times to kill himself before he died in a nursing home. At one point, my mother found him with a plastic bag over his head. She took it away and said, “We don’t do that.” He lived for several more miserable years, hating every minute of it. I can assure you that those years were as hard on the family as they were on him.

In my opinion, Dr. Kevorkian should be given a Congressional Medal of Honor, not jail time. - M.E.L. in Alexandria, Va.

Dear M.E.L.: A lot of people agree with you. Here’s one more:

Dear Ann Landers: I am the executive director of the Hemlock Society. Recently, I was on the road speaking about the need to legalize physician aid in dying for mentally competent, terminally ill individuals who request it. Several people told me about the letters in your column from readers who felt strongly about the right to choose death with dignity.

The Hemlock Society has been advocating choice and dignity in dying for 17 years. Through our 80 chapters, we provide information about how to plan for a peaceful death, and we support and initiate efforts to change the law to permit this option.

People wanting to legalize and regulate death with dignity should join an advocacy group like the Hemlock Society and make their voices heard. For information, tell your readers to write The Hemlock Society USA, P.O. Box 101810, Denver, CO 80250-1810. - Faye Girsh, executive director

Gem of the Day: Mistakes are the well-traveled bridge between inexperience and wisdom. If you want to get nowhere, follow the crowd.