Since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973, America has been sliding down the slippery slope of death on demand. We are now approaching rock bottom as the euthanasia of physically impaired persons is debated.
One such case is reported in the Jan. 2 issue of The Los Angeles Times involving the plight of Robert Wendland.
Wendland, 48, can toss and catch a ball. He can also follow simple commands. However, he cannot walk, talk, eat or communicate. His wife insists, “He died seven years ago” in a car accident. Rose Wendland maintains her husband merely exists in a shell. She has gone to court in an effort to remove his feeding tube so he will die.
The case has reached the California Supreme Court. “This issue is huge,” Oakland lawyer Jon Eisenberg told The Times. He added, “It is going to touch nearly every one of us as we deal with our parent’s aging and our own aging in years to come.”
Many believe that those with a terminal illness should have the right to take their own lives. However, Wendland cannot communicate his wishes.
Therefore, this is a right to kill issue.
Many arguments will be made before California’s highest court and you can be assured “quality of life” will be among them. But who can truly determine if someone is enjoying a “quality life”?
The L.A. Times writes of Wendland, “He is aware of his environment, experiences pain, and shows flashes of what appear to be anger and frustration.” The paper also notes that Wendland enjoys watching sports and cartoons on television.
Who can say whether or not Wendland is enjoying life? While someone living in a healthy body cannot imagine living in such a state, is that reason enough to impose a death sentence? Who really knows what is going on inside the “shell” of a person who has experienced serious trauma?
Jean-Dominique Bauby was the chief editor of the Paris-based fashion magazine Elle when he suffered a massive stroke in December 1995.
Bauby spent three weeks in a coma. Upon awaking, he discovered his entire body was paralyzed with the exception of the muscles of his left eye.
Miraculously, Bauby made people aware he was alert. A chart was set up in the hospital room, listing letters on the alphabet in order of frequency. Visitors pointed to each letter in turn, enabling Bauby to communicate by blinking at the appropriate letters.
During the summer of 1996, Bauby worked daily, selecting one letter at a time, and dictated the text of a 137-page book, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” The book details Bauby’s ordeal of having a healthy mind trapped inside a paralyzed body. He compares his life to that of a butterfly — vibrant and free, existing in a diving bell that merely provides life support. Fifteen months after his stroke, Bauby died.
Bauby’s book provides tremendous insight for those who would simply stop feeding someone because they do not appear to be experiencing a “quality life.”
We have skidded far down the slippery slope of death on demand. However, the California Supreme Court can slow the slide by allowing Robert Wendland to live.
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