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The many life-saving devices the medical profession has at its disposal raises the question - how far should we go in 'saving lives'? And how ethical is it to save a life that to the person involved is only a burden?
In Greece it was common that a death potion was available from public repositories; but before anybody could get it, he had to justify to the senate why he wanted to end his life. Illness and disgrace were the two most acceptable reasons.
With the rise of christianity this custom was changed. The argument was that all life is holy and therefore to allow death would be a sin. Pagans will agree that life is sacred but the quality of life means a lot more than the number of years lived. A life that has lost all meaning or pleasure is not worth living. And with modern hospital equipment life can be sustained far beyond what seems reasonable.
Looking at the question from an economic angle, are the many efforts to prolong existence really justified? If patients are doped up, if they suffer pains, if they only long for relief, is it really ethical to spend thousands of dollars to force them to go through all that?
The problem comes with the question of who should decide when life-supporting machinery should be discontinued. We believe that if the individual is in a sound state of mind he should be allowed to make the decision. It should be medically shown by qualified doctors that no change can be expected, and it should be clear that no financial advantage by heirs would enter into the decision.
Pagans have a deep respect for all life; but death is part of life and if a good life is not possible, it seems criminal to force people to suffer when there is no hope for a change for the better.
Dr Christian Barnard, the well-known pioneer of heart transplants, wisely said during an interview: 'When medicine extends life that has ceased to have any meaning for the patient, it is evil. My concept of medicine is for doctors to give their patients a good life. If we cannot give them life, let us give them a good death'.
Another quote by Sir Theodore Fox comes to mind: 'We shall have to learn to refrain from doing things merely because we know how to do them.' Indeed, our extensive technology has taught us to do many things that are of questionable value to society. We dare to say that many have become more of a curse - the manipulations of genes, food poisons to prolong shelf life, nuclear energy, to mention just a few that we would be better off without.
We have not been able to find out who the wise Sir Theodore Fox is, but we surely agree with his dictum that 'we shall have to learn to refrain from doing things merely because we know how to do them!'
C.