The Right to Die

By now, everybody must have heard the story of Sir Edward and Lady Downes who committed suicide together. Lady Downes was suffering from terminal cancer and her husband decided that he didn't want to live without his wife. The New York Times reports: "Although friends who spoke to the British news media said Sir Edward was not known to have been terminally ill, they said he wanted to die with his ailing wife, who had been his partner for more than half a century."

I agree completely with Dr. Tuteur who says: "I applaud Sir Edward and Lady Downes for having the strength of character and purpose to make their own most intimate decisions and carry them through. And I have deep respect and admiration for the intense love that makes surviving alone an unbearable prospect." Respect for people should include respect for their desire to end their lives. One's own life belongs to no one but to the individual living it. If a person decides to end his or her life, we have no right to question this decision or to try and stop them. This is the most intimate act one can engage in and society needs to butt out of it.