The Ethics of Euthanasia
"I keep holding onto you,
but I can't bring you back to life
Sing the anthem of the angels,
and say the last goodbye"-Breaking Benjamin,
"Anthem of the Angels"
Acknowledging Grief
Grief is an indescribable feeling. Many thoughts go through your head after losing someone. You can't fathom the idea that you get to wake up the next day without them, that you will see the future while your loved one is forever in the past. You hope to whatever controls the universe that there's an afterlife because the thought that they are simply gone from any kind of existence is too upsetting to even consider. You wonder if they resented you for allowing them to suffer or for ending their suffering too soon. You worry about their soul as they travel into whatever comes next for them, terrified on their behalf that they may be afraid of what's happening to them, scared to leave us behind and face the afterlife alone. You wish you could have said something, done something different, better, to reassure them, to ease their fears, to take their pain onto yourself instead.
Losing a Companion
When it comes to losing a companion animal, those feelings remain the same, except we are incapable of verbally communicating just how much we love them and will always love them, and we hope that the bond we've shared is strong enough for them to understand our feelings without the need for language.
Animals are profoundly intelligent, far more than humans give them credit, and I believe that they easily comprehend our affection. They don't need words of adoration; they know through our actions, through the tenderness of our touch, through the softness of our voice, that they are loved, just as we understand that they love us without ever receiving verbal confirmation.
An Ethical Death
It is never our choice to take away someone's life; I stand firmly behind this philosophy. But there comes a time when allowing someone to suffer, when there is no feasible option for survival and recovery, that we must take the burden -- and it certainly is a burden -- upon ourselves to give them some form of peace, even though it may cause us tremendous pain. That doesn't make this the right thing, morally speaking, to do, but it is the necessary thing to do for that individual.
If there is an afterlife following our time on this planet, we can be sure that all companion animals are safely, comfortably, and enjoyably in the best possible place, a place of no harm, no pain, no fear, no sorrow, no violence. Even if their time on Earth was cut short, we know that their time with us was precious and that they were loved unconditionally. And they know that too. They are where they're supposed to be now; they are free, and they are happy. Their pain has ended, and once our pain ends, we will join them in that wonderful place.
Selfishness of Grief
Perhaps I read somewhere that grief is a selfish thing, or perhaps I made it up, but it's an idea that's stuck with me for many years. Because our feelings of grief predominantly have to do with ourselves, how the loss of someone else impacts our own life. Though, as I've said before, being selfish isn't always bad, and it's important to care for ourselves and nurse our wounds, we should, if possible, remember that those we have lost are on a different journey. There's nothing we can do now to prevent their passing or aid in their afterlife; we are so lucky to have shared time together, but now that time has ended, and it's ok to allow ourselves to move on and find some semblance of happiness again.
The Future of Euthanasia
Euthanasia isn't about us; it's about the one who is suffering and doing whatever we can to help their suffering end, even if the only choice is to end their life. There is no cruelty or inhumanity in this, and there should be no shame or remorse.
The fact that euthanasia is legal for nonhumans but illegal for humans speaks to the speciesism in our society, even though we love the animals in our lives as much as (or even more than) the humans. Though the death of any individual is always a tragedy, perhaps the loss could be less agonizing if we knew, and they felt, that their final moments were peaceful instead of painful.
A Final Act of Kindness
When we lost our family dog, as we were sitting with her in her final moments, the veterinarian told us that euthanasia is one of the most rewarding parts of her job because she can give families and their companion animals a sense of peace and closure. She wished that human doctors could do the same for their patients instead of letting them waste away, suffering all the while.
Perhaps, if nothing else, we can find comfort in the fact that we can give our beloved companions one final act of love and mercy by allowing their pain to end instead of dragging it out. We have the selfless ability to be able to put their needs first; even though it nearly destroys us to let them go, we put their needs ahead of our desire to keep holding on. And that is a tremendous act of kindness.
be conscious, be kind, be vegan