My body, my life?

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Published on Thursday, February 26, 2015

By Rev. Glenna Beauchamp

Rivers and Oak River Unitied Churches

My body, my life, my choice. We heard people expressing this argument over and over again as they urged the Supreme Court to strike down the lawn against doctor-assisted suicide. Very few Canadians would argue against relieving extreme pain, even when the medication needed to do that would also mean death would come sooner. But the argument that every individual should have absolute control over their bodies, their lives, including the decision about when and how they die, this is different.

We are more than a collection of individuals, we are members of families and communities. We are citizens of Canada. The decision by individuals to end their lives with a doctor’s help is more than an individual choice. When the majority of people believe this is okay, the atmosphere in our country changes. When it becomes legal, attitudes about the value and worth of an individual human life change.

As it is practised, a shift takes place. We move from “my life, my choice” to a subtle pressure on others to make that same choice. When we keep hearing people say they want to end their lives when “I can no longer look after my basic physical needs,” “I become a burden to my family,” “I am just taking up a hospital bed that someone who could get better needs”, what does this say to someone who wants to keep living but needs a lot of care from others? What does it say to someone who is not physically or emotionally perfect?