Euthanasia, is it ever right? Robert Latimer is up for parole Dec 2007?

Question

Tracy Latimer ,( due to faulty hospital equipment which never warned of complications) was born with cerebral palsy from lack of oxygen.At the time of her death she was 12 years old with the mentality of a 3 month old and weighed 40 lbs. She had endured many operations and was in constant pain but was not able to take anything stronger than Tylenol.She was also due for another operation,( one that was being forced by law ) on her permanatly dislocated hip.This was to remove part of her upper leg so that it was no longer connected by bone .
Her Dad couldn't let her suffer anymore and put her in his pickup , ran a hose and euthanised her with carbon monoxide .She went painlessly to sleep.
Did he do the right thing? Did the courts do the right thing when they put him in jail?Should he be up for parole or should he serve his full term? Are prisons to protect us from criminals , and if so , did Robert Latimer pose a danger to society? Was his jailing warranted at all?

Answer 1

You would not let an animal suffer so, so why do we let humans suffer. We have a "do not resuscitate" clause if we end up in hospital, is it so different?? If I was in a situation of constant suffering and there was nothing else the docs could do, I would not like to prolong the inevitable. My suffering would cause others to suffer and that would be too much to bear. It would be hard on them, but I think they would understand.
The courts should not have jailed Robert Latimer, he will live with what he did for the rest of his life, a bittersweet haunting memory I think, Bitter becuase he had to end the life of his daughter, Sweet, because at least now she is at peace and no longer suffering.
I think he should be counceled, but I dont feel he is a threat to society, more likely society a threat to him as not all people would agree to what he did.

Answer 2

Any parent watching their child suffer day in and day out with no chance at any quality of life would probably have done the same. Legally speaking, he did do something wrong. Unfortunately, our court systems have not caught with the times and take far too long to decide on anything. He should be released as he has paid a debt for violating the law.

I think sending him to jail keeps other parents in check. If euthanasia became the rule and not the exception, how many parents would get off for euthanizing their children when in fact it was murder (Jon Benet Ramsey)?

Answer 3

I would say yes and no. I don't think that Robert Latimer had the right to take his daughter's life into his own hands. If she was able to speak and mature enough to make such a difficult decision, it would be a different story. But he made it for her.

I would encourage everyone to fill out a living will while they are still able to speak with their loved ones. Its not morbid, its practical.

Answer 4

Very controversial, but honestly how would any parent cope in that situation, she should not have been put through all that suffering, she was not living a life just being kept alive and for what benefit, not her own. No one who has not been in that situation has the right to condem her father, he did what he did out of love, it was not a callous murder but an act of ultimate love from a father for his suffering daughter.