Sunday, January 24, 2010

Class Entry

When I was told that we needed to go to the drama room for class this past Friday, I was wondering what exactly we would be doing. I thoroughly enjoyed the activities that we did though. When we were writing our names and drawing self-portraits with our left feet, it was really difficult and kind of hysterical. When I found out about Christy Brown and how he lived his life doing ordinary things, like writing, with only his left foot, I was amazed. His story is truly inspiring. I think it’s great that even though Christy Brown had cerebral palsy and no control over any of his limbs, except his left foot, that he never gave up and lived his life to the fullest. I wish that everyone who has illnesses like cerebral palsy could have the strength and will that Christy Brown had. I’d like to think that if anything ever happened to me and I was paralyzed that I would still be able to live my life. Unfortunately, for some people, this isn’t always the case. Ramon Sampedro was paralyzed from the neck down in a diving accident and didn’t have the will to keep living. I can understand this because Sampedro didn’t have any mobility at all, but I feel like if it were me in his situation, I would choose to keep living. I agree with Sampedro that it should be a right to die if you choose and are in a situation where you are paralyzed or really sick. I don’t agree with Sampedro’s decision to commit suicide though because he was still fully mentally able and there were people who cared about him who wanted to keep him alive. I don’t agree with the rule in some hospitals that you must revive a person who has stopped breathing every time it happens though. This “code blue” rule seems unfair to the patient and the family of the patient. If it is time for a patient to die and the patient wants to die, then why is it fair that it is the hospital or doctor’s right to keep them alive for a prolonged period of time. If a patient has lost the ability to care for themselves completely and death keeps trying to take it’s natural course and doctors aren’t allowing it to happen, then that is not right. I can’t imagine being in the same situation as Mac or his wife, Maura from the essay “A Crime of Compassion.” Mac wanted to die and it was extremely painful for Maura to watch them deny his request over and over again. I also couldn’t imagine being in the same situation as Barbara Huttmann, who was Mac’s nurse. I don’t believe it is always appropriate to prolong life. If the patient wants that, then that’s fine, but I don’t believe that life should be prolonged without the patient’s consent. I don’t agree with a patient’s decision to just give up on life most of the time, but I do believe that it is their right to decide for themselves.

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