To Wear 'The Mask'

There are many scenarios that may have a person seek out active euthanasia. From depression to physical ailments, we have to wonder if active euthanasia is morally acceptable. I believe that every situation is different and there is not just one answer for all of those who seek active euthanasia as a treatment. I have decided to study two very different and also similar circumstances that could be candidates for euthanasia.

Craniodiaphyseal Dysplasia ‘is an extremely rare sclerotic bone disorder,’ according to a quick google search. Also explained is that ‘this disorder usually results in neurological disorders and death during childhood or during the teenage years.’

Roy Lee “Rocky” Dennis was born on December 4, 1961 and after two years in this world, spots were noticed on an X-ray of the boy’s skull. The spots were calcium deposits and Rocky was diagnosed with Craniodiaphyseal Dysplasia. The disease was so severe that the doctors predicted that Rocky would suffer hearing loss, loss of eye site and a pressure so great in his skull from the massive calcium growths that they would crush his brain before the age of seven. Despite what doctors predicted, Rocky did live until the age of sixteen. Throughout his life, Rocky suffered from severe migraines so great that he would lose consciousness and by the age of sixteen his head was twice the average size. Over the years his hearing and eye site suffered as well. Rocky did learn to read but never was able to read a book because of his failing abilities. Despite the disabilities he endured, his mother insisted that the boy attend public school against the protest of school authorities and pursue a life as “normal” as possible. The movie ‘Mask’ (1985) portrayed the life of Rocky with his many ailments and achievements; this movie can give a better insight to his life.

I believe that Rocky is a perfect example of a candidate for assisted euthanasia. When Rocky was diagnosed with Craniodiaphyseal Dysplasia and therefore predicted that he would have a painful and short lived life, assisted euthanasia should have been suggested as a course of treatment once the pain became too severe. At two years old I believe it would have been the mother’s decision but as Rocky became older, he should have been able to decide for himself if he would want the procedure. If an individual is presented with a life full of pain, I believe it is immoral to expect the individual to live through the pain- especially when it is expected to be a short life. Without a possibility to overcome his disease and live without pain, I do not believe that Rocky should have been required to complete a waiting period. If suffering from a terminal illness that is extremely painful, there is not a point to enforce a waiting period because there is no hope for the patient to recover from their ailment; the patient’s life is a painful waiting period.

The greatest argument to my belief would be that Rocky did live nearly until his seventeenth birthday and that if he would have participated in active euthanasia, he would not have lived past the age he decided to die. I would agree that it was a miracle that he did live nine years past what the doctors initially thought that he would. During those years though, Rocky was plagued with many impairments and migraines that squeezed his brain so tight that he would lose consciousness. The pressure caused from the calcium deposits on his skull slowly took his eye site, his hearing and affected his brain as well. Not only was the damage internal- the disease distorted his face and stretched his skin painfully. What type of life is that for a person? Rocky and his family expressed that they felt that they were cheating death every year that he lived. We all accept that we are on borrowed time while living on Earth but would we still want to live if we had to suffer through consistent pain from the time of our birth? Add to that our failing senses as well. As if being deaf or blind does not present its own problems, also is the discrimination for looking so different from everyone else.

I do not believe that all people suffering from incurable disabilities are moral candidates for euthanasia though. An example of a candidate not being fit for active euthanasia (in my opinion), would be Amberley Snyder; a young girl who participated in rodeos and barrel racing as well as training horses. Amberley was ejected from her vehicle and catapulted against a fence post- shattering her T-12 vertebrae. After extensive surgery, she was told by doctors that she would never ride a horse again or even simply walk, which caused her to fall into a depression. After her stint of depression, Amberley proved doctors wrong and got back into the saddle and adapted her style of horseback riding so that she could compete again. She is still competing to this day. Amberley’s journey is depicted on ‘Ride. Rodeo’, which is available on Netflix.

Some may say that this is a great example of the waiting period before death working for patients before deciding if they truly want to die or if they are severely depressed. Amberley may have opted for euthanasia during her depression but afterwards she was able to fit her life to her circumstance so that she could achieve happiness. For paralyzed patients, I would agree that euthanasia is not the answer; but for patients that are suffering from an ailment that is consistently painful and not treatable, I believe that euthanasia is a morally sound option. If a patient who happens to be paralyzed is also in pain and cannot be treated to the point to alleviate that pain, I believe that they are morally justified to consider active euthanasia as a treatment. Amberly Snyder was not suffering from chronic pain which leads me to believe that she was not a good candidate for active euthanasia.

The greatest argument to my opinion would be that doctors know what is best for their patients and that they should be the person to decide the course of treatment to take. I would simply say that the doctor does not have to live with and suffer through the pain that their patients feel. The only person that should be able to decide their treatment should be the person that has to live through the consequences.

I believe that Euthanasia is and will continue to be a very complex subject. Euthanasia is a subject that is hard to only consider with logic when such circumstances involve emotional decisions and actions. There simply is not a correct answer that can be used as a guideline or bases, because of the broadness that this subject holds; each unique story would have to be delved into and studied to make a decision on what is morally justified for that particular situation. Although we can speculate, I believe that doctors should not be able to decide a patient’s reality; the decision should be the patients alone because they are living their own version of Hell.