McKnight Mrs. RagabEnglish 1A5 February 2000To Die or Not to Die? That is the QuestionLouise Taylor, aged 72, knew her life was coming to an end. Lou Gehrig’s Disease was taking away the use of her limbs one by one. Eventually it would affect her throat and she would be in danger of choking on her own saliva. This elderly, respectable, courageous woman was faced with a very serious dilemma. To die or not to die? She was forced to decide whether to live out the rest of her life naturally or to end it voluntarily. Euthanasia is certainly a very controversial issue, one with many sides. I’m not here to give my opinion, I’m only going to show two sides and one story of a woman faced with this unequivocal decision. Is this a moral issue or a medical issue? Morally, some people say its wrong to force someone to live in a horrible, debilitating state of existence. Others say its certainly immoral to take one’s own life or help another take their own life. Medically, some doctors say its their duty to relieve the suffering of a terminally ill patient. Others, such as Dr. Sandy Macara, British Medical Association chairman, say “Others rightly see us as saving life, not embracing death. We should not do anything to betray that trust in our essential vital function”(www.euthanasia.com). Louise and Dutch Taylor were the ‘sweet old couple’ on the block where McKnight 2they lived in the community of Danville, Ohio. She had been a kindergarten schoolteacher. He served as a petty officer in the US Navy during world War II. They were married on December 1, 1945, and Dutch worked for 45 years making cabinets until retirement. They had three grown children that no longer lived near home, but all the children in the neighborhood knew the Taylors’ door was always open for candy on Halloween or cookies after school. They were loved by the neighbors and cherished at church. They were very active with ...
