Equivalent to murder by the state, or an exercise in free will?
The news that two Deaf twin brothers in Belgium were legally allowed to kill themselves in Belgium has sparked an emotive debate in the Deaf community. The story has been reported in The Mail, Telegraph and elsewhere online.
Here’s an extract from The Mail’s report:
A pair of identical twins, who were born deaf, have been killed by Belgian doctors after seeking euthanasia when they found out they would also soon go blind.
In a unique case under the country’s euthanasia laws, the 45-year-old brothers, from Antwerp, chose death as they were unable to bear the thought of never seeing one another again.
They were euthanised by doctors at Brussels University Hospital, in Jette, on December 14 by lethal injection after spending their entire lives together.
The two brothers, who have not been named but were pictured on Belgian television, both worked as cobblers and shared a flat together, The Telegraph has reported.
David Dufour, the doctor who presided over the euthanasia, told RTL television news the twins had taken the decision in ‘full conscience’.
He said they were ‘very happy’ and it had was a ‘relief’ to see the end of their suffering.
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Robert Mandara
January 14, 2013
This is unbelievable! Surely there’s a lot more to the story than has been reported? What these men needed was support, not execution.
Sarah P Reed
January 14, 2013
I think it is more worrying for us who are D/deaf and visually impaired – they say the choice is entirely theirs but one cannot help but wonder if pressure has been applied unnecessarily when there should be support out there in the community? I do question the state of mind of the person/s concerned even if the pressure has been applied subtly? It is easy to see how everyone else in authority could use it as cheaper option because it is expensive to keep us alive…
Even those in authority seem to be giving out in one hand, they tend to take in the other hand so where is the support from them? Where is our quality of life?
The Deaf community needs to draw even closer together and make it more inclusive of the minority groups that are often marginalised from it. This will strengthen the level of support.
There is also concern as there is a proposal from a Socialist in Belgium to allow those with Alzheimer’s to be added to the criteria for euthanasia but is also suggesting that children be added to it! How can that be possible?
Rob
January 14, 2013
As someone who is connected to the Dutch idealogy and have experienced such with a member of Dutch family. I think I have to put in an alternative opinion to the usual of UK’s. The whole of point of euthanasia is to end inhumane suffering. This usually applies to end of life choices only. I agree there must be more to this story as I happen to know that just blindness and deafness is not enough to be legally allowed to take this choice. For want of an opinion I actually support euthanasia on humane grounds having seen what happens to UK people! It actually shocked me as to how much people are allowed to suffer in our hospitals and hospices compared. Since I watched my own mother die in hospital in the worse case imaginable of lack of compassion and understanding of doctors…I was ready to fly her back to Amsterdam and allow her to make her choice as she originally wanted. Sadly she died in UK….in pain, and agony. I am now left with a horrible memory of her screams, having to feed her, and argue with her Doctors, nurses…..and in the end I had to say to the UK doctors that if you dont manage her pain in the proper manner she will die…..I was right…
Since then I have joined “Dignity in Dying”…I support the right of every individual to choose the manner in which they wish to die under the best circumstances.
No one should ever suffer the indignity of the UK system. The main problem is that most UK people shut their eyes to the reality until it is too late. You only have one life and you may regret your lack of choices by the end of your life and you cannot make any plans…so next time you see/hear someone dying begging to you to help them die….try to understand that death is not easy, and in the 21st Century we should not have to suffer. Even my dog has better choices in UK!
sflmac
January 14, 2013
wow what a story. well Did you know that The Belgian parliament legalized euthanasia in late September 2002?
I wish Florida have legal euthanasia now because my mother suffer great pain with her Alzheimer disease. She is in an assisted care facility.
Sarah P Reed
January 14, 2013
I am not against euthanasia but to be given euthanasia on the basis of being deaf and going blind is questionable. Except in very rare cases, deafblindness is not a physically painful condition. Most would say it does inflict emotional and/or mental pain and suffering from lack of awareness, being ignored, isolation, loss of independence, and so on however these factors can be alleviated with the right help and support.
We need to know more of the twin brothers’ story to understand better their decision to end their lives.
Emma Sadeghi
January 15, 2013
The news report I read said the the brothers were only able to communicate with each other and close family members, using a private form of sign language. If that’s true, what went wrong with their education? Were they literate, and if not, how could they be said to be making an informed decision? Seems like there’s a lot of information missing in this story.
Nick Sturley
January 15, 2013
This story has spread all over the world – in America, Japan and Australia and there are divisive views about this case. The news reports does not specifically clear about the undefined nature of their visual condition (I had presumed it might be Usher since that Usher twins or siblings are not unusual) and their state of mind and health. The media has painted a negative picture that being deaf and blind is not worth living, which is not true at all. I have Usher myself and I don’t consider it not worth living. Yes, it is a tough life living with Usher, but it does not necessarily warrant the need for the right to die.
However,r as it turns out, more details have emerged about the brothers from a member from Belgium in the UsherLife Facebook group to which I co-moderate and there is considerable discussion about this case, that both twins have glaucoma which is a permanent blindness (as well as being deaf) – as twins, they both have the same genes so they both developed this eye condition almost at the same time. Also they had heart and spinal problems. One of the twin had to sleep sitting up in his bed and the other could not walk properly. They could not take all of their medication because of their poor eyesight. The last months they did not eat a lot and they often stayed home in isolation on top of their inability to communicate freely.
So, perhaps, we could understand their plight and now respect their wish to die rather than continue with their difficult lives. I don’t know what sort of social care system they have in Belgium, but from my point of view, as an Usher person who’s had it hard, I could probably see why they felt the need to be released from the mortal world.
It’s a tragic case.