Death decisions

Here’s a tip of the hat to the memory of Jack Kevorkian. Although some charisma and finesse might have made his message more acceptable, we must admit that, culturally, we are immature when it comes to dealing with end-of-life issues. In other words, we don’t want to think about death, which is especially puzzling since most Americans profess to be Christians.

Jack Kevorkian had the courage to act on a conviction that people had the right to choose a good death when life became unbearable. Many accused him of playing God. Nonsense, unless I can accuse someone of playing God whenever a pill is swallowed or when there’s a visit to the doctor’s office. I notice even Billy Graham spends a good deal of time in hospitals lately. Makes one wonder if he doesn’t trust God to make the right decision for him.

Kudos to Jack Kevorkian and all those other brave knights who dared get the conversation going. My hope is that someday Kansas will join Oregon and pass right-to-die legislation that will make end-of-life procedures more humane.