LETTERS: SUICIDE ISN'T DYING WITH DIGNITY

To the editor:

It is almost Mother's Day, and soon after it will be Father's Day. Many thoughtful people don't want to burden their loved ones with the expense of their funerals. They may choose such a special occasion to purchase one of the many funeral plans or a burial plot.

Here is a gift some people might want to give their loved ones: For $30, a pro-suicide group will send you a bag designed for self-deliverance when used with a drug overdose. It comes in an extra-large size in order to spare the user from overheating and breathing difficulties that can occur when smaller bags are used and implode. The user will instead die from depletion of oxygen in the bag, which still includes carbon dioxide and nitrogen, thus eliminating the nasty sensation of suffocation. The bag is advertised for the most comfortable surefire suicide.

Yes, folks, the guesswork has been taken out of the use of plastic bags. Now when the time comes when Mom and Dad are ready to kiss life goodbye with dignity, they can spend a few last moments listening to some of their favorite music and reflecting on life's most cherished moments, perhaps even reviewing the family picture album while surrounded by loving family and friends. Friends and relatives can now just call the nearest funeral home and have their loved ones picked up like so much trash.

This is our definition of dying with dignity? Give me a break.

In California, there is a drive-by funeral home. How long will it be before this business is franchised throughout our country? How convenient in this rushed society. Now our friends and loved ones can drive by and pay their disrespects to your beautifully bagged body.

Gone are the days when people considering suicide were considered depressed, or perhaps they were receiving poor care for their disease and suffering. Since when are disease and suffering undignified? It is a cruel joke to think that a person can die with dignity under his or her own control.

To me, the real heroes are those who choose to live in the face of disease and suffering, especially those family members who patiently and lovingly support their loved ones and help ease their pain and suffering. In this modern day and age, when there are great gains in pain management, there is no need for this kind of madness. A person who chooses suicide is a person who surrenders dignity and is a coward.

CHRISTINE E. STEPHENS

Cape Girardeau