We are animals. What makes you think we aren't? Are we plants?/s We evolved from the great apes.
Actually, we ARE Great Apes, but otherwise your post was perfect.
I know, though, Lion thinks we aren’t really animals because we have a “soul,” whatever the hell that is, and only we can go to “heaven,” whatever the hell that is. I guess because we’re so blessed we deserve to be condemned to keep on living even while in great and untreatable pain? The Christian mentality is unfathomable to me.
Yes. We are great apes, sometimes known as the third Chimpanzee. I've always wished we were more like bonobos than chimps, not that I have anything against Chimps. It's just that the matriarchal bonobos are peace loving, who are never violent except when a male tries to get to attack someone. Instead of using violence, they use sex and affection when they meet up with a different tribe of bonobos. Of course, we aren't that much like bonobos. Chimps are warriors, which unfortunately rubbed off on us. Remember the shock she experienced, when Jane Goodall realized that chimps could be territorial warriors?
I learned a lot about bonobos from the late Frans de Waal, who studied bonobos for decades and wrote about them in many of his books. I didn't mean to imply that we aren't also apes. We are just a different ape species, sadly the worst, most destructive ones as a species. Religion tries to make it seem like we are special, above the other animals and the world was created just for us. At least that's the Christian version of things, or so I was told as a child. Religion is one of or perhaps the greatest cause of war and hatred.
What about those who want to die because their pain is too much to bear?
I question whether they would still want to die if they had access to sufficient pain relief.
How many times do I have to tell you that there is no such thing as sufficient pain relief! We build up a tolerance to narcotic pain relievers over time, and then they are close to worthless. There is also a condition, which develops in some people, where the more pain relievers one takes, the more pain one has. Scientists are working on new ways to control pain, but we're probably far from that being successfully developed.
And, suffering isn't always about pain. It can be about total dependence. I've cared for people who were paralyzed from the neck down and were obviously extremely depressed. They couldn't do a single thing for themselves, and they weren't even capable of committing suicide if they wanted to. Some of them die due to refusing food and fluids or from complications related to their condition. Some who have good partners might find some purpose for living, but that's not very common. There are older people with bed sores, who can't even turn themselves in bed and lack decent care takers, since our nursing homes are often more like prisons, that are short of staff or burned out staff, due to being overworked. I would not deny these people the right to die, if that was what they wanted. It should never be forced on anyone but I've had so many former patients tell me they were ready to go, or they wanted to die, that I know it's not uncommon when one is nearing the end of life that no longer has any meaning or joy.
Surprisingly, my Catholic brother in law, who is a semi retired dentist, recently told me that he had a friend who promised to kill him if he was suffering and was not able to end his own life. His biggest concern was dementia. I'm not suggesting that's a good thing to do and I did wonder if he would do the same thing for his friend, but it's an example of how people are terrified of facing a life that is totally devoid of anything meaningful.
