Born to Die

This is my argumentative essay on the use of euthanasia in brain-dead patients.

Notorious cult leader Charlie Manson sits behind state bars, trapped in a dimly lit cell looking pale and strange. A microphone is shoved desperately into his face; a question is asked. He scratches his face with nimble fingers, looks off distantly with twitching eyes and says, “Aren’t we all born to die? We’re born with the death penalty.”

            It’s a bold statement following a frequently asked question. As much as one would like to divulge him/herself into the escapism of fantasy, one cannot deny the strength of reality: what is the meaning of life? It’s a topic that is explored by contemporary artist Lana Del Rey on her album, appropriately titled, Born to Die. On this album, Rey romanticizes the idea and ultimate beauty of death as she alludes this theme to the manipulation of love. One lyric from her concludes, “…the world was built for two: only worth living if somebody is loving you.” In a finite and controversial poignancy, we are faced with yet one more question: what makes a life worth living?

            Religion tells us that we live to get to heaven. Science tells us that we live to reproduce. Society tells us that we live to make an impact. Day in and day out we are told to live each day like it is our last, but how? A fruit fly is said to live, on average, one day. Did this fly live one day just to get to heaven? Did this fly live one day just to reproduce? Did this fly live one day just to make an impact? If that fruit fly could not carry out any of these things, then what’s to say about the human race? What sets us apart from the animal kingdom? Are we only born just to die? The fact of the matter is, before one can delve into the major elements of life, one needs to break down the theory of death.

            Death is one of the utmost finite macrocosms of science. Its permanence lingers and expands with each day. Comedian Louis C.K. points out brilliantly that, “There are more people dead than are currently alive…we’re going to die…everyone you know is going to die.” Disease, homicide, old-age, abortion, suicide, and euthanasia are all facets of death that revolve around us day by day. Researchers spend days analyzing the motives for one to commit suicide or homicide. Microbiologists study the developments of epidemics and pandemics alike. From the days of Da Vinci the theories of old-age and death by natural causes have been established. However, two increments of death have remained controversial and without straight answers: euthanasia and abortion.

            In many ways, both euthanasia and abortion are extremely similar in character and are hot button topics for debate. It’s all a matter of choice for those involved, analyzing the “right to die”. The differences, however, between abortion and euthanasia are the technicalities behind each. One cannot ask a developing embryo if the potential human would want to live or die. This logistic can be debated for brain-dead or non-communicating individuals as well, yet there is an element of consent that is taken into consideration before the unlikely situation of brain-death were to occur. It’s something that few are ready to discuss with family and friends, but a necessary topic of conversation nonetheless. One needs to ask him/herself, “Should they pull the plug on me?” This question, in turn, connects to the question, “Do I want to live?”

            As shown through the novel Stuck in Neutral, its narrator did not quite get his opportunity to answer the all-important question. Us readers see the fragile and tormented mind of a youth struggling through life without a voice in a world clouded with noise. Stuck in a battle between right and wrong and plagued with unconditional love that overcomes rational thought, his own father wants to end his assumed suffering. Shawn, his uncommunicative son, is forced to wrap his aware and alert mind around the idea of dying without the chance to say goodbye. This case, however, is very different from typical euthanasia cases. As in the case displayed in the novel Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult, father Luke Warren (who is pronounced brain-dead after a devastating car accident) leads a healthy life catering to wolves and a broken family. Previously, he unofficially told his son that he would be responsible of his life if anything were to happen to him; his daughter, however, assumes differently and fights for her father’s life as her brother fights to pull the plug. Through both fictional cases an element of altruism is exposed as us human beings see situations such as these on the news and in television specials every day. So the question still remains for the public: what makes this life worth living?

            Could it be the nine-hour job we work every day? Could it be the jewelry on our nightstand? Could it be the home we sleep in? Could it be the friends and family we hold so dear to us? Could it be the voice that Shawn never got to have? Could it be the wolves that Luke Warren never got to hold again? Could it be the pen in a writer’s hand, allowing us to tell a story and express an opinion? The fact of the matter is, life has several definitions, but not one includes lying on a hospital bed shitting in a diaper, breathing through a tube, and pissing through a catheter. Maybe, we are no better than a fruit fly, but perhaps, we are greater. Maybe we are not born to die, but dying for something to live for. Euthanasia should definitely be justifiable in a court of law and in the hearts of our family members. However, euthanasia is continuously marked as a gray area; not of black and white.

            And so, we continue to debate the idea of “mercy killing”. To this day, many people are still uncomfortable with death. We need to live to get to heaven. We need to live to reproduce. We need to live to make an impact. And, if we are not doing any of these, then we are most certainly only born to die. But, death will forever be a part of our lives.

Author's Note

For my AP Language course I had to write an argumentative essay on the use of euthanasia. Please feel free to let me know your personal opinions and let me know if I need to work on any points that I've analyzed. Thank you!