Recently, the world of sports found itself involved in an age old battle; one involving the "euthanasia of animals" and like all such conflicts many people were saddened and others questioning. Babaro, a highly trained race-horse was euthanised sometime last month after successive surgeries to treat his broken leg failed. It was agreed upon by his owners, trainers and doctors that this was the right thing to do; the same people who a few months back were willing to see him recover and weren't ready to part ways with him, bringing me to my question of concern.
When do we call it a day and resolve to intentionally killing an animal to put it out of its "suffering"? This decision has plagued the medecine field for as long as i can remember and affects but human and non-human patients alike. The very definition of euthanasia (the intentional killing of a human and in some cases other animals) suggests cruelty but is it really cruel to "pull the plug" as they say on a family member diagnosed as being clinically dead (vegetative state) or killing a pet who may have been a victim or some tragic event.
When push comes to shove, this decision is a difficult one be it a human or non-human animal and for once i have no clue on what camp i will favor in this instance! We all want to be optimistic that some miracle might happen but when the dust settles, reality reares it "ugly" face and the truth becomes evident.
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3 comments:
Horses can indeed survive after breaking a leg. Innovative, sometimes expensive treatments exist (including, at the extreme, artificial limbs). Tradition, homocentrism, and a truncated view of the animals' value all conspire to eclipse these labor- and money-intensive options, however.
You wrote: "When do we call it a day and resolve to intentionally killing an animal to put it out of its "suffering"? This decision has plagued the medecine field for as long as i can remember and affects but human and non-human patients alike. The very definition of euthanasia (the intentional killing of a human and in some cases other animals) suggests cruelty but is it really cruel to "pull the plug" as they say on a family member diagnosed as being clinically dead (vegetative state) or killing a pet who may have been a victim or some tragic event."
It's a moral debate that's still on the table. "Killing/letting die".
If someone's in severe pain, and they are _going to die_, it seems mentally 'okay' to let them die on their own... and murder to pull the plug. It's a difference of the actions being taken by the individual, and their conscious guilt (over the patients' physical suffering).
With regards to animals, it seems backwards: it's inhumane to let an animal suffer, and you get legally punished for doing so. Yet, it's murder if you put a human out of their misery...
Frankly, (if able) I'm gonna start the "walking out into the woods to die" movement... I can't imagine putting my loved ones through this legal/moral hassle.
I appreciate your candid comments and thoughts.
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