Of horses and men
This weekend, Barbaro was put to sleep. This is a wonderful horse which broke a leg last year, and spent eight months trying to recover. Eventually, the recovery failed, and he was euthanized. You can read the story on ESPN.
THe thing that bothers me, however, is the absolute double standard that many people have when they view this story against a story as a human being. Change the name to "Barbara", make it about breast cancer rather than a broken leg, and I would bet that 80% of the American public would find the story ghastly....
The famous jockey know as "Barbara" was euthanized Monday after complications from breast cancer, found after last year's Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that made her even more of a hero than he was as a champion on the track.... A series of ailments -- including an abscess in the right rear leg, as well as new tumors in both lungs -- proved too much for the gallant rider. Barbara was given a heavy dose of a tranquilizer and an overdose of an anesthetic and put down at 10:30 a.m.
"I really didn't think it was appropriate to continue treatment because the probability of getting better was so poor," said Dr. Dean Richardson, chief of surgery at the New Bolton Center. Richardson, fighting back tears, added: "Barbara had many, many good days."
... On Sunday, a day after Barbara's fight for survival had reached a critical point, Richardson compared the various tumors to a "house of cards." One part falls, and the rest start to crumble.
In this case, it was the reduction in lung function that made her vulnerable.
... The disease affected her personality, too. The eyes that had been so bright and full of life were darker Monday morning. Barbara clearly was in distress.
"You could see she was upset," Richardson said. "That was the difference. It was more than we wanted to put her through."
Roy and Gretchen Jackson, her parents, were with Barbara on Monday morning and made the decision in consultation with Richardson.
"We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for her to go on without pain," Roy Jackson said. "It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for her, then it would be time."
I personally can't see the difference between putting an animal out of its misery and allowing a dying human being to choose to end their own life. Well, actually, I can. In Barbaro's case, the horse had absolutely no choice in the matter. When a patient decides to end their own life, they are making a decision for themselves, and one I believe we should respect. Who are we to deny a dying person the right to die before they end up in agony? Especially when we apply the exact opposite logic to our pets and animals.
The only possible reason I could see for treating humans differently is somehow feeling that humans are "worth more" than animals. I definitely love humans more than I love animals, and I'd kill an animal to protect my family while I wouldn't kill a person to save a pet. But by the same token, I don't feel that humans have any more right to live than animals. An animal would probably kill us to save its family. And I see no difference here. I don't place human beings above the animals, at least in the abstract.
So this kind of double standard makes me wince, and makes me wonder if my view of the world is so different from that of others. I am an athiest, though I believe I am a spiritual person. I believe in the scientific method, but also know that it has its limits (thanks to Mr. Godel). And I can't see the world in a way where it's not only okay but humane to euthanize our pets, but not our sick relatives who may be ready to shuffle off of their mortal coil. I find myself wondering if my world view is an uncommon one, or if many people agree with me but we are conditioned by our society to think that this is wrong.
THe thing that bothers me, however, is the absolute double standard that many people have when they view this story against a story as a human being. Change the name to "Barbara", make it about breast cancer rather than a broken leg, and I would bet that 80% of the American public would find the story ghastly....
The famous jockey know as "Barbara" was euthanized Monday after complications from breast cancer, found after last year's Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that made her even more of a hero than he was as a champion on the track.... A series of ailments -- including an abscess in the right rear leg, as well as new tumors in both lungs -- proved too much for the gallant rider. Barbara was given a heavy dose of a tranquilizer and an overdose of an anesthetic and put down at 10:30 a.m.
"I really didn't think it was appropriate to continue treatment because the probability of getting better was so poor," said Dr. Dean Richardson, chief of surgery at the New Bolton Center. Richardson, fighting back tears, added: "Barbara had many, many good days."
... On Sunday, a day after Barbara's fight for survival had reached a critical point, Richardson compared the various tumors to a "house of cards." One part falls, and the rest start to crumble.
In this case, it was the reduction in lung function that made her vulnerable.
... The disease affected her personality, too. The eyes that had been so bright and full of life were darker Monday morning. Barbara clearly was in distress.
"You could see she was upset," Richardson said. "That was the difference. It was more than we wanted to put her through."
Roy and Gretchen Jackson, her parents, were with Barbara on Monday morning and made the decision in consultation with Richardson.
"We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for her to go on without pain," Roy Jackson said. "It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for her, then it would be time."
I personally can't see the difference between putting an animal out of its misery and allowing a dying human being to choose to end their own life. Well, actually, I can. In Barbaro's case, the horse had absolutely no choice in the matter. When a patient decides to end their own life, they are making a decision for themselves, and one I believe we should respect. Who are we to deny a dying person the right to die before they end up in agony? Especially when we apply the exact opposite logic to our pets and animals.
The only possible reason I could see for treating humans differently is somehow feeling that humans are "worth more" than animals. I definitely love humans more than I love animals, and I'd kill an animal to protect my family while I wouldn't kill a person to save a pet. But by the same token, I don't feel that humans have any more right to live than animals. An animal would probably kill us to save its family. And I see no difference here. I don't place human beings above the animals, at least in the abstract.
So this kind of double standard makes me wince, and makes me wonder if my view of the world is so different from that of others. I am an athiest, though I believe I am a spiritual person. I believe in the scientific method, but also know that it has its limits (thanks to Mr. Godel). And I can't see the world in a way where it's not only okay but humane to euthanize our pets, but not our sick relatives who may be ready to shuffle off of their mortal coil. I find myself wondering if my world view is an uncommon one, or if many people agree with me but we are conditioned by our society to think that this is wrong.