What would you do for the ones you love? Would you end your love one’s life if (s)he asked you to? In most instances I think I would do absolutely what was necessary for my love ones, that is under the guidance of God while also trying my best to obey Christian Principles. A few weeks back a few of our Mountainview Resident Assistants held an event called The Great Debate. The topic of this year’s debate was assisted suicide. A campus professor, Charles Goodman, Ph.D, argued the affirmative while a local attorney, James A. Sacco, Esq., argued the negative. Both speakers were knowledgeable and persuasive- and it got me to thinking, could I help a loved one die.
It caused me to think back on the last days I spent with my Grandmother, Ms. Geraldine Barnes. My grandmother remains as one of my sheroes. She was devoted to her community and to serving people. In her final days she contracted colon cancer. In a short period of time she went from being this strong-willed hardworking women to a person that could not do anything for herself. While I have all of the loving memories of my grandmother while she was healthy, I also have the memories of her final days…
Then I read articles like this, see below, and know there are folks out there that love with everything they are. It caused me to ask my self- would I love hard enough or am I strong enough to carry out my loves one final wish- if it is to help them die? I am still not certain that I could do it…
George Sanders, Arizona Man, Gets Probation In Mercy Killing
By BRIAN SKOLOFF 03/30/13 04:12 AM ET EDT
PHOENIX — There was no doubt 86-year-old George Sanders killed his ailing wife. Yet everyone in the small Arizona courtroom – the prosecutor, the judge and even the couple’s family members – agreed it was a time for compassion, not punishment.
“My grandfather lived to love my grandmother, to serve and to make her feel as happy as he could every moment of their life,” Sanders’ grandson, Grant, told the judge, describing the couple’s life together as “a beautiful love story.”
“I truly believe that the pain had become too much for my grandmother to bear,” he said, while Sanders looked on during the sentencing hearing Friday and occasionally wiped his eyes with a tissue as relatives pleaded tearfully for mercy.
Sanders was arrested last fall after he says his wife, Virginia, 81, begged him to kill her. He was initially charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a deal with prosecutors. Still, he faced a sentence of up to 12 years.
His wife, whose family called her Ginger, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1969, and was forced into a wheelchair soon after. She and Sanders, a World War II veteran, moved from Washington state in the 1970s for Arizona’s warm, dry climate.
-Read more on Hoffington Post.
What do you think? Could you help your a loved one with assisted suicide?
Related articles
- Man, 86, Gets Probation in Ariz. Mercy… – ABC News (abcnews.go.com)
- Man, 86, gets probation in Ariz. mercy killing – Houston Chronicle (chron.com)
- George Sanders Gets Probation For ‘Mercy Killing’ Wife, Virginia Sanders – Huffington Post (huffingtonpost.com)
- Man, 86, gets probation in Ariz. mercy killing (foxnews.com)
Principle designer at Noelle Ivey Designs, graphic, print & social media design for @mrcbu & @buodei, and #PSPfit Admin. I am a creative being that loves to read, sometimes write, but always watch and listen! My heart cries out for peace, love, acceptance and service of others.
Tanyah Barnes 
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