万花筒 2010-04-27&04-29 自杀，还是有尊严地死去？

Stuart Lane is terminally ill. He isn't sure how long he has to live but he’s absolutely sure how he wants to die, quickly, peacefully, no suffering.

--I’m petrified¹. I am petrified of suffering.

But if Stuart's doctor gives him medication which he then uses to intentionally³ overdose and die, his doctor could go to jail. That’s the law in Connecticut where Stuart lives.

--If you could die on your own terms, what would that look like?

--I like to have the ability to die you know comfortably in the way I wanna die and not you know the way that society says I should die. I mean why should I have to go through that.

Stuart has HIV and hepatitis C. He got both decades ago through intravenous drug abuse. Today at 53, he is clean, married, with a son in college. Only problem: his liver is failing.

--Do you think about dying?

--I think about it like every day ,every day, every single day.

Stuart has discussed dying with his physician Dr.Gary Blick. Dr.Blick and another doctor are suing the state of Connecticut, so doctors don't go to jail if patients like Stuart overdose on medication they've prescribed. Under the current law it’s a felony to intentionally cause or aid another to commit suicide.

--If they tip that bottle of xanax and that bottle of Percocet and they kill themselves with that, then I could potentially go to jail for secondary manslaughter.

Dr.Blick told me patients have begged him for drugs, so they can die on their terms.

--We want to help terminally ill patients that are mentally competent to make these decisions. Help them in counseling, help them with prescriptions⁴, and then plan for that death so they could die in a nice, dignified⁵, comfortable death.

--If the law stands as it is here in Connecticut, Dr.Blick says patients won't be able to get the medication they need to die peacefully. He worries that would lead to desperate measures, such as shooting themselves or some other miserable⁶ end without the assistance or guidance of their doctor.

Dr.Blick says he knows some of his patients have used prescriptions he has written for pain to end their lives.

--I know that probably patients have taken full bottles and have died rapidly as a result of that.

Wesley Smith with the International Task Force on euthanasia and Assisted Suicide says Dr.Blick is looking to legalize intentional² killings⁷.

--Any doctor thinks the only way to keep a patient from suffering is to help kill that patient, may need to refer the patient to a better doctor.

Smith says Dr .Blick is abandoning his patients.

--It says that we are not going to take the time to care for you properly, and if you want to die, we'll give the pills to do it. That's just not right.

The state of Connecticut wants the lawsuit⁸ dismissed. Arguing it will create a suicide market targeting the terminally ill. A judge will decide. In the meantime, Stuart Lane will continue taking medication to keep his HIV at bay and his liver functioning. In the face of death, he is counting his blessings⁹.

--I mean I am pretty blessed, well, I am still alive and I 've got a nice house and a nice family and a great doctor.

A doctor who he hopes would be able to help him when his time comes.

Randi Kaye, CNN,Norwalk, Connecticut.
 

1 petrified   

adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• I'm petrified of snakes. 我特别怕蛇。
• The poor child was petrified with fear. 这可怜的孩子被吓呆了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

3 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

4 prescriptions   

药( prescription的名词复数 )； 处方； 开处方； 计划

参考例句：

• The hospital of traditional Chinese medicine installed a computer to fill prescriptions. 中医医院装上了电子计算机来抓药。
• Her main job was filling the doctor's prescriptions. 她的主要工作就是给大夫开的药方配药。

5 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

6 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

7 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

8 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

9 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》