Odds and Ends: Me Before You

Written by Grace Debora C. Ongkowidjojo (016201200028)

Recently, I have just finished reading a book titled "Me Before You". It is a romance novel by Jojo Moyes. Like any other love story, the novel unravels the life of two unlikely hero and heroine who eventually find their way to each other. What makes this book intriguing and worth sharing, though, is that it brings up a very controversial subject: rights to die.

"Be with me. Give me the end I am hoping for."

Truthfully, I entered the book without warning of such theme, and without realizing I have dove in and ended the book emotionally exhausted. I am still not entirely sure whether I like the ending or not.

So, the book starts with the accident that changed the life of the hero, Will Traynor. He was once a successful businessman with everything a man could ever ask. In short, he's got a perfect life. Then came the accident that turned him into a quadriplegic. He becomes a physically disable person who needs help from people for almost everything.

After two years of struggling with his condition and fragile health, he decided to go to Dignitas, an organization in Switzerland that "assist" people to die with dignity. His parents try to prevent him from doing so and hired Louisa Clark. From then on, both of them gradually changed from the person they were.

What I want to talk about is about the Dignitas. I checked on google directly after I finished the book and it is a real organization. The topics of euthanasia performance and rights to die have always been a very highly debateable subjects. Do you think people have the rights to end their life if the reason is logical? And what constitutes a logical reasoning?

Will Traynor decided to go through that because he felt hopeless with his life. He constantly felt pain and his health is very fragile and not seldom his illness threatens his very life. He also will never be able to do things he once did, leading an adventurous life. Do you think that his reason is justifiable to end his life?

I think this can relate to any kinds of culture. Basic human rights has always been a universally acknowledged culture. It is in the nature of human rights to live and if the quality of life itself does not meet the expectation, do mankind hold the rights to end it?

My personal opinion on this is quite against it. I was raised in a family with strong religious culture, and I have since little been taught that taking someone's life is not good, even your own life. It all rests in God's hands. But then, when it comes to, say, your family member, lying very sick and unconscious with no hope to live, barely breathing with the help of a machine, will you end his/her sorrow or continue to believe? What is your opinion?