British suicide case: You are worth more than the sum of your circumstances.

A British man is asking the government to change the law so he may commit suicide. Tony Nicklinson, 57, suffered a debilitating stroke and is fully paralyzed from the neck down. He says that his life has become unbearable and that he wants to die.

LONDON, ENGLAND (Catholic Online) - The petition is controversial because it shows the failure of many to recognize that the value of human life is worth more than the sum of its circumstances. 

Nicklinson says, "I'm fed up with my life and don't want to spend the next 20 or so years like this." To effect his end, Nicklinson petitioned the High Court in January to promise that any doctor who assists him in murdering himself should not be punished. 

"I have no privacy or dignity left," Nicklinson said in a statement.

There can be no doubt that Nicklinson is suffering - immensely. Nicklinson was once a rugby player and a corporate manager. While it is unfortunate that Nicklinson feels this way, he should consider the example of other similarly paralyzed people, who have overcome their challenge and become great contributors to society or otherwise reconnected with the inherent value of their life. 

The late Christopher Reeves, an American actor and activist became an advocate for victims of paralysis. In England, Stephen Hawking, despite being severely disabled by disease, uses his mind and talents to help unlock the secrets of the universe, all while confined to a wheelchair. 

However, the value of human life cannot be attached to one's physical or mental capacity. Once such an assessment becomes the legal basis for "suffering" and grounds for suicide, then we enter a danger zone where the decision to die early is placed in the hands of human agents whose intentions may be aligned with secular, material, or unethical interests. 

British authorities are reticent to discuss the issue and Justice William Charles said Nicklinson was, "now inviting the court to cross the Rubicon." But the justice also added (astoundingly) that his case had "an arguable base."

Nicklinson's wife stated, "a life like this is unbearable for him. We know there are doctors out there that would do this if it is made legal. 

The responsibility for appreciating the value of one's life rests chiefly with the person. However, a just  society must also recognize that human life is inherently valuable; because every single human person has dignity. Indeed, the entire system of justice in the western world is predicated upon this truth. Once this truth is blurred, human life is in danger of being assessed and valued based on an individual's function, a utilitarian nightmare. We are human beings not human doings. 

While Nicklinson may want to die because he cannot successfully grapple with the immense challenge that besets him, it must also be understood that his case will have ramifications beyond his own death. And it is those ramifications that must bring pause to Parliament before the right to murder oneself is somehow codified into law. 

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He should be assisted by those who truly care to rediscover the goodness of life, even when suffering or disability intervenes. A truly just society cares for those who suffer and does not encourage them to kill themselves.  

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