Essay Sample: Husband Kills Wife With Lou Gehrig's Disease in Chilling Way

Introduction

The issue in the case presented is that a woman had Lou Gehrig's disease as well as severe heart problems. Due to her complications, she was unable to walk or talk and could only eat using a feeding tube. The woman asked wrote a note to her husband to kill her. The husband gave his wife sleeping pills and took her to the car, where he used a vacuum cleaner to export carbon dioxide to the vehicle. The man, wife, and their pets were in the car. After twelve hours, the man woke up to find his wife and one of the pets dead. Later on, prosecutors charged the man with the murder of his wife.

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Perspectives, Values and Point of View of the Man Who Killed his Wife

From the perspective of the husband, his wife's complications made him feel helpless because the diseases brought pain and anguish to his wife of forty years. From the case, some of the values that the man possess are loving, devoted, and caring. Undeniably, the situation shows that the man has the mentioned values because he did not want to see his wife suffer more. From his point of view, he was compassionate by alleviating pain from his wife.

Perspectives, Values, and Point of View of the Wife

From the wife's perspective, she felt like the diseases she had made her unable to care for the family. Seemingly, the family had failed attempts for a cure because she was unable to talk, walk, or eat by herself. By asking her husband to kill her, the wife possesses the value of being considerate. From her point of view, she might have seen how her husband struggled to make her get better and the accumulating hospital bills incurred during treatment for Lou Gehrig's disease and heart problems.

Perspectives, Values, and Point of View of the Judge

From the perspective of the judge, the actions of her husband were illegal. The reason is that state laws define assisted suicide. In Oregon, the Death with Dignity Act enacted on 27th October 1997 stipulates that at the request of terminally ill patients, physicians can prescribe lethal injections to help alleviate their pain and end their lives (Death with Dignity, n.d). The values, which the judge has are impartiality to justice and faithful to the rule of law. From his point of view, the husband would have taken his wife to the hospital and let the physician prescribe the correct dose to end his wife's life.

Perspectives, Values, and Point of View of the Children of the Couple

From the children's perspectives, their mother would have decided to live because treatments such as palliative care, therapy, and medications such as muscle relaxants are available to help improve her quality of care. The values that the children have are love, determined, and considerate. According to the children's points of view, their father would have continued to care for their mother as he has always done for the past forty years.

Perspectives, Values, and Point of View of a Doctor

Even though there is no mention of a doctor in the case, his perspective would be that the husband would have brought his wife to the hospital to find a viable treatment option and see whether the patient would still want to end her life. The values of the doctor would include integrity, supportive, accommodating, and honest. From the doctor's point of view, if the wife wanted to die, he would have prescribed the right dose to end her life instead of opting for carbon dioxide gas.

Perspectives, Values and Point of View of members of the Clergy

From the clergy's perspective, the wife would not have chosen to end her life because it is a sin to God. In their study of members of the American clergy views on end of life, Balboni et al., (2018) found that majority of them affirmed that assisted suicide is morally wrong and only God numbers people's days. Their values are obedient and faithful towards the scriptures. From their perspective, it is God who gives life, and he chooses to take that life away during the right time.

Personal Values and Point of View based on the Scenario

From my point of view, the husband's actions were wrong because he decided to kill himself, his wife, and their pets. Considering the case, I agree with the prosecutor's remarks that what her husband did was illegal. However, on the prosecutor's views of the husband going to jail, I disagree with the ideas because he has already lost his wife. The judge could be compassionate in the situation by considering the extenuating circumstances that made the husband decide to end the life of his wife, his, and their pets. Since the husband has been compassionate and loving to his wife for the past forty years, the judge should exonerate the husband.

References

Balboni, M. J., Sullivan, A., Smith, P. T., Zaidi, D., Mitchell, C., Tulsky, J. A., Sulmasy, D.

P., VanderWeele, T. J., & Balboni, T. A. (2018). The Views of Clergy Regarding Ethical Controversies in Care at the End of Life. Journal of pain and symptom management, 55(1), 65-74. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2017.05.009

Death with Dignity. (n.d). Current status. Retrieved from

https://www.deathwithdignity.org/states/oregon/