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Article: A right to die? (Elizabeth Bouvia)
- Article from:
- National Review
- Article date:
- May 4, 1984
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1984 National Review, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ELIZABETH BOUVIA, a quadriplegic in Riverside, California, wants to starve herself to death. The hospital in which she spent seven months said, in effect, Not here. It obtained the backing of a local court for feeding Mrs. Bouvia by force. This decision--which has now forced Mrs. Bouvia to check herself out of the hospital--seems an abuse of the court's and of the hospital's power.
Not that I am in favor of suicide. But suicide is legal in all states of the U.S. that I am familiar with. For good reason: It is impossible to punish a successful suicide in this world, for he has left it. Wherefore the threat of punishment is unlikely to discourage would-be ...