Hentoff on ‘Duty’ to Die for Elderly

* Professor John Hardwig’s suggestion as cited by Nat Hentoff (Commentary, June 2) that “to have reached the age of, say, 75 or 80 years without being ready to die is itself a moral failing” is brilliant. I am not sure what his suggestion has to do with physician-assisted suicide, but certainly the moral purity of a professor of medical ethics and social political philosophy entitles him to level such a blanket condemnation at all 75-year-olds, whether “debilitated,” “demented” or not.

But would it not be even better to condemn all those not ready to die at age, say, 40 or 45? After all, isn’t it all downhill from then on? Ask anyone in that age group trying to find a job. And what’s good for business is good for America, right? Just think of all the room this would make for the young!

Hardwig’s suggestion that “there may be a fairly common responsibility to end one’s life in the absence of any terminal illness” is even better--especially for those of us getting close to the finish line. After all, it implies the setting of such a finish line, say age 75 or so, which means that the time of our death is predictable. Therefore we can carefully plan to use our last few years to best advantage by getting even with all those on our “little list, who’ll none of them be missed.” Let’s see: six months for the investigation and the lousing up of the evidence, another few months for jury selection and the trial, four or five years for appeals, and--bingo, we’re 75!

FRANZ H. BAUML

Granada Hills

* Is there indeed a “duty to die”? We don’t hesitate to enact laws that force our healthiest young men and women to sacrifice their lives “for the greater good.” Our best and brightest young people are conscripted, often unwillingly, to fight our wars and die so that we may protect our way of life. Why can we not allow our older citizens to personally and voluntarily decide to ease their suffering and relieve their families of the financial and emotional burden of such suffer- ing?

Just as we recognize the sacrifice of our war heroes, we should also honor those who willingly and voluntarily make such a sacrifice for the benefit of their families.

A.W. SILVER

Coronado

* Hentoff is dead right (no pun intended) in opposing the idea that the elderly have a duty to die. Rather than hasten the inevitable, the elderly should follow the advice of Dylan Thomas:

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

SYLVAN GOLLIN

Claremont

* The right to die? Of course it is a duty. First, we kill off everyone over the age of 70, then all AIDS victims, then welfare recipients, then prison inmates. Hey, look at the money we save! It’s enough to balance the budget and then some. May we throw politicians like Richard Lamm in the pot, too? Gee, I wish I was 18 again so I could live in such an ideal society. Hitler would have loved it.

HOPE BRYSON

Los Angeles