Euthanasia: Should It Be Legal? | Ethics, Law, and Human Rights
A 60-minute session on whether people should be allowed to choose the end of their own life: what we owe someone who is suffering, what families owe each other, who gets to decide, and whether a law like this could be trusted in real life. Twelve independent cards; open three or four.
The opening question
What's your instinctive reaction when someone at a family gathering starts talking about death: lean in, change the subject, or crack a joke?
Everyone in the room answers this in one line before any card is opened. Write the answers down; you will come back to them.
The cards
12 ways into the topic
Each card is independent. Your group votes on which to open, and four or five is plenty for an hour. Behind every card sit three prompts, one at a time, that only appear once it is opened on the board. Unopened cards keep for next time.
- 1
Pets, Pain And Mercy
Your old dog is in pain and won't get better. The vet says it's time, and everyone agrees it's the kind thing to do.
- 2
Not Wanting To Be A Burden
Your grandmother won't let anyone help her up the stairs. “Don't trouble yourselves for me,” she says. She would rather struggle than ask.
- 3
Talking About Death At Home
Someone at dinner says, “When I die, I want…” Instantly an aunt says, “Chup! Don't say such things.” Everyone changes the subject.
- 4
Deciding For Your Future Self
Today you're healthy, and you write down: if I ever stop knowing my family, don't keep me alive on machines. Years pass.
- 5
Who Decides When You Can't
You're in hospital and can't speak for yourself. Your spouse wants one thing, your brother another, your mother a third.
- 6
Doing Everything Possible
The doctors say there's little hope. The family says, “Do everything.” Nobody wants to be the one who stopped trying.
- 7
Money And The Hospital Bill
Every day in the ICU costs more than a month's rent. The savings are disappearing. Nobody says it out loud, but everyone is thinking about it.
- 8
Fear Of Misuse In India
Imagine a law that lets very sick people choose to die. Now imagine a relative who wants the house, a tired caregiver, a rushed hospital.
- 9
Faith And Choosing The End
Your grandmother says, “Life and death are in God's hands, not ours.” Your friend says, “It's my life, so it's my choice.” Both are completely sure.
- 10
Tired Of Living, Not Sick
An old couple in Mumbai are healthy and comfortable. They say they've lived a full life and simply don't want to go on.
- 11
Why It Should Stay Illegal
Some of the loudest objections come from people who need care.
- 12
Doctors Helping Someone Die
You trust your doctor to keep you alive. Now imagine the same doctor could also, if you asked, help you die.
The line to leave with
If someone you love had to decide for you tomorrow, would they know what you'd want, and whose job was it to tell them?
More boards,more ways in.
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