A Crime of Compassion

Yunjia Zhao A Crime of Compassion A Crime of Compassion is an essay written by Barbara Huttman. Barbara Huttman is a trained nurse who has two degrees in nursing and she worked as a nurse for over thirty years. Huttman is known for her essays that are mostly about the ethical and moral dilemmas doctors and the medical staff has to go through every day of their working lives. This article was first published in 1983 in Newsweek. The focus of this essay is the concept of euthanasia and whether it is a justifiable act or not. In my opinion, taking a life away is a sin and a punishable crime, even if it is your own life. But, also if the person has to go through unbearable physical and emotional pain, due to a disease or an ailment, and death is his/her only salvation then euthanasia is acceptable. A Crime of Compassion is a nurse’s point of view on euthanasia and who is more eligible than a nurse to talk about the suffering that a patient goes through. The essay is about a Mr. Mac who suffered from terminal lung cancer and Huttman was the nurse tending him at that time. She writes about how much he suffered and how much that diseases changed him, both physically and mentally, for the worst. When Mac entered the hospital all he had was a bad cough; Huttman also explains that he was a cop and that he used to be very active (Huttman, 2002). Mac was diagnosed with lung cancer and he was treated for over a year. And in the period, Huttman got to know his family, his wife and three kids, better. Naturally, an emotional bond was built over time between Mac and Huttman. Throughout the essay, Huttman tries to show the level of pain and discomfort Mac was going through. Over time, he lost weight, hair, bodily controls, sense of taste and many other things. He was just a shadow of the old person he used to be. On top of that, his whole body was covered with bed sores and every time he moved, even a little bit, it hurt

References: Huttman, Barbara. "A Crime of ComCompassion." 75 Readings Plus! 2002: 276-278. Oregon Health Authority. "Information on the Death with Dignity Act." (n.d.). State of Montana. . Washington State Department of Health. Death with Dignity Act. .