Robin Hammond has done a lot of photographic work in the battle for human rights around the world. I found one of his photos in the photography magazine FOCUS. I just watched a discussion on euthanasia on Dutch television and then I opened FOCUS and stared in the face of a blind Congolese woman.
It made me think we don't have enough problems in the West that we have time to discuss whether and when human beings should have the right to end their lives in a "dignified" way. Of course euthanasia is a very complex topic and I have no idea of the suffering of some of the people who would consider it. But seeing that photo right after the discussion, confronted me with such a contrast in issues around the world. The 22-year-old Congolese girl called Basemae Maombi, wasn't born blind. She was robbed of her eyes because she recognised one of her rapists and called out his name to make him stop.
Here we are in Europe, discussing how to achieve a dignified death, when there is no chance Basemae Maombi will know dignity in life.
It made me think we don't have enough problems in the West that we have time to discuss whether and when human beings should have the right to end their lives in a "dignified" way. Of course euthanasia is a very complex topic and I have no idea of the suffering of some of the people who would consider it. But seeing that photo right after the discussion, confronted me with such a contrast in issues around the world. The 22-year-old Congolese girl called Basemae Maombi, wasn't born blind. She was robbed of her eyes because she recognised one of her rapists and called out his name to make him stop.
Here we are in Europe, discussing how to achieve a dignified death, when there is no chance Basemae Maombi will know dignity in life.
