Alexis's+Response

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Dear Dr. Theodore Baehr, To compare the Oscar winning film “Million Dollar Baby” to the holocaust and the murdering of millions of Jewish and mentally handicap individuals is ludicrous. While some people may consider what Frankie did to be inhumane, Frankie did not make the decision for Maggie; she made the choice to not live anymore and that she was content with how she had lived her life. Maggie had seen the world and been cheered on by people she did not even know. She was happy with what she had seen, done, and succeeded in her life, and did not want to live her remaining days as a decaying and helpless human being. In the end, Maggie decided that she did not want to live her life in a hospital bed without being able to breathe independently, not Frankie. It is unfathomable to me how someone could view “Million Dollar Baby” as a movie that glamorizes euthanasia.

This heart touching movie does revolve around a very controversial topic, which may cause people to dislike the movie, but it does not glorify euthanasia in any manner. If someone does not like the message behind this film, they do not have to watch it. It is amazing how people think they can persuade the world on certain topics that they are against. Every person has their own opinions and is entitled to them, but they should not try to convince the whole world that their views are the only right way to look at things.

While I do agree that “murder is inexcusable, even when it is art,” I also believe that what Frankie did was not murder. Frankie did not kill Maggie; he put her to rest and relieved her of suffering and pain. If a person does not want to live, who is to say that they have to? Every person was given their own life, and should be able to live, or die, as they please. It may be looked upon as “assisted suicide”, but is in no way a murder if the person dying is willing to end their life.

Dr. Baehr, I can sympathize with your opinions regarding the film with the connections to your wife being on chemotherapy for ten years seeing as I also have had a loved one go through similar things. My mother was on chemotherapy and radiation for about six months, so I cannot imagine what you have gone through for ten years. With that said I do not think that “Million Dollar Baby” in any way connects to cancer patients nor assisted suicide with individuals enduring chemotherapy. This movie is merely a story of a paralyzed woman that does not want to live.

“Million Dollar Baby” is a fantastic movie that does result in an individual assisting another in suicide. However it is a real life situation that happens to many and could happen to anybody in the future. This film is simply a story of one individual that made the decision that her life was not worth living. It is each person’s decision whether or not they want to live if they were put in Maggie’s shoes, and it should not matter what other people say or think. It is their life, and they can choose if they want to live it or not. People cannot tell them if it is wrong or right to die, because they cannot comprehend what they are going through. This situation and the decision made differ from person to person, and, for Maggie, she did not want to live her life in that manner. But who would blame her? No one knows how numerous individuals and Maggie feel in the situation they are unwillingly put in until they are in it themselves. It may seem as though euthanasia is glamorized, but we are living in a day and age in which Hollywood glamorizes everything. The reality is, is that “Million Dollar Baby” is just a movie and should not be looked down upon for telling a touching story that unfortunately results in the death of a remarkable young woman through assisted suicide.

Sincerely, Alexis