'Euthanasia' is one of those words that makes a chill cross your spine. Why do we accept it for our pets, but outlaw it for humans?
Today I had one of the saddest moments of my life: having to take the decision to have my hamster euthanised (aka 'put down').
It's hard to describe how utterly heartbroken I was at the moment I handed him over to the vet, and a part of me was aware of how ridiculous I looked: a 1.86m tall guy fighting back tears over the smallest of hamsters, hair falling out and dragging himself and his growing tumour.
The vet understood though. She nearly started crying too.
Goodbye Fuzzy, my friend. That a tiny hamster could bring such true joy into my life and cause such grief when he departed is a life-lesson I'm going to think about for a long time.
This was only the second pet I've ever had to euthanise - the first was an old (equally beloved) dog, but Fuzzy was my first-ever hamster that just refused to die (three years old).
This experience seriously made me wonder, why don't we euthanise people? If it's the person's own choice to be put out of their misery, why can't they also be given the option to leave life with at least some dignity and without inflicting needless pain to their loved ones?
It's just like the world's obsession against suicide - yes, it's not advocated, but isn't it ultimately just another personal choice (if not THE choice) for a person to make?
We're all about 'empowerment'' - empowerment of workers through skills; empowerment of women over their bodies; empowerment of the poor through food security. Whatever happened to empowerment at a time when people are the weakest?
I hate that today had to happen, but I faced facts: my hamster had run for the last time on his wheel, and no number of clever operations would get his damaged body healed. The only thing left I could give him was freedom from his pain, and thank him for everything he'd given me and my wife.
When I have to die one day, I hope that I can have that decision over myself too.