“I don’t want to be a burden.”
This phrase is, all too often, the motto of suffering people in our society. I hear it frequently in my work as an Emergency Physician, especially from those with chronic diseases or life-limiting diagnoses. I read it frequently in news articles and ethics journals, particularly those discussing issues related to end-of-life care, dependence, and disability. A fear of burdensomeness is often cited as a contributing reason for those who seek to end their own lives through the intervention of a doctor—a practice that, in Canada, is misleadingly called ‘medical assistance in dying’ or ‘MAiD.’
But why do many people feel like they become burdens as soon as they are meaningfully dependent on others? The answer is straightforward, from my perspective.