Mercy

The central conflict of Mercy is the case and trial of Jamie MacDonald, who confesses to killing his terminally ill wife, Maggie. Although the defense presents an insanity plea, and the prosecution asks for the terms “mercy” and “mercy killing” to be banned throughout the trial, it is clear that this is what Maggie’s death was. However, the case is ultimately argued along the lines of whether the circumstances surrounding Maggie’s condition are important or not when judging Jamie’s actions, and the book explores the topic of euthanasia.

Euthanasia is defined as “the practice of ending the life of a patient to limit the patient’s suffering” (“Euthanasia.” University of Missouri School of Medicine). The word is derived from the Greek terms “eu” (good) and “thanatos” (death), indicating the experience of a comfortable death for a patient who is terminally ill and thus experiencing a lesser quality of life. There are nuances to understanding euthanasia, including distinctions related to the manner of ending a life: Active euthanasia, such as injecting a lethal drug, or passive euthanasia, such withholding or withdrawing life support, are categorically different. Similarly, voluntary, involuntary, and non-voluntary euthanasia distinguish between whether euthanasia was administered with the patient’s consent or not. Self- or other-administered euthanasia is defined by the individual who causes death—the patient themselves, as opposed to a physician or guardian (“Euthanasia”).

“Mercy killing” is a term often interchangeably used with euthanasia, but it refers specifically to active, involuntary or non-voluntary, and other-administered euthanasia. By this definition, it is difficult to demarcate Maggie’s death in Mercy as a “mercy killing,” as both her consent and her wishes were clear with respect to her death.

Euthanasia presents complicated moral questions. Advocates for euthanasia root their argument in the need to end suffering, the rights of the patient with respect to deciding what to do with their life, and the idea of a dignified death. Critics posit that killing under any circumstances cannot be condoned. Historically, the practice was seen as permissible by Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Plato, with the word itself emerging in this time period of history (“Euthanasia.” Encyclopædia Britannica). However, over time, the idea has become less acceptable, given the opposition to killing that exists in typical religious ideologies, such as the Ten Commandments of Christianity (“Euthanasia”).

Owing to these moral debates, most legal systems in the world don’t recognize euthanasia as a defensible action and thus term a person’s death by this practice as either suicide or murder. As of 2023, only a handful of countries across the world have legalized euthanasia, the first of which was Belgium in 2001. In the United States, a total of 11 states or jurisdictions have legalized physician-assisted suicide (“State Statuses.” Death With Dignity). The first state to do so was Oregon in 1997 (“Euthanasia.” Encyclopædia Britannica)—two years after the events of Mercy, thus making the question of euthanasia still a highly complicated issue in the universe of the book.