Assisted suicide? -

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I have always been a strong supporter of this.

We treat our elderly pets with more dignity than we do terminally ill people, IMO.
 
This gets all muddled up, with things like; religious beliefs, playing god, euthanasia, Nazism, etc.
Mostly, I think people are just afraid of their own death, and stopping any and all death as much as possible, makes them feel a little better.
That being said, I find their behavior cowardly and selfish.
 
I think it is more often than not the case that it is families unwilling to let go rather than the actual patients themselves.

I used to do cancer research in a pediatric hospital many years ago, before I became a lawyer. I can't pass judgment on parents whose children were terminally ill as there is nothing worse that could possibly happen to you, but at the same time it was terrible watching some of these kids be put through experimental treatment after experimental treatment, with basically no quality of life, just to prolong suffering by what? A month? Two?

I don't ascribe a lot of value to the "this is playing God" line of thinking because why is this different? Aren't fertility treatments playing God? Isn't any aggressive cancer therapy playing God?

I think it is very important to really give thought to your end-of-life while you are still young and have your faculties and are able to discuss it with your family. So few people do it.
 
in theory, i am fine with this, but i think it can be a lot to ask of a doctor, to actively help a patient end his life. there's a difference between keeping someone comfortable while allowing nature to take it's course vs. administering a lethal injection. but each case is different.
 
I say no. This is not something the state should be involved in.


What exactly does this mean to you?

Should the state require life support? We know you don't believe in universal healthcare, so we can't do that. You don't believe in choice. So what IS your answer?

You don't put your farm animals down?
 
I say no. This is not something the state should be involved in.

You really don't make a lot of sense, horse.

You know they're not state-mandating you keep all vegetables alive, right? You can choose to continue to water it until it finally dies, it's just legalizing the choice to (I'm out of plant analogies) opt out of an inevitable, painful, bed-ridden ending sooner than later.
 
I think this should be a matter decided on by the person itself. So yes, legalise it, and give people or their families(in veggie states) the choice. I sure as hell wouldn't want to live like a fucking plant.
 
in theory, i am fine with this, but i think it can be a lot to ask of a doctor, to actively help a patient end his life. there's a difference between keeping someone comfortable while allowing nature to take it's course vs. administering a lethal injection. but each case is different.
Very good point. I think that may be what makes me so uncomfortable, on occasion: The active action of ending a life, rather than the former scenario you laid out.
 
Legal or not, if I get a terminal illness I'm going out on my own terms. I refuse to force my family to watch me suffer, I'll have a big party with all my friends and family and then go skydiving without a parachute.

The government has no business legislating on my right to be alive or dead, in any form, in my opinion.
 
I watched 'How to Die in Oregon' a documentary on Netflix. It's really powerful. Opened my eyes to the pain some of these patients have to endure, where hourly morphine injections still can't help. I'm certainly in favor of helping these people go out with dignity.

They touched on it briefly in the Doc that one guy was initially denied chemo treatment through insurance and they sent him a letter suggesting Death with Dignity since he was terminal, but I think they reversed it after he protested. A bit of the slippery slope argument where we don't want the health system to give up on people who are willing to fight.

Anybody else watch it?
 
I say no. This is not something the state should be involved in.

I was initially against it, but as I stated in the post before I watched 'How to Die in Oregon' and changed my mind. All the morphine in the world can't stop the pain of certain terminal cancers.

As far as the state being involved, I'm supportive the law of the option. I'm sure some people on the no-side may see some danger in mandated euthanasia becoming more commonplace. I think that is a valid concern, but if it is modeled after Oregon I don't think it will be a problem.
 
Assisted suicide was declared legal in Canada by the Supreme Court about 8 months ago, with a 12-month suspended ruling to give the government time to draft the relevant laws. I am very supportive of this - I think we are kinder to our pets than to people suffering.
 
Add me to the list of people who support this. If this is what the person with the illness wants, they should be allowed to have this option available to them. It's their body, and it should be their choice. I don't get why that fact is so hard for some people to understand.

The only sort of concern I can understand is if the person's illness is advanced to where they may not be able to make that choice of their own accord, for fear of another Terri Schaivo situation occurring.

But of course, that's why it's advised that people make their wishes on this issue known and put it in proper writing when they are healthy enough to make those sorts of decisions.
 
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