Right to Die?

SlackDad · 09-11-2005, 07:34

What do others think of this rejigged proposal http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4418284.stm
I tend to agree with this statement from Lord Joffe:

Quote:

"I feel very strongly about assisted dying. It seems to me to be a human right to make a decision in relation not only to how you run your life, but how and when you die.

Angua · 09-11-2005, 08:16

Agree also, but there is a fine line where a great deal of care does need to be taken.

bopdude · 09-11-2005, 08:33

I would like to think that if I became a burden, unable to look after myself, and being of sound mind that I could choose, or at least have the right to choose, it would of course have to be disscussed with family first but how and when, that would be the tricky part.

Ramrod · 09-11-2005, 08:51

If the right to die is allowed then there will be a rise in murders carried out by doctors. In spite of that I would like to have the right to decide if I want to end my life. I just hope I never get to such a state where death is preferable to life.

**Russ B** · 09-11-2005, 10:15

Abortion thread yesterday, euthanasia today.....I'm not sticking around for this.

Nugget · 09-11-2005, 10:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russ D

Abortion thread yesterday, euthanasia today.....I'm not sticking around for this.

Actually Russ, I would be interested in hearing your opinion on this one. I'm inclined to agree with bop on this one in that, if I was of sound mind (if I ever reach that point

), I would like to make the decision for myself.

The reason that I'd like to hear your opinion though is that I'd be interested to hear if your faith has a bearing. I don't want a massive religious debate about it (and I'm sure you don't either

), but I would like to see what you think.

BTW, I'm not just picking on you - I'd be interested to see what any of the members who have a religious faith think

**Russ B** · 09-11-2005, 10:42

You really need to ask?

For most of us it's conjecture - we all say what we think we'd do if confronted by this, but AFAIK no-one on this site has been in this situation.

It would seem that I'm one of the minority who values life (both commencing and those at the end) due to my belief that it is not ours to do with what we wish.

However the sight of a loved one in enormous pain and close to the end must be an extremely heavy weight on anyone's shoulders.

Fortunately I've never been faced with that so I don't know how emotional it would make me.

SlackDad · 09-11-2005, 10:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russ D

Abortion thread yesterday, euthanasia today.....I'm not sticking around for this.

This isn't about euthanasia which unless I am mistaken is assisting someone to take their life. Rather this is about the right to take your own life.

**Russ B** · 09-11-2005, 10:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlackDad

This isn't about euthanasia which unless I am mistaken is assisting someone to take their life. Rather this is about the right to take your own life.

When you've been around this site for long enough, you know that people feel equally rabid about either subject, whether pro or against.

Nugget · 09-11-2005, 10:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russ D

You really need to ask?

For most of us it's conjecture - we all say what we think we'd do if confronted by this, but AFAIK no-one on this site has been in this situation.

It would seem that I'm one of the minority who values life (both commencing and those at the end) due to my belief that it is not ours to do with what we wish.

However the sight of a loved one in enormous pain and close to the end must be an extremely heavy weight on anyone's shoulders.

Fortunately I've never been faced with that so I don't know how emotional it would make me.

Not so much need to ask; more interested to know.

Thanks for answering buddy

punky · 09-11-2005, 11:54

I think ethuanasia should be legalised, for people who can convince a doctor they are of sound mind, and that there is a valid reason. Doctors are the best ones to judge on this, it should be their descision jointly with the patient, rather than the patient themselves. Leaving a patient in near-interminal suffering is akin to torture.

09-11-2005, 14:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlackDad

Rather this is about the right to take your own life.

Taking your own life is not much different to taking someone else's. It's just as hard and requires extreme circumstances for anyone to contemplate.

From a religious standpoint, the view is that only God has the right to create and end life. This makes euthanasia in any form wrong - if you take this standpoint.

The proposal is actually just a way to make suicide easier to chose, as a guaranteed painless way of killing yourself would be offered by a doctor.

Now, if you are so sick or disabled through disease as to want to chose to die, while your mind may be willing, if your body is too weak etc. you wouldn't be able to take the poison yourself anyway. So it seems rather pointless, unless the law would also protect anyone helping the person to take the poison.

The watering down of the proposed bill is just a way to get a right to suicide - once that's out of the way then euthanasia will be a fact.

That said, I think the current permissible method of euthanasia (i.e. withdrawal of food etc.) barbaric. We either allow euthanasia, or not. And if not, then any patient should get everything required for life - be that food, water or medication.
__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by punky

I think ethuanasia should be legalised, for people who can convince a doctor they are of sound mind, and that there is a valid reason.

We might have to redefine what 'sound mind' means then, as suicide is commonly a path chosen by those whose mind is perturbed.

As to 'valid reason' - why should 'my girlfriend left me' be any less valid than 'I am going to die in 6 months anyway'?

Quote:

Originally Posted by punky

Doctors are the best ones to judge on this, it should be their descision jointly with the patient, rather than the patient themselves.

I am not convinced doctors are the best judges - that's why we have judges. IF one is to contemplate legalising suicide, then why can it not be the individual's decision alone?

There's so much support for a woman's 'right to choose' (over someone else's life) - why is is so hard to allow everyone to 'chose' - over their OWN life?

Quote:

Originally Posted by punky

Leaving a patient in near-interminal suffering is akin to torture.

No - torture is the intentional infliction of suffering on someone. The suffering of a terminal patient is not inflicted by anyone - it's a fact of their human existence.

That's not to say we should not alleviate that suffering, as much as we can. I know that commonly this leads to euthanasia anyway, as the ever increasing doses of morphine (or whatever) start reaching lethal proportions.

budwieser · 12-11-2005, 22:21

Surely much of this leads back to what `Quality` of life the person suffering the illness will have in their present state or even if they recover from their illnes, accident etc, etc.

12-11-2005, 23:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by budwieser

Surely much of this leads back to what `Quality` of life the person suffering the illness will have in their present state or even if they recover from their illnes, accident etc, etc.

Absolutely right.

13-11-2005, 00:33

I think we should all have the right to die as we choose in those circumstances.

Having recently been extrmeely suicidal, I have been thinking of this a lot. And its somehting I do feel strongly in.
Some of the older members will know I watched a beautiful 21 year old girl lose her fight against cancer, I saw the suffering she went through in her last days and hours, the amount of morphine it was taking to just dull the sheer agony of the cancer destroying her body.
But its noit only the toll on the "victim" theres a toll on the entire family, It destroyed my aunt watching her daughter die, my other aunt had a nervous breakdown through it and Emm's brother and sisters will never recover.