http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4067939.stm

I Think assisted suicide should be made legal in this country
What is your opinion ?

I do agree with you jan2002 but I doubt it'll happen in this country though.

We don't really like change for good in this country...

Ooohh.....toughie.

Whilst seeing that some illnesses or injuries are so terrible so as to call the quality of life of the person in to question, there are a whole truckload of issues to debate around this.

First of all - who does the assisting? If a medic then there are the professional ethics issues of that individual being asked to ACTIVELY assist in ending a life. If not a medic, we need to come up with a foolproof 'killing system'.

Then we have the situation that was raised in the Netherlands (The Times, today) where there have been INVOLUNTARY euthenasia killings of seriously handicapped and disabled newborns. That was where the Nazis started. What safeguards do we put in place to avoid this sort of scenario emerging?

What about people who we may feel have 'no quality of life' but who don't wish to die? Will they feeled pressured?

I'd be much more interested in getting research carried out to improve the quality of life and treatment for people who are this desperate, rather than encouraging suicide in this way.

It's a real nightmare - I'm aware of my objections, and also aware that if it were closer to home then I might have different thoughts.

Joe

Originally posted by JoePritchard
where there have been INVOLUNTARY euthenasia killings of seriously handicapped and disabled newborns. That was where the Nazis started. What safeguards do we put in place to avoid this sort of scenario emerging?

I seriously doubt that if it was legalised here that it would turn into a situation similar to the Nazis.

If assisted suicide is legalised, only people who are able to make the choice it should be performed on.

i think it should be legalised in this country, as was said previously only the people who are able to make the choice should be allowed to do it and people who have an incurable disease who may be in a position later in life not to be able to decide could think ahead so that they will not have to suffer when they get too ill.
I think it should be assisted by a medic and i also think that the person who would like to leave this way should recieve at least one councelling session to determine whether or not they are doing it for the right reasons. ie not so that they won`t be a burden on anyone else but because they know they will be too ill to live any kind of normal life. i for one would like this choice later in life, if i were immobile and had metal health problems later on and could not do anything for myself then i would like to know that when i reached a certain stage i could just peacefully go to sleep and that would be the end. Why still be clinically alive when you have no quality of life? why live in constant pain and agony when the end you yearn for is so close yet so far?

My personal view is that assisted suicide should be permitted.

The problem comes when you have to put the necessary protections in place to prevent the system being abused - and it would be abused! :(

So do we have to choose which is the lesser evil? To allow people to suffer needlessly? Or to allow 'assisted suicide' to be used as a defence for murder?

I notice that the high court allowed her husband to help her get to switzerland - does this amount to permission to carry out the assisted suicide?

It was called euthanasia when i last took note. There is a big difference between suicide and euthanasia, the two should not be linked really.

I have no problems with it, but all things have there pro's and con's. I'm pro-choice, if someone beleives they have no future and their life is painful and miserable why not let them end it?

Chris.

Originally posted by IanMitchell
I seriously doubt that if it was legalised here that it would turn into a situation similar to the Nazis.

If assisted suicide is legalised, only people who are able to make the choice it should be performed on.


I guess I'm concerned that once you make a move towards changing the law in such areas it makes it easier to move the goal posts in future.

If we start by saying 'Assisted suicide is OK', then it's easier based on the fact that the precedent exists to move to 'He's in a coma, he can't be having a high quality of life, so let's help him on his way'.

Joe

I'm all for assisted suicides.
That's the way I intend to die when I decide it's time.
I've made my own decisions all my life and I hope to continue un til the end.

Hazel

Hazel
I'm interesed to know
What will be the right time and what will happen if you are not capable of making the decision ?

Thanks
Jan2002

If you have a right to life then surely you should have a right to death?

Then a right to create life and kill I suppose...?

Originally posted by jan2002
Hazel
I'm interesed to know
What will be the right time and what will happen if you are not capable of making the decision ?

Thanks
Jan2002

When I am no longer independant and have to rely on others. And if I am not capable of making the decision, which I hope I will be, then I sharen't know I've failed.
I suppose it's all a matter of getting the time right. perhaps I'll leave a note, but then I should hate to put responsibility on someone else. So back to timing again.
Hazel

Dude! Why bother yourself? You more important than anyone else? Most people in their right mind leave it to nature, its only in this sick age of 'individuality' and 'right' that people imagine they have 'choice'! Haha! We're all going to go anyway... So like I say, why bother your Self and others with this mental masturdating??

Okay I realise this is an ancient thread, but I've never really heard much argument or reasons for NOT allowing assisted suicide. I posted the comments below in another thread but got no response, it wasn't actually all that relevant to the thread. I'm hoping one or more on here AGAINST assisted suicide may share there reasoning.


"What do you have against assisted suicide?

If you were found to be keeping a terminally ill dog in your house, in a state where it can no longer eat, drink and barely even blink, confused, scared, starving to death and dehydrated.... you would most likely be charged with animal cruelty.

Why then do we do it to our loved ones?"

Okay I realise this is an ancient thread, but I've never really heard much argument or reasons for NOT allowing assisted suicide. I posted the comments below in another thread but got no response, it wasn't actually all that relevant to the thread. I'm hoping one or more on here AGAINST assisted suicide may share there reasoning.


"What do you have against assisted suicide?

If you were found to be keeping a terminally ill dog in your house, in a state where it can no longer eat, drink and barely even blink, confused, scared, starving to death and dehydrated.... you would most likely be charged with animal cruelty.

Why then do we do it to our loved ones?"

People that go for assisted suicide are not normally in that sort of condition where they can't eat, drink, blink, starving etc. When they go to Switzerland, they're fit enough to travel, and of sound mind enough to make an informed choice, so I don't think a comparison with a suffering animal is appropriate. It could be seen as a pre-emptive measure to prevent that from occuring.

Even if people do get to that state where they can no longer live without being attached to machines, if death is what's wanted, simply withdrawing medical treatment (other than painkillers to make it a pain free death) would bring it about. That sort of thing can be put in a Living Will afaik.

People that go for assisted suicide are not normally in that sort of condition where they can't eat, drink, blink, starving etc. When they go to Switzerland, they're fit enough to travel, and of sound mind enough to make an informed choice, so I don't think a comparison with a suffering animal is appropriate. It could be seen as a pre-emptive measure to prevent that from occuring.

Fair enough, I guess I should've included euthanasia also.

Even if people do get to that state where they can no longer live without being attached to machines, if death is what's wanted, simply withdrawing medical treatment (other than painkillers to make it a pain free death) would bring it about.
That's when this happens:
If you were found to be keeping a terminally ill dog in your house, in a state where it can no longer eat, drink and barely even blink, confused, scared, starving to death and dehydrated.... you would most likely be charged with animal cruelty.

Why then do we do it to our loved ones?"

Simple in theory, in truth it's one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever had to witness. It's far from easy or quick.