What do you all think about Euthanasia?

[chickened]

PAS is for the dying.

Why bring criminals into the discussion? Talking about physician aided suicide does not open up any windows for convicted prisoners to opt out. If a convicted prisoner wanted to kill themselves, I'm sure there are plenty of ways to do so.

This discussion is about terminally and chronically ill people, who might not be able to end their lives without assistance.

As I mentioned, good pain management and counseling have been shown to reduce suicidal thoughts in those with severe illness. This option should always come before anyone can opt into PAS. And the whole point of DNRs, Living Wills, and Powers of Attorney are to insure that end of life decisions are made in the way the dying person would choose.

In terms of the mentally ill, mentally incompetent, etc, they cannot make that decision for themselves. Allowing someone else to make that choice is indeed murder, unless the choice has already been made by the afflicted person. That means that some one in a persistent vegetative state who can no longer make their own choices, but has a living will and a PoA would be allowed to do as they previously have chosen, and die as they prefer. It also means that the state cannot order mentally retarded children to have treatment withheld, or the incompetent elderly to be "suicided".

This is a legal issue. We shouldn't be basing our laws on anyone's religious views; Christian, Neo-Nazi psuedo-Christian, Hindu or Moslem.

Then what should we base it on? a person's opinion? their guess? a relative method? the government ? or just ask the people in the same fashion as asking what they want for dinner? All law comes from a base of a higher power.

 

[chickened]

Yes for animals,
No for humans.

For the same reasons as others have stated.

I agree, we neuter and spay our pets... should we do the same to our loved ones? especially the ones that should not reproduce.

 

[bruceh]

i had a very close friend of for over 25 years die from cancer. in the last month of his life he called me and asked me to take care of him in his end stages of life. this to me is what i call friendship. the last 2 weeks of his life, by the direction of hospice home nurses, i put him in drugged coma. basically overdosing of morphine . if were totally up to me i
would have overdosed him fully. his family asked me not to. i would have no problem with it. be- leave me it would have been a mercy kill. judge if you will but until you have seen a persons skin fall off and leave open wounds showing muscle and smell the rotting flesh, do not judge.
for the g-d fearing people. nothing wrong with that. however even g-d had angels.my biggest sorrow was letting him suffer that way. i watched a once vibrant human being with a zest for life.go from full of life to dwindling down to less than nothing.
you tell me the correct answer.

 

[chickened]

i had a very close friend of for over 25 years die from cancer. in the last month of his life he called me and asked me to take care of him in his end stages of life. this to me is what i call friendship. the last 2 weeks of his life, by the direction of hospice home nurses, i put him in drugged coma. basically overdosing of morphine . if were totally up to me i
would have overdosed him fully. his family asked me not to. i would have no problem with it. be- leave me it would have been a mercy kill. judge if you will but until you have seen a persons skin fall off and leave open wounds showing muscle and smell the rotting flesh, do not judge.
for the g-d fearing people. nothing wrong with that. however even g-d had angels.my biggest sorrow was letting him suffer that way. i watched a once vibrant human being with a zest for life.go from full of life to dwindling down to less than nothing.
you tell me the correct answer.

I assume you are not typing from a jail cell... somethings are best left alone when they work just fine. People have been doing what you did for centuries and it still is done without a law saying it is OK to do so. PAS is not something the Government need be concerned about either way.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

I can't quote on this device, but as for the spay and neuter remark, the topic is about voluntary euthanasia. Trying to make a comparison to forced procedures is misleading at best.

Also of note, voluntary tube tying and sexual organ removals are indeed legal. You don't even have to do them yourself.

 

[MamaBear46]

well said punk!

Also it seems that people are forgetting that topic is of voluntary death versus forced life.....to me its a choice of to die quickly(and hopefully painlessly) and with diginty or to be forced to live .....my choice ... assisted suicide just makes sure i dont screw it up or helps me if I can't do it for some reason.... I also had a question when the person serveral comments back made a comment about prisoners being paid to die sooner.....if PAS law were to be approved would it be right to exclude anyone?

 

[PaulaSB12]

Before the Dutch version of euthanasia I was pro after I am totally against it it is believed that half of the people being killed are being killed against their will.


http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/se...-misses-stories-on-do-not-euthanize-me-cards/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1518583.stm
When elderly peole are being made scared to go into hospital because they don't want to come out in a coffin doctors have been given too much power.

 

[thaiturkey]

PAS is for the dying.

Why bring criminals into the discussion? Talking about physician aided suicide does not open up any windows for convicted prisoners to opt out. If a convicted prisoner wanted to kill themselves, I'm sure there are plenty of ways to do so.

This discussion is about terminally and chronically ill people, who might not be able to end their lives without assistance.

As I mentioned, good pain management and counseling have been shown to reduce suicidal thoughts in those with severe illness. This option should always come before anyone can opt into PAS. And the whole point of DNRs, Living Wills, and Powers of Attorney are to insure that end of life decisions are made in the way the dying person would choose.

In terms of the mentally ill, mentally incompetent, etc, they cannot make that decision for themselves. Allowing someone else to make that choice is indeed murder, unless the choice has already been made by the afflicted person. That means that some one in a persistent vegetative state who can no longer make their own choices, but has a living will and a PoA would be allowed to do as they previously have chosen, and die as they prefer. It also means that the state cannot order mentally retarded children to have treatment withheld, or the incompetent elderly to be "suicided".

This is a legal issue. We shouldn't be basing our laws on anyone's religious views; Christian, Neo-Nazi psuedo-Christian, Hindu or Moslem.

Another

on the subject, Mom'sfolly.

This topic is about people who would end their lives if they could but the very reason for their wish prevents them from doing so. In most countries, suicide is not illegal but helping someone to die is. That is the dilemma and, like it or not, it is a legal issue not just a moral one. It's not about tightened the law but relaxing or changing it. Whatever our personal views, it's not an easy decision for governments to take and I as an individual have mixed views on it.

I don't accept either that an individual's interpretation of what his 'god' would have us do has any bearing on laws that affect a whole secular community. If a god's part in this is to be examined it would be better to ask how he or she could abandon people who have lived a full and useful life to die helplessly, slowly, painfully and without dignity. If there is any creed worthy of respect, it's one that is compassionate rather than a set of fixed rules, dogma and platitudes. Often it is the self-appointed moralists of those creeds, religious or otherwise, who dehumanise them and that's a great pity.

 

[jak2002003]

A true Christian puts thier trust in the Lord which includes life AND death.

One more time... PAS is for the living not the dying they are dead already.

One thing about dying and knowing it is most people do think about God regardless of thier former thoughts. Most doctors will not kill thier patients.

If that is the case they would you argue that a true Christian should never go to a hospital?

They should just put their faith in God to heal them. It would then be wrong to even have an operation, dental work or a vaccination. Where do you draw the line? Some Christian denominations think its wrong to get a blood transfusion on these grounds.

The issue here is people should be allowed the choice. If you don't agree with it yourself, then you can choose not to do it.

 

[mom'sfolly]

If we base our laws on "God's Laws" we are in for some very strange times. "God's Law's" vary with every religion and belief system, and even vary within a greater grouping of religion. Sunnis and Shia can't agree to the same "God's Laws", neither can Catholic and Protestant Christians or Orthodox and Reform Jews. Even within Protestant groups people can't agree. The Episcopal Church allows gay marriage and ordains gays, the Southern Baptist Church says that gay marriage is against God, and that practicing gays are activiely sinning.

Most people who promote using "God's Laws" for a country's laws are usually only interested using their particular interpretation of God.