Assisted Suicide: What Do YOU Think?

[Mercury]

i saw my dad go from an extremely fit 73 year old to a shell,at 73 he was still working,a skilled man at that

lung cancer and bowel cancer was the problem,i saw his mind go,i saw his weight go....he was stick thin....i saw his dignity go because he couldn't even go to the toilet on his own,thats no life for a man such as my dad

i saw them continually drain his lungs to keep a shell alive,i saw the morphine go in..it had to stop.....losing my dad changed my life,but it had to happen for him....we stopped them draining his lungs etc,he finally went at around 6pm on the thursday night...not a good time...i was totally broken,i shouldn't have seen that happen to my dad,but it had to happen for his sake,he's not in pain now,hes at rest

less of the b/s suicide talk please,unless you've been there you dont know

I'm sorry you had to go through that!

My statement stated that it is great of the individual to choose what to do with their life. Some think poorly against it ... some are totally for it.

When I said that if a person is unable to speak ... then its a bit more complicated ... that's true. Do I think that the Government should tell people that they can't make the difficult decision that you did? Not at all! I think it is up to the individual.

Been down the road myself ...

 

[Mercury]

She had Alzheimer's. The family says he acted "out of deep devotion and profound love" and I can see that POV.

It is easy for me to imagine doing the same thing.

Health | Man who wrote poignant essay about Alzheimer's kills wife, self | Seattle Times Newspaper

Ughh ... Alzheimer's is such a debilitating disease.

 

[MainerMikeBrown]

It's darned if you do, darned if you don't. Allowing assisted suicide increases the chance that some will die against their will. However, by not allowing it, people suffer, and their's no point to their suffering.

 

[36gamer]

Hey, I wrote a paper on this a couple months ago. I don't feel like typing a whole lot right now as I am about to go off to sleep, so I will sum up my opinion. I think in the right circumstances it can be acceptable, but only in the cases where it's the patient's wish. However I think if assisted suicide was allowed it could easily lead to abuse of the rule and take our society down the wrong track. So I am not really for it.

 

[rback33]

Hey, I wrote a paper on this a couple months ago. I don't feel like typing a whole lot right now as I am about to go off to sleep, so I will sum up my opinion. I think in the right circumstances it can be acceptable, but only in the cases where it's the patient's wish. However I think if assisted suicide was allowed it could easily lead to abuse of the rule and take our society down the wrong track. So I am not really for it.

I wrote a paper on this too.... about 20 years ago lol.... I also agree with your summation.

Sent from my DROID PRO

 

[Baileys No Ice]

Kia Ora (Greetings) I'm a newbie here and came across this topic while browsing. It's one I have a strong interest in, have done a bit of reading on, enjoyed many discussions about with friends and colleagues and as a result, I don't think there's ever going to be an absolute answer or solution.
I haven't read all the replies...that will have to wait...but I'll be following it with interest and throwing in my opinions when I can.

 

[Baileys No Ice]

I think it should be legal, and in a way it already is. It may depend on what hospice your loved one is in, but with both my Mammaw and Pappaw they didn't set any cap on the pain medication (both died from cancer) so they likely both OD'd on pain medicine rather than suffering for weeks on end. That's pretty much the point of hospice is to ease the suffering of those who are near death.

Hospices are good places. Any pain med is given with the intent of relieving the pain, not to knock people off. These pain meds do have known side effects which can hasten death (in a person who is already dying) but the choice is to either leave them suffering or try to relieve their pain. And who wants that? Certainly not the person in pain or those who are watching them suffer.

 

[Baileys No Ice]

Although I dont agree with assisted suicide as such, I do believe that any person has the right to decline any medical treatment, as long as they are clearly informed of the consequences of their decision.

A lot of unnecessary treatments and interventions take place these days that are of no benefit for the person being treated, especially if that person has an end-stage or terminal disease. In fact, these treatments and interventions can cause harm and create a greater burden, by inflicting more pain and distress - and false hope - when whatever time the person has left could be spent doing whatever it is that the person wants to do, whether it be a 'bucket list' or simply saying their goodbyes to family and friends and pets, or arranging their own funeral or making sure that those left behind will not be burdened financially...whatever it is that they want to get sorted before they die.


Advanced Directives/Living Wills do hold some sway in some countries and health systems. If these were put in place and acknowledged by the medical profession, the legal system and by the families of those who have them written up, then that may go some way towards solving the issue of assisted suicide.