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Euthanasia for the use of humans.

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  • Total voters
    29
I like the idea of letting someone die with dignity. I think it's rather impertinent of government to believe it has a say in it.

I don't see why government has to fund it. You should be able to look up a "Euthanasia Consultant" in the yellow pages and pay for it yourself.
 
It should be up to the patient regardless, they shouldn't have to justify their desire to die to anyone for any reason.
I disagree, it's not that easy, we all have loved ones and other obligations that must be honored.
 
I disagree, it's not that easy, we all have loved ones and other obligations that must be honored.

Why isn't it that easy? Why is it any of your business if someone else wants to off themselves? Since when did you control someone else's life?
 
In theory, people should be allowed to chose to die under certain circumstances, and certain people should be put to death under certain circumstances. As always, in practice it can get less clear.
 
It should be up to the patient regardless, they shouldn't have to justify their desire to die to anyone for any reason.
Sometimes mental illness can cause people to have inappropriate desires which can include self-destruction. I don't think that an otherwise healthy young person should be "allowed" to end their life.
 
I'd never ask someone who loved me. Seems like a terrible memory to leave them with.

I held my father's hand while he died. If there was anything I could have done to ease his passing, I'd have done so without a moment's hesitation.
 
What's to botch? Kill them. If they don't die, kill them again until you get it right. When the time comes, I would prefer that it come by the hand of friends instead of strangers.

Well, if the whole point of killing yourself was to avoid a much more painful death down the road (say from cancer or something), then if whoever is doing it screws something up and makes it very painful for you, I'd consider that botched.
 
I'd never ask someone who loved me. Seems like a terrible memory to leave them with.
I held my father's hand while he died. If there was anything I could have done to ease his passing, I'd have done so without a moment's hesitation.
I understand both your points. I could never ask someone close to me to do it, but I also understand wanting to be there for someone close to me, if that makes sense. Now, even though I wouldn't ask, it would be of great comfort to me if someone did stay with me and "help" or just comfort me emotionally.
 
I would support allowing people access to euthanasia if they had a terminal illness and were in a lot of pain, or if they were going to spend the next 25+ years in prison. But the person would have to be of sound mind to make that decision for themselves, and I think I would want a judge to sign off on it to ensure that there was no coercion involved.
 
What about the coercion involved in forcing them to survive?
 
What about the coercion involved in forcing them to survive?

Seriously. How cruel is that? We have the common decency to kill a horse when it's mortally wounded. Why can't we permit this for humans?
 
Seriously. How cruel is that? We have the common decency to kill a horse when it's mortally wounded. Why can't we permit this for humans?

This is a valid concern, Eagle, but so is Kandahar's.
 
Well, if the whole point of killing yourself was to avoid a much more painful death down the road (say from cancer or something), then if whoever is doing it screws something up and makes it very painful for you, I'd consider that botched.

Well, we can't ask the dead what dying was like, but I'm sure there're a few vets who have failed at euthanasia the first time and had to reapply. My guess is, there's very little pain involved....certainly nothing on the scale of taking months to die in agony.
 
I held my father's hand while he died. If there was anything I could have done to ease his passing, I'd have done so without a moment's hesitation.

I'd love this, but if I don't get because my kid isn't up to it, I'd never dream of pressuring her about it.
 
This is a valid concern, Eagle, but so is Kandahar's.

True. It would be important that the person intending to die isn't tricked into it, and that the person really is, "mortally wounded."
 
If people want to die they should be able to, especially if they're in a painful situation.
Then why not spend the money on making their lives less painful. Give them all the painkillers they need, work on pain to conquer that, work on being kinder to one another for the several other reasons people want to die, like depression and loneliness. Why are we in such a hurry to legalize killing rather than making living the better option?
 
Then why not spend the money on making their lives less painful. Give them all the painkillers they need, work on pain to conquer that, work on being kinder to one another for the several other reasons people want to die, like depression and loneliness. Why are we in such a hurry to legalize killing rather than making living the better option?

These are not mutually exclusive goals, Petaluna.
 
There ya go, thats what makes the entire argument kind of moot...anyone can end their life at the time of their choosing basically....the only question is should the law allow them to be assisted in achieving their goal.

Yes, it should... and this is why. Although people do indeed have the ability to kill themselves, they usually do not have the means to do so cleanly, quickly and with dignity.

Everyone here knows my story, so I'll use myself as an example again. I am dying. My lungs are failing, and I will not put myself on the transplant list because I couldn't live with the thought of taking organs that a younger person, one who has a longer life prospect and perhaps dependent children, might need. So I will die. Thanks to the government making laws restricting my right to end my life, suicide is illegal. Therefore, if anyone helps me die a quiet, dignified death, they will be charged and imprisoned. So I am left to my own devices.

Here is what I must consider: When to do it? I'm already deeply restricted in what activity I can do and my mobility is limited. Still, I'm able to chat on the computer, play video games, talk to my children over the phone (or more honestly, listen to them chat because talking does literally take my breath away). I might be able to do these things for another couple of years. I may not. However, if I wait until I am unable to do any of these things, I will also be unable to commit suicide with any of the options the government has charitably left me: Blow out my brains and let my husband clean up the mess, hang myself so he can find my blue and bloated body, or drink anti-freeze and die a lingering, agonizing death.

Tell me, where is the dignity I deserve? Why should I not have the right to squeeze every minute of life out, until I'm bedridden, gasping and asking for help to end the misery? I do not have the right simply because this society denies me that right, forces me to accept a lingering, painful "natural" death or commit a bloody, violent suicide months, perhaps years, earlier than I otherwise would have simply because I can't take the chance that I will wake up some day physically unable to do so.

I want my loved ones to be able to make the choice for me that I can no longer make for myself, and I want my doctor to be able to supply them with the means to do so peacefully and painlessly. That doesn't make me selfish; it makes me human.
 
Then why not spend the money on making their lives less painful. Give them all the painkillers they need, work on pain to conquer that, work on being kinder to one another for the several other reasons people want to die, like depression and loneliness. Why are we in such a hurry to legalize killing rather than making living the better option?

Painkillers will not help someone whose lungs are failing, and who will spend months bedridden, body wracked with every painic-stricken, wheezing gasp. You can't just give everyone a shot of morphine and make it all better... not unless it's a damned big shot of morphine, which is all I'm asking for.
 
Are people really wanting to, what, force doctors to kill people?
 
The other day, there was a passing in my town, where it was made obvious in the obituary that the deceased chose this route, to die surrounded by family and loved ones, laughing and joking until the end. That is so much better to me, than the death my uncle suffered. Alone in the middle of the night, because his family had gone home to rest that evening.
I'd just as soon skip the last trip to the hospital--but not the second to last one.
 
Are people really wanting to, what, force doctors to kill people?

Not exactly. But lay people have no legal access to deadly drugs in the US, at least painless ones, without a prescription.

There's a bigger controversy over such things as removing a feeding tube once it's been inserted, etc. I don't think anyone here is insensitive to the ethics of medical people.
 
"Force," is completely the wrong word. "Dignity," for the dying is more appropriate.

No? You're not arguing that doctors be compelled to end someone's life?

Not exactly. But lay people have no legal access to deadly drugs in the US, at least painless ones, without a prescription.

There's a bigger controversy over such things as removing a feeding tube once it's been inserted, etc. I don't think anyone here is insensitive to the ethics of medical people.

Well, I'll be honest, I haven't read every post in this thread. The ones I've seen so far have not even considered the beliefs and/or morals of medical care providers.
 
No? You're not arguing that doctors be compelled to end someone's life?



Well, I'll be honest, I haven't read every post in this thread. The ones I've seen so far have not even considered the beliefs and/or morals of medical care providers.

I do urge you to read the posts in this thread.
 
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