Assisted suicide?

[Greenapple968]

We've debates about Capital Punishment and abortions and now it's time to share our views on assisted suicide.

I personally think it should be legal but limited in its use. If you're completely paralysed and will be for the rest of your life and want to end it, then I think it should be allowed.

Opinions?

[MiCkiZ88]

It should be allowed, but it has to be clear that the person in question (not the hospital or greedy family) wants it themselves.

I for one do not want to be killed for being in a coma. A lot of hospitals here almost force the families to kill their relatives if they are too old to be in a coma and serve no purpose for the society anymore. Tis a pity.

[Dennis's Mom]

It's a very touchy thing though. What if one is so ill one cannot communicate clearly to people one's wishes, but one's spouse has heard all one's life "you don't want to live like that!"

Is a series of longing looks for death enough to warrant a spouse assisting death in a court of law? Or is it murder?

The problem is clarity of expressing one's wish to die.

[xXhayleyroxXx]

I personally think it should be legal but limited in its use. If you're completely paralysed and will be for the rest of your life and want to end it, then I think it should be allowed.

I agree with this. I see it the same way as putting one of my pets to sleep -- if they have no quality of life, can't eat, deficate, urinate, are in pain or are perhaps paralysed then I agree with it and think it should be allowed under certain circumstances. However, it has the potential to be abused.

[Another Lara]

I think it should be legal, but under the strictest of laws to make sure it is not abused.

[moodydog]

I would try and make them as comfortable as possible. The only time when I would consider ending the life of... is in self defence.

[patriots88888]

Should my feelings towards it be any different to how I feel about suicide in general? I don't believe so... and I can't say that I'm for it in any circumstance(s).

[Cochrane]

I think a persons right to choose their own life includes the right to end it, too. And helping others do so should not be a crime. But this only applies under the strictest circumstances, where you can be sure that the person in question wants that. And if there is a realistic chance of the situation improving, then I think doctors and others have a certain moral duty to try and stop such a suicide.

I'd like to point out that this is not just relevant for cases where people are in a coma or similar. A common case are cancer patients, who may still be able to walk, talk, sometimes travel great distances, but who can expect a very long and painful death in a short time frame. Many people from countries where assisted suicide in such cases is not allowed (either by the government or by doctor's professional standards) travel to others where it is allowed (e.g. Switzerland) for the express purpose of killing themselves. I can't imagine me ever doing that, but I wouldn't want to deny others the right to do so.

[patriots88888]

I'd like to point out that this is not just relevant for cases where people are in a coma or similar. A common case are cancer patients, who may still be able to walk, talk, sometimes travel great distances, but who can expect a very long and painful death in a short time frame. Many people from countries where assisted suicide in such cases is not allowed (either by the government or by doctor's professional standards) travel to others where it is allowed (e.g. Switzerland) for the express purpose of killing themselves. I can't imagine me ever doing that, but I wouldn't want to deny others the right to do so.

If there are those who are capable of all that, then why the need for assistance? Why not just do the deed themselves without anyone elses participation? I get the impression that some might see it as a way of cheating (the act of suicide)? By having that 'assistance', is it actually suicide? *food for thought because I'm not so sure*

[GeekOfComedy]

Different circumstances, like if someone is going to die anyway like Cancer they don't have to suffer the tougher phase or die without their dignity and the same applies if like someone was paralyzed from the neck down. If they don't want to live that way and no one can blame them. They deserve to be "Comfortable"

[Dark Lugia 2]

It should be legal but it needs a very structured system. The only thing I can think of that comes to mind is when transgendered people want to undergo operations, they have to go through some stages and have a counsellor confirm it is what they want (I think). But for Euthanasia is should be a system that doesn't take too long, the longer you wait the more pain the person in question is in. Its sounds like a difficult system to put into place.

[Alpharaider47]

In this case I think it should be up to the person themselves or whoever is in charge of their medical care. That said, it shouldn't be something that's a first resort, rather something considered in circumstances where the person in question is either in extreme pain, or confined to a life in a hospital/attached to machinery to live.

Unless we can get some serious cybernetics involved :p

[Blackmoor]

I have this awful conviction that one day we'll be able to buy "assisted suicide" packs off the shelf from Tescos.

Our politics (and consequently social conditioning on acceptability) will change as the demographics make it no longer viable to support an aged population of infirm, or suffering declining mental health (alzheimer's, etc), people.

In places like Boots, there'll be "drop-in" assisted death centres.

...

I don't think assisted suicide is wrong. I think it's open to abuse though for all the obvious reasons.

I also think it's sad (I watched a documentary with author Terry Pratchett, where he visited and filmed a person undergoing assisted suicide at a Swiss facility and it cut my heart right through). But death is sad mostly anyway. :(

And...I think - necessity is the mother of all social morality. One day, it'll be available to us all in some shape or form.

[Shark_Blade]

It should be allowed, but it has to be clear that the person in question (not the hospital or greedy family) wants it themselves.

I for one do not want to be killed for being in a coma. A lot of hospitals here almost force the families to kill their relatives if they are too old to be in a coma and serve no purpose for the society anymore. Tis a pity.
I always wonder about cases like this. Does that count as murder?

[Ward Dragon]

If the person is in a lot of pain and has a short life expectancy, then I don't see anything wrong with suicide. The only issue is making sure that it's what the person actually wanted. It would be too easy after the fact to claim it was assisted suicide, so I guess there would have to be some kind of confirmation (like a psychological evaluation, a written document, or something like that to make it clear it was what the person wanted).

[Melonie Tomb Raider]

I'm against it in any case. If someone wants to commit suicide they are probably capable of doing it on their own. When someone kills themselves it's terribly sad, but when they have assistance doing it, that's just absurd.

[Diablo_Rosso]

I think that if a person wants to die, then they should be allowed to.

[Melonie Tomb Raider]

I think that if a person wants to die, then they should be allowed to.

If a person wants to die, they don't need someone else to kill them, really.

Assisted suicide is a big mess waiting to happen. Just because someone says they want to die doesn't mean they really want to. What if a "friend" or family member put them up to saying it? What if they convinced them? How many people who say they are going to kill themselves actually do it?

Honestly, when it comes to suicide, you really don't need help unless there are unusual physical limitations. Even then, I don't find it right.

[Blackmoor]

^You don't think that some of the methods of suicide are quite horrible - painful, etc? And that assisted suicide can bring with it an easier, less horrible way to die?

I think most of us are thinking of assisted suicide in terms of medical people or similar helping, not just having someone do the deed for you. They have access to medications, etc that aren't readily available to just anyone (in the UK anyway).

And some people (ie, paralysed from the neck down) are incapable of killing themselves anyway.

[Diablo_Rosso]

Some people choose to die because they have medical conditions which can deteriorate and leave them unable to do anything so instead of ending up like that, and being a burden on their family, they choose to end their lives.

[patriots88888]

Some people choose to die because they have medical conditions which can deteriorate and leave them unable to do anything so instead of ending up like that, and being a burden on their family, they choose to end their lives.

That certainly sounds well and good but what about troubled teens who can at times feel the same way (that they are a burden on their family and their life doesn't have much/any worth)? That's probably going to sound preachy, but my point is: Is there any specific age requirement/medical condition(s) in order to receive this 'assistance'? As Melonie pointed out, I don't like the idea of it because it opens too many doors for what conditions should be/should not be rightfully considered in its practice.

[Draco]

Jack Kevorkian and I agree 100% on the subject.

[Ward Dragon]

That certainly sounds well and good but what about troubled teens who can at times feel the same way (that they are a burden on their family and their life doesn't have much/any worth)? That's probably going to sound preachy, but my point is: Is there any specific age requirement/medical condition(s) in order to receive this 'assistance'?

Being depressed is different from considering suicide as a result of a terminal illness. I've only ever heard assisted suicide discussed in the context of terminally ill people who want to die a little earlier than predicted in order to avoid the pain of dying from their illness.

[patriots88888]

Being depressed is different from considering suicide as a result of a terminal illness. I've only ever heard assisted suicide discussed in the context of terminally ill people who want to die a little earlier than predicted in order to avoid the pain of dying from their illness.

Yes, but my point is: Who makes the 'rules' on who is allowed to receive this assistance? Is it regulated in any way? As I said (hinted at) earlier, I could definitely see why some would want this as a means of cheating the act of suicide... and what I mean by that is, it's not suicide if someone else other than yourself is pumping you full of lethal toxins (or whatever other means that's used to go about it). I don't know much about it (assisted suicide) but I do know it certainly has the potential of being abused.

[Paddy]

If a person wants to die, they don't need someone else to kill them, really.

Assisted suicide is a big mess waiting to happen. Just because someone says they want to die doesn't mean they really want to. What if a "friend" or family member put them up to saying it? What if they convinced them? How many people who say they are going to kill themselves actually do it?

Honestly, when it comes to suicide, you really don't need help unless there are unusual physical limitations. Even then, I don't find it right.

Some might physically be unable to do it themselves though that's the point. :p
I think your argument has merit but I wouldn't assume things when it comes to whether someone would actually go through with suicide, as no one but them knows their own mindset.

[Ward Dragon]

Yes, but my point is: Who makes the 'rules' on who is allowed to receive this assistance? Is it regulated in any way? As I said (hinted at) earlier, I could definitely see why some would want this as a means of cheating the act of suicide... and what I mean by that is, it's not suicide if someone else other than yourself is pumping you full of lethal toxins (or whatever other means that's used to go about it). I don't know much about it (assisted suicide) but I do know it certainly has the potential of being abused.

Yes, there would have to be regulations on it. Like it could only be for terminally ill people with a prognosis of less than a year left and slim-to-none hope for recovery (or something along those lines). And of course it would have to be in writing and/or on videotape that the person is requesting assisted suicide.

As for the potential for abuse, that's true of anything. Look at the Terri Shiavo case for example. Assisted suicide is illegal, but apparently it's perfectly fine to let the woman starve to death over several days. That wasn't just pulling the plug to stop a machine from breathing for her or beating her heart (which would let the person die very quickly). Pulling the feeding tube was literally forcing her to starve to death painfully over a relatively long period of time. They should have either let her live or given her painkillers to die quickly. This in-between measure of starving her to death was cruel and dishonest, pretending that starving to death is "natural causes" so that they wouldn't have to admit that they killed her.

That kind of **** will happen no matter what is legal or illegal. There will always be someone who bends the rules for a twisted purpose. We should attempt to limit things like that from happening as much as possible, but extreme cases like that should not be the basis for determining everyone's rights.

[Dennis's Mom]

Assisted suicide was a theme on House. Olive Wilde's character, Thirteen, had Huntington's disease. Video explaining the disease here.
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It seems by the time the disease becomes intolerable, the ability to commit suicide successfully is lost. So it's either kill yourself while your still healthy enough to be successful or get someone to help.

[robm_2007]

I think what Clint Eastwood did to Hillary Swank In Million Dollar Baby is a scenario that I would support. I mean, I'm not a fan of suicide, in general, but I think that when you no longer want to live, and nothing is going to get better, then it might be good to end your misery, rather than being a prisoner in your own body. I think they should have to go through some therapy first, just to make sure that they are certain that they want to die.

[Melonie Tomb Raider]

I'm with Patriots on this one. Allowing assisted suicide would open up a big can of worms and do way more harm than good. If someone is suffering a physical illness and do not wish to live, it's very sad, but I don't think allowing other people to kill them is the answer. Life sucks, and there is no remedy for that. Some people think they want to die at some points in their lives, then realize later that they are glad they didn't. People have miraculously recovered from severe illnesses as well. It's not worth the risk, and it opens WAY too many doors for shady behavior.

Even if one innocent person dies from this, it's not worth it, and frankly, I'd have a hard time believing that this practice would go through 100% ethnically. I just don't find it right to take someone's life unless they are a severe threat to society. If people want to take their own lives it's sad, but they have that option. However, I don't think anyone should be allowed to take someone's life just because they asked.

[Draco]

I'm with Patriots on this one. Allowing assisted suicide would open up a big can of worms and do way more harm than good. If someone is suffering a physical illness and do not wish to live, it's very sad, but I don't think allowing other people to kill them is the answer. Life sucks, and there is no remedy for that. Some people think they want to die at some points in their lives, then realize later that they are glad they didn't. People have miraculously recovered from severe illnesses as well. It's not worth the risk, and it opens WAY too many doors for shady behavior.

Even if one innocent person dies from this, it's not worth it, and frankly, I'd have a hard time believing that this practice would go through 100% ethnically. I just don't find it right to take someone's life unless they are a severe threat to society. If people want to take their own lives it's sad, but they have that option. However, I don't think anyone should be allowed to take someone's life just because they asked.

Who are you to make such a decision for someone else though?