Current Events > Assisted dying/euthanasia. Your stance?

(+) Yeah! (+)

This comes about as my state in Australia today became the 5th state (out of 6 states and two territories) to approve it

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Im ok with it


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There is zero logical reason to oppose it. The person dying is choosing to end their own life, that's their choice.

I'm a bit less comfortable with any form of encouraging it, but it should be available to those who come to a decision on their own that it's what they want to do, and it should be legal for qualified professionals to assist them in doing so.

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It's a good thing, so to speak

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It should be an option for terminally ill patients who are suffering

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Trumble posted...

There is zero logical reason to oppose it. The person dying is choosing to end their own life, that's their choice.

This.

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I didnt give consent to be born.

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for, with an asterisk. you have to stay in the facility for a week before the end. during which time you'll have access to mental health professionals, clergy, family, lawyers, and anyone else that can help you make the best decisions possible.

no pressure allowed from the staff, just help.

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Medussa posted...

for, with an asterisk. you have to stay in the facility for a week before the end. during which time you'll have access to mental health professionals, clergy, family, lawyers, and anyone else that can help you make the best decisions possible.

no pressure allowed from the staff, just help.

this. i'm all for it if you've got a terminal illness or you're in extreme pain. but if you're suicidal and can be helped lets try that first.

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24-0, nice

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For. My mother died of renal failure on palliative care knowing that she would get further and further away from coherence and deeper and deeper into pain, being unconscious weeks before she was actually dead. I hate that she had to go through that. Nobody should have to if they don't want to.

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For, but patients should have a mental health consult first, with the exception of those suffering from terminal painful illness

Kanaya413 posted...

patients should have a mental health consult first

this is fucking horse shit tbh

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Ya

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We have legal assisted euthanasia here in Canada, as a health issue I'm sure the programs differ between all the provinces but even in a "liberal" province here in BC the requirements are fairly high, I imagine that there will be more bills over the next few decades widening the applicable scenarios.

I don't think that you can apply for assisted euthanasia in advance of dementia or something, which seems odd to me.

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DespondentDeity posted...

this is fucking horse shit tbh

Why?

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Definitely for it, since it's usually done by people who are terminally ill, anyway, and may already be in intense chronic pain.

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Every human deserves to go out with dignity on their own terms.

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I really don't understand why people would be against it.

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DespondentDeity posted...

this is fucking horse shit tbh

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Ive been extremely depressed and exhausted my whole life but Ive seen people in my situation make it out so I do think people should at least talk to a mental heal professional first

Imagine being hospitalised and in excruciating pain with no hope of recovery and being told to suck it up because you arent allowed to die

I think it's good. Too often people are told that they must fight and be brave as long as they can, even when it's clearly hopeless. And this doesn't just apply to people who are in physical pain. It should be ok to feel sad and it should be ok to not have the will to smile it away and it should be ok to be afraid and have doubt. That too is part of a healthy processing of your pain, I think. That doesn't mean we should encourage people to die of course but we shouldn't take away their choices either. After all, even just knowing that you have a choice is a powerful thing and it may be the factor that keeps you alive. To live because you choose to and not because you have to, that is the ideal human state.

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No if you're just depressed and want to die (ie, are suicidal as a result) you shouldn't be allowed to just kill yourself

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BloodMoon7 posted...

I think it's good. Too often people are told that they must fight and be brave as long as they can, even when it's clearly hopeless. And this doesn't just apply to people who are in physical pain. It should be ok to feel sad and it should be ok to not have the will to smile it away and it should be ok to be afraid and have doubt. That too is part of a healthy processing of your pain, I think. That doesn't mean we should encourage people to die of course but we shouldn't take away their choices either. After all, even just knowing that you have a choice is a powerful thing and it may be the factor that keeps you alive. To live because you choose to and not because you have to, that is the ideal human state.

Did you forget to change to your main? Because this is a level of what appears to be genuine sincerity and insight that I don't think I've ever seen before.

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BloodMoon7 posted...

I think it's good. Too often people are told that they must fight and be brave as long as they can, even when it's clearly hopeless. And this doesn't just apply to people who are in physical pain. It should be ok to feel sad and it should be ok to not have the will to smile it away and it should be ok to be afraid and have doubt. That too is part of a healthy processing of your pain, I think. That doesn't mean we should encourage people to die of course but we shouldn't take away their choices either. After all, even just knowing that you have a choice is a powerful thing and it may be the factor that keeps you alive. To live because you choose to and not because you have to, that is the ideal human state.

Im tired of being told Im strong and brave tbh
im really sick and weak lol.my faith keeps me here. I wont die but it doesnt change the fact that Ive been sick since childhood

IfGodCouldDie posted...

Did you forget to change to your main? Because this is a level of what appears to be genuine sincerity and insight that I don't think I've ever seen before.

No it's just something I wish someone would've told me and something I think everyone should hear. That it's ok if you can't anymore. It's ok. That's all, maybe later you will be able to pick yourself back up but right now, it's all right if you can't. You don't have to.

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Absolutely a right.

It's barbaric to mandate the suffering of another. People usually cite sanctity of life or Will of God, but I have a hard time believing that God would mandate a person suffer the later stages of cancer. Where's the logic in that? You're sent to Hell if you try and escape Hell?

I'm not knocking God or faith. But I'm saying that's a tyrannical interpretation of God's will if you think that He would desire them to endure ceaseless agony until life finally leaves them.

Perascamin posted...

No if you're just depressed and want to die (ie, are suicidal as a result) you shouldn't be allowed to just kill yourself

why not? What good does it do to remain alive against your will?

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Perascamin posted...

No if you're just depressed and want to die (ie, are suicidal as a result) you shouldn't be allowed to just kill yourself

No indeed, let them suffer instead. That's allowed.

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Im ok with it being a personal choice but I think there should be counseling first unless there is a lot of pain

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Is asking someone to put a bullet in your head euthanasia?

My reading of it is YES, save for all the fanciness and soap-opera-ness that what we usually associate with it

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DespondentDeity posted...

why not? What good does it do to remain alive against your will?

Pandamonic posted...

No indeed, let them suffer instead. That's allowed.

They cant understand if theyve never experienced it lol

For. Ive got some nasty shit that killed my step dad. I dont want to go that way but some things youve got to take in stride.

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Kanaya413 posted...

They cant understand if theyve never experienced it lol

Depression is a mental illness. Try getting it treated.

When you open up euthanasia for any, and, what if, whatever reason you're going into a territory of people killing themselves for no good reason.

"Oh no I broke my ankle severely and won't be able to walk for 1.5 years, guess I'll just kill myself"

"I'm really overwhelmed right now and I think I'm just gonna kill myself"

Ever seen Futurama with the suicide booths?

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I'm not for it but I don't think it should be a crime

Woozul posted...

Life doesn't have to be physically painful to be too painful to continue.

So you're saying people who are depressed should be eligible? Oh brother

Oh shit. I'm way out of the loop.

I think I saved a pro-euthanasia rant about this at one point because the thread I was posting to got locked before I had a chance to send it.

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yeah, for with medical conditions that will end in pain and slower death. no for suicidal athoughts

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The idea that we'd need permission from some bureaucratic processto off ourselves seems rather silly, and somewhat scary.

Perascamin posted...

Depression is a mental illness. Try getting it treated.

When you open up euthanasia for any, and, what if, whatever reason you're going into a territory of people killing themselves for no good reason.

"Oh no I broke my ankle severely and won't be able to walk for 1.5 years, guess I'll just kill myself"

"I'm really overwhelmed right now and I think I'm just gonna kill myself"

Ever seen Futurama with the suicide booths?

What is this slippery slope shit?

Euthanasia is a measure to preserve dignity and manage pain. If your brain is gonna deteriorate into mush and you're going to spend the rest of your radically diminished lifespan pissing and shitting yourself with reckless abandon, and you decide while you're still sound of mind that living like that is a fate that you consider being worse than death, there should be measures set into effect - such as a living will, an executor of your estate or a legal document that you update periodically to ensure its validity - that allows you to be put to rest in a way that preserves your dignity.

If you face an agonizing death at the hands of bone cancer, or if you fall into a coma that you're unlikely to ever wake up from, you should have options available to prevent the last month's of your life in complete fucking agony. That's what euthanasia is for.

There's always been pushback like "what if teenagers feel a little depressed? if euthanasia is legalised, it validates their desire to die! what if someone gets a nasty scar in a car crash and they want to die because they're ugly now?" - the concept of euthanasia is an extraordinary measure reserved for the people who need it. Whether it's an 89 year old with dementia, a middle-aged person who faces a significantly diminished lifespan and reduced quality of life due to a crippling accident or a 19 year old with advanced bone cancer. No medical professional is gonna sign off on a teenager with puberty blues, and to diminish the concept of euthanasia to "kids who are a little sad using it as an excuse to die" is an affront to the people whose only option is to live in agony or risk sending a family member to jail for doing the right thing and ending their misery.

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MrMallard posted...

I can't help but feel that a backlash to euthanasia is rooted in ignorance. All life is sacred, and what precedent do we set by allowing people to end their lives - so to uphold our sense of ethics and morality, we'll let disease ravage a person's body while they beg to die, or let a person descend into dementia while they beg to die before they forget themselves. That's better for everyone, you see, because letting people die is wrong and unethical :)

Nope. Just simple command and control.
Someone who doesn't trust you to live your life unsupervised as you see fit, sure as hell isn't going to allow you to die as you see fit.

MrMallard posted...

What is this slippery slope shit?

Euthanasia is a measure to preserve dignity and manage pain. If your brain is gonna deteriorate into mush and you're going to spend the rest of your radically diminished lifespan pissing and shitting yourself with reckless abandon, and you decide while you're still sound of mind that living like that is a fate that you consider being worse than death, there should be measures set into effect - such as a living will, an executor of your estate or a legal document that you update periodically to ensure its validity - that allows you to be put to rest in a way that preserves your dignity.

If you face an agonizing death at the hands of bone cancer, or if you fall into a coma that you're unlikely to ever wake up from, you should have options available to prevent the last months of your life wasting away in complete fucking agony. That's what euthanasia is for.

There's always been pushback like "what if teenagers feel a little depressed? if euthanasia is legalised, it validates their desire to die! what if someone gets a nasty scar in a car crash and they want to die because they're ugly now?" - the concept of euthanasia is an extraordinary measure reserved for the people who need it. Whether it's an 89 year old with dementia, a middle-aged person who faces a significantly diminished lifespan and reduced quality of life due to a crippling accident or a 19 year old with advanced bone cancer. No medical professional is gonna sign off on a teenager with puberty blues, and to diminish the concept of euthanasia to "kids who are a little sad using it as an excuse to die" is an affront to the people whose only option without euthanasia is to live in agony or risk sending a family member to jail for doing the right thing and ending their misery.

I can't help but feel that a backlash to euthanasia is rooted in ignorance. All life is sacred, and what precedent do we set by allowing people to end their lives - so to uphold our sense of ethics and morality, we'll let disease ravage a person's body while they beg to die, or let a person descend into dementia while they beg to die before they forget themselves. That's better for everyone, you see, because letting people die is wrong and unethical :)

I have no idea what you're trying to argue here. My entire stance is that euthanasia should not be available to people who are depressed and facing suicidal thoughts; i.e. a mental illness.

It also shouldn't be available to people facing temporary setbacks or who feel overwhelmed by life. The extreme examples such as currently incurable disease or incredibly deteriorated health to the point where you can do nothing on your own are situations where it could be acceptable.

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In cases of Suicide attempts, over 90% of people who failed never attempt suicide again. The motivation for rash suicidal decision is very much crisis driven.

So with a mandatory abeyance & psychiatric counseling, you can get most people considering euthanasia to change their minds. For those who are determined to go through with it, you should let them.


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Kanaya413 posted...

They cant understand if theyve never experienced it lol

I suffer from sever depression and there are days when I wish I could and I have made attempts on my own life in the past. Most days I am actually glad that it isn't easy to just end it. So I would have to take the stance that I agree it shouldn't be as easy as just going into a suicide booth and being done with it.

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As long as it is well documented that it is their wish, and not just some nut job murdering them because they think it is for the best or was what they truly wanted.

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Should be an option for people but it should be tightly regulated. If everyone who has suicidal thoughts could get it done easy we would lose like half the population. Honestly though it should be an option for people who suffer from chronic pain where keeping them alive is inhumane.

There's a lot worse things than death. My dad wanted to die when his diagnosis have him a few months tops to live, so he wouldn't put us in debt. He didn't want to suffer either though.

But he got literally nothing he wanted in that situation. I'm for it personally, as long as it's properly cleared by medical and/or psych.

IfGodCouldDie posted...

I suffer from sever depression and there are days when I wish I could and I have made attempts on my own life in the past. Most days I am actually glad that it isn't easy to just end it. So I would have to take the stance that I agree it shouldn't be as easy as just going into a suicide booth and being done with it.

Oh dont worry I agree that their should be an evaluation
like I said before Ive seen people at their absolute worst have wonderful lives now
but not everyone is that lucky unfortunately