General Chat

do you agree with assisted suicide

and would you help a loved one to die

Yes I do agree...as long as there are safeguards put in place so that there is proof that it's the persons wish and there's no one coercing them into doing it. (not sure how you'd do that)

And YES I would help a loved one without a doubt x

yes to both questions.

Yes I do

yes I would help if I believed they were fully uware of what they were asking for and that they were aware of what they were asking of me......

easier said then done maybe?? What would you do if you saw a loved one dying of pain and they couldn't talk /communicate in any shape or form and they were a vegetable.???

(1) Yes, in principle.

(2) Oooh, not sure. Don't know that I would be strong enough ... I would hope so.

Jill

I dont think it should have to come down to family or loved ones having to assist.
Dr's should be allowed to end someones life if it is so bad that nothing can be done and end suffering.
I would like to think my family didnt have to stand back and watch me wither away in agony.

I dont know if I could /would and I hope I never have to even think about it.

Getting my cat put to sleep was enough for me lol


Marion

Marion, but think of Harold Shipman,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Edit...........me too hun with my Tanisha,,,,,,,,,broke my heart......our cats and doggies are so precious...

There was a comment on the radio today by the lady who has been campaigning Debbie Purdy, to the effect that several people who have gone to Switzerland to die, could have had longer with their families, but had to choose to go while they were still 'able' .

Whirley...I dont mean one Dr. If it is decided by say 2 or three that no more can be done and that family have agreed etc.
I'd gladly sign to say yes go ahead and 'help' me if the time comes.

yes in principle,

but defo tihngs need to be in place, there is people out there who would do it for money regardess of it being family, so how would they monitor it???

could i help a loved one die, hmmm i dont think so depends on how much they had annoyed me, no seriously, i dont think i could.

To me there is no simple answer to this one. But I am in agreement in principle with the guidelines given today.

I don't know what I would feel if I were in that position, and as things are now, it's really not for me to decide what's right or wrong.

I DO know, that I could not assist a loved one to die.

It is heart wrenching to think they could have lived their lives for longer, if their was a law in place to say that their loved ones would not have been prosecuted for assisted suicide.......hence, them going early.....so sad...

uch what a topic,

yes I do and as hard as it would be I hope yes to the second question

Rose yes thats right you have to get there on your own.
I suppose there is alway's doubt as to ' Is there really no more that can be done' to think about.


Marion

I'm with Muffy -- and yes, it's possible to have public safeguards to make sure that people aren't being "assisted" to die by other people whose eyes are on their inheritance. ;)

Requiring that a doctor be involved is one way to do that -- or better, two doctors.


http://www.assistedsuicide.org/suicide_laws.html

The only four places that today openly and legally, authorize active assistance in dying of patients, are:

1. Oregon (since l997, physician-assisted suicide only);
2. Switzerland (1941, physician and non-physician assisted suicide only);
3. Belgium (2002, permits 'euthanasia' but does not define the method;
4. Netherlands (voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide lawful since April 2002 but permitted by the courts since l984).

Two doctors must be involved in Oregon, Belgium, and the Netherlands, plus a psychologist if there are doubts about the patient's competency. But that is not stipulated in Switzerland, although at least one doctor usually is because the right-to-die societies insist on medical certification of a hopeless or terminal condition before handing out the lethal drugs.

The Netherlands permits voluntary euthanasia as well as physician-assisted suicide, while both Oregon and Switzerland bar death by injection.

Dutch law enforcement will crack down on any non-physician assisted suicide they find, recently sentencing an old man to six months imprisonment for helping a sick, old woman to die.

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("Voluntary euthanasia" would be when the person wants to die but doesn't have the ability to use the means to end their life themself, even with assistance, and needs someone else to do it.)

I may have said no a few months ago, but seeing my mum in pain and wasting away I am saying yes to both.

Yes - provided the person involved is able to give their own consent prior to reaching a physically debilitating condition for a terminal illness....... through a panel of medical experts who can assess their mental and physical heath.

MND is a wicked diesease - I have seen it strike a relative.

Eventually you whole body closes down and you are trapped in your body unable to move with an active mind. Most die when their lungs fail or they choke.

Why should people be denied a dignified death - when they care so much for the family they are leaving behind.

TW...As long as my loved one was of sound mind and I was convinced they had had enough....AND had medical assurance that all that could be done had been I would do the same for them as I would for my pets. Love is love after all. I'd see it as the final gift of love.

It needs lots of safeguards though x

I can understand why the law is like it is because there will always be someone who will use it to their advantage, so it would need for a certain number of people to be involved - not just a beneficiary and perhaps a doctor/solicitor, etc. If this can be resolved, I certainly do agree with euthanasia. I would like to think that if I am ever in the situation where it is utterly hopeless and a lot of pain is involved, I should be able to make the choice without placing loved ones in trouble with either the law or their consciences.

I think when you have seen someone go through a serious life threatening illness, ie a terminal one, and you can see the cards are on the table so to speak...............and you see them in pain,,,,,,,,,,,,believe me, putting them out of their misery is a thought that comes very clearly. ...Unless you've been there with someone,,,,,,,,,,,,,you dont know...