Euthanasia

[Bogdan6]

Another curiosity of mine, besides teaching religion in schools is whenether or not you people agree with euthanasia and if it should be legalised.

Now again, I'm not familiar with the US background, so I am presenting the environment I'm used to. For now euthanasia is illeagal here and there is no much struggle to legalise it or not, yet there are certain people who don't actually want to hear about it claiming that "it's an assisted suicide" (technically it, is, but an unpopular opinion that I agree with is that suicide is one person's choice and if he really doesn't see any alternative or wishes death to himself that much, I can force him to live, just for me) and that people who are requesting it aren't "conciously thinking".

Personally I don't quite agree with the "is not conciously thinking" part. Again, euthaniasia cannot be the people's best shot, but there are cases when there won't be other ways. An example would be a paralised person, I myself knew a case personally. The guy was paralysed. Couldn't move, couldn't shit by himself, couldn't talk, couldn't eat. At some point he could talk, but the situation got worse and worse and didn't recover and for the past years of his life he also got treatment for other diseases. What I imagine is that the guy was in constant pain, both phyisically and psyhically. Just because he cannot tell that he has physical pain, doesn't mean he cannot have it and just leaving someone here, forcing him to watch the ceiling just because your "morals" don't agree with euthanasia is pretty much inhuman, at least to me. Personally if I'd share the guys fate, I'd opt for euthanasia.

Anyway, what are your opinions? Is euthanasia a solution? Why or why not?

[JCDENT]

I wouldn't have anything against it, but so long as the patient and/or family gives consent, I guess it'd be fine.

[Bogdan6]

Originally Posted by JCDENT

so long as the patient and/or family gives consent

Yes, but there are probably a lot of cases where the patients gives consent and the family refuses, what solution can we get?

[_BEAN_]

Originally Posted by Bogdan6

Yes, but there are probably a lot of cases where the patients gives consent and the family refuses, what solution can we get?

The emotional state comes into question when an individual is going through something like this. This is why family and others have the ability to step in and stop an individual from ending their life. I personally look at assisted suicide as an individual's way of not having the courage to kill themselves. I have gone through watching a family member die from cancer. It isn't a fun situation, but to give up on life, even when you have it still in your lungs, is not something I would suggest you do. If you want to take your own life, that is your choice, but asking someone to end yours because you don't have the strength to do it yourself seems rather cowardly to me.

We also have to take into consideration the slippery slope assisted suicide starts us down. When you can rationalize an act like this. What else are will be rationalized as rational and humane? Look at the insanity of the Eugenics movement that was started in the late 1800's. It was sterilizing people "the state" deemed unworthy of reproduction. Who has the right to do this to another? I believe dealing with a topic as serious as this should not be taking place from an emotional stance.

[Bogdan6]

Originally Posted by _BEAN_

but asking someone to end yours because you don't have the strength to do it yourself seems rather cowardly to me.

I mentioned I knew a case personally in which a guy was paralysed. IMO, the family was pretty ignorant out there, the guy was in a pretty severe condition and started a treatment, at some point he could talk and that is trully something. From someone who can barely move his eyes, he could mourn one or two things. The family response? They imediatly intrerupted the treatment as they tought "Hey, it's ok from now on, nothing else to do" and the guy regressed and regressed and just become a veggetable in the propper sense. This guy personally didn't ask for euthanasia, but out there are more people like this, who would wish to die and they are artificially kept alive by family members. Those people don't really have the strenght to do it themselves and at some point, they don't even have the strenght to ask someone else to do it for them.

[Innoc]

This is a rough topic. I believe that at some level do have to consider that balance between quality of life and choosing the time and place to end suffering. My wife and I hold differing views for ourselves personally but neither of us have a condition that radically diminishes quality of life. The problem with family vs individual will is that by the time family has anything to say the individual is of diminished legal capacity which means there may be no one to advocate for them. How would you resolve that? I don’t believe that any aspect of the State should ever have direct involvement with euthanasia as the state should never make that type of decision outside of Capital Punishment.

[_BEAN_]

Originally Posted by Bogdan6

I mentioned I knew a case personally in which a guy was paralysed. IMO, the family was pretty ignorant out there, the guy was in a pretty severe condition and started a treatment, at some point he could talk and that is trully something. From someone who can barely move his eyes, he could mourn one or two things. The family response? They imediatly intrerupted the treatment as they tought "Hey, it's ok from now on, nothing else to do" and the guy regressed and regressed and just become a veggetable in the propper sense. This guy personally didn't ask for euthanasia, but out there are more people like this, who would wish to die and they are artificially kept alive by family members. Those people don't really have the strenght to do it themselves and at some point, they don't even have the strenght to ask someone else to do it for them.

Atleast in the US you have an option to deal with this in your will. Family members cannot interfere with this option as long as you have it dealt with by legal means. If you don't deal with it prior your mental state can be used as a means to stop it.