Is assisted-suicide morally permissable?

[Erikmen]

It seems tough, indeed. Good luck!

 

[miscbrahh]

Assisted suicide of an elderly woman - from Veritas in Switzerland. Debated for a while if I should post this, but this stuff really strikes a chord with me.

Warning: disturbing video, probably NSFW

 

[flyhighk]

I believe every person should have the right to suicide. You would have to make the request and confirm it twice (6 and 12 months later) before getting the prescription for a lethal dose of drugs.
The 12 months period would give enough time for depressed individuals to rethink their decision.

 

[Shrooms00087]

I believe every person should have the right to suicide. You would have to make the request and confirm it twice (6 and 12 months later) before getting the prescription for a lethal dose of drugs.
The 12 months period would give enough time for depressed individuals to rethink their decision.

Nope. You would literally have to try everything. Logically if you are faced with nothingness all you can do is try all options given to you. THEN with a doctors monitoring approval (of maybe 6-12 months probably more) both patient (or parent) and doctor agree. This is the best we can do, ethically, and logically.

Myx's link http://pastebin.com/U2AyPcLg makes more sense than a period of 6-12 months.

 

[Cliffy78]

Yeah it would take yrs and yrs I'm sure, it should be somewhat difficult I think. I don't know if a year would be enough time even. You gotta rule out the cases of short term depression and I guess psychosis in some. Idk about people with very long term major depression though. When's long enough? It would vary for everyone I guess and who exactly would be the judge? It's just such a tough call and I'm if favor of it but u gotta rule out the temporarily depressed and the like. That a tough job whoevers judging that...

I just watched that video from Switzerland, Idk but I didn't think that was at all disturbing. It seemed very humane and dignified IMHO. I can't speak what I assume to be French though so maybe I missed something. Any idea what kind of meds were used there? Didn't look like what I've seen from cyanide but I'm no authority on that by any means. I would think the humane way would be high dose opiates but idk having never oded myself. That didn't seem all that horrible though(given the circumstances)... Not trying to offend anyone btw, just my opinion which isn't worth shit...

 

[JackiePeyton]

I don't know but we had a case where the son was doing just this, the mom had begged for it and the nurse came on, discovering what had happened called 911. As a hospice nurse, I disagreed with her decision. Sure it was company policy because it is illegal here. But couldn't she have been creative here, I mean come on. I would have been like "oh gee, I left something in my car, I will be right back...I was never here" and given the son time to finish and call us to pronouce. It was a shit storm. The woman lived for a week, after being pumped full of narcan when she could have died peacefully.

 

[rakketakke]

Yes, in a controlled enviroment.

Because euthanasia in a controlled enviroment with personal acquintances (if any) leaves less of a mess. Thereafter there is no scene to be cleaned as the body can be properly disposed of or immediately dispensed to scientific research. I feel atleast a formal goodbye should be in place before leaving.

I see no reason why not neither do I see a reason to unless:
-Untreatable chronic diseases coupled with pain.
-Extreme mental anguish due to physical harm (eg. Olympic sprinter losing a leg, passionate craftsman loses his fingers, musician gets hit in the head and loses his motor skills to go on, ...)

I know that's not a broad spectrum but in the end I feel it doesn't matter whatever the reason you have we just need to solve this:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/v/X6PaLiIl6MA[/video]
So, yes I also support clinics where you can just walk into and get it over with. Wouldn't want to see these booths privatized, rather a public service that is fully automated. This relieves us of making dire mistakes and the person can decides themselves in Ye Good Ole suicide booth!

 

[nuttynutskin]

I think doctor assisted suicide as it stands now is morally permissible because it stops suffering, but would hardly think it would be ok for doctors to help a physically healthy person kill themselves. It goes against the Hipocratic Oath and everything doctors are supposed to stand for. And someone who is going to kill themselves is going to find a way anyways if they really want to. I guess it could be argued that euthanasia could be potentially more humane for the person, but I don't think it matters because the goal should be to help the person that is suicidal not off them lol. If they choose to slit their wrists or blow their brains out anyways that's there decision. So I do support people's right to suicide although I would be devastated if someone I cared about killed themselves. But I don't think it should ever be applied to doctor assisted suicide or anything like that.

 

[SB1981]

In the case of preventing suffering from an impending death, yes! I would rather be put to death than to have to wait out a miserable death.

 

[herbavore]

My 84 year old mom is a hospice volunteer and her latest patient is 102. This woman is mentally alert and engaged and while she hates her situation she is not depressed. She is often uncomfortable from being so sedentary since her last fall but she is not in pain per se. She lives in a small adult foster care house with 4 others that are also bedridden in their separate rooms. In the last years she has become almost completely blind and deaf. This means that she can neither read nor listen to audio, watch films or anything else to pass the time. She lives for visits and there are exactly two every week--one granddaughter and my mom. She barely sleeps so this means hour after hour of simply lying in bed with absolutely nothing to do--not even anything to look at.

I am visiting my mom so went with her yesterday to see this woman, M. M. said to my mom, "every single day I pray that I will die and yet my body just keeps on going." My mom said, "M., I pray for that, too." My mom has to get right next to her ear and literally yell to communicate. It makes M. wince because some of the sound is too loud and yet she can barely distinguish the words. Usually it takes about 3 tries and then she registers recognition and responds. When my mom said that she prays for this, too, M. laughed and squeezed my mom's hand and then cried. I felt so sad when we left, sad and helpless. This is an assisted suicide state (Oregon) and yet this woman has no right to it because she has no terminal illness. While I appreciate the complexity of assisted suicide, I felt angry that M. has to live on like this indefinitely. She doesn't want to and she certainly should have the right not to.

 

[Cliffy78]

My 84 year old mom is a hospice volunteer and her latest patient is 102. This woman is mentally alert and engaged and while she hates her situation she is not depressed. She is often uncomfortable from being so sedentary since her last fall but she is not in pain per se. She lives in a small adult foster care house with 4 others that are also bedridden in their separate rooms. In the last years she has become almost completely blind and deaf. This means that she can neither read nor listen to audio, watch films or anything else to pass the time. She lives for visits and there are exactly two every week--one granddaughter and my mom. She barely sleeps so this means hour after hour of simply lying in bed with absolutely nothing to do--not even anything to look at.

I am visiting my mom so went with her yesterday to see this woman, M. M. said to my mom, "every single day I pray that I will die and yet my body just keeps on going." My mom said, "M., I pray for that, too." My mom has to get right next to her ear and literally yell to communicate. It makes M. wince because some of the sound is too loud and yet she can barely distinguish the words. Usually it takes about 3 tries and then she registers recognition and responds. When my mom said that she prays for this, too, M. laughed and squeezed my mom's hand and then cried. I felt so sad when we left, sad and helpless. This is an assisted suicide state (Oregon) and yet this woman has no right to it because she has no terminal illness. While I appreciate the complexity of assisted suicide, I felt angry that M. has to live on like this indefinitely. She doesn't want to and she certainly should have the right not to.

ty for that post herb! I had/haves similiar situation with my mother except she's "mentally I'll" she's been looked down on her whole life and lives in a psych hospital. I have 3 extram bedrooms and yet she won't move in, it breaks my heart hourly. She wishes to "let herself go". Her life has been a nightmare since well before her teen years, raped multiple times by family and hospital staff and has been taken advantage of by everyone she comes in contact with. Her nurses steal things I bring her and because she has state healthcare his place is her. Only option. Anyway I'm stoned, just yoked the mornin bone so well u get the point I'm trying to make. Even very long term med resistant, life threatening mental illness sufferers should have the same options as the rest of society if the ever do pass a bill like this
Sry for the rant, this sublet is near and dear to my heart...

 

[nuttynutskin]

If you allow euthanasia for mental illness tho, where do you draw the line?

 

[Cliffy78]

Slippery slope indeed... At least it should lean toward the patient instead of courts, or drs afraid of courts. Jmo

 

[rakketakke]

If you allow euthanasia for mental illness tho, where do you draw the line?

There is no line.

Whoever wants summarily to test the assertion that the pleasure in the world outweighs the pain, or at any rate that the two balance each other, should compare the feelings of an animal that is devouring another with those of the other. Don't forget the idea of giving people access to a means of feeling that they're back in control of the issue which is actually a way of prolonging life as paradoxical as it sounds, I doubt anyone takes peace with death anxiety otherwise.

 

[baggerr]

If they have a terminal illness, hell, yes. Its their life and they are going to die anyway, we all die anyway but why should someone suffer the pain and discomfort of whats killing them when they are going to die anyway? The people that have issue with this are being selfish because they want the loved one to stay around as long as possible, for their benefit because they want to postpone the loss as long as possible, not the sick person. How selfish is that? And why would you want to watch someone die a slow death?
Its their life who are we to tell them what to do with it? they should be able to choose how the die. Why would you not let someone choose how when and where they die? Thats is the moral issue.