tackling the big issues.... should we make euthanasia legal in australia??

[onetwothreefour]

^^^ to expand on my point, i can understand (as in raz's religious example) why some people might not want to have it done to them, but what i'm saying is that there is no way anybody should have the right to take that choice from somebody else.

 

[kandyraverchick]

Yes - everyone should be allowed the freedom of choice, it is a right we should all be able to take for ourselves whether it is offered to us or not. However, in saying that - I don't think it's ok to take another's life *without* their consensus for agruements sake.

I don't think it's fair that people should have to live off machines if they don't want to - for a lot of people this isn't a very fulfilling life. It's just more unnecissary suffering. I know that they can refuse the medical treatment if they like though... still, a lot of pressure is put on them that taking the treatment is better for them. That's not necissarlly true - not if they can't be satisfied with that. It's cruel!

When you see someone try to kill a spider and it's still wriggling (you know it's doomed) just about always someone will say "finish it off". Most people can't bare to watch a spider suffer (and we're generally not overly fond of them) - let alone our fellow human race.

I think the difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide depends on who makes the last move in the contribution to death of a human (the helper or the person willing to die).

At the same time though people suffering from euthanasia are likely to be quite vulnerable - if legal, it would be in the hands of the doctors. It would became a standard medical treatment practice.

All in all a tough question - yes, I do think people should be allowed to *choose* to die but in the end if euthanasia were to become univeral - it may not come down to choice at all.

btw. I like these threads Muzby. Keep up the good work! People who don't like them don't have to participate.

 

[Raz]

btw. I like these threads Muzby. Keep up the good work! People who don't like them don't have to participate.

What she said. I think you're one of our best contributors when you're not fraudulently logging in under other people's names....keep it up! :D

 

[Pseudo G]

Quality of life, not quantity of life.

 

[lostpunk5545]

For the same reason I believe that it should be my inalienable right to consume drugs if I so wish, I also believe euthanasia should be legal. No-one has the right to dictate what one does with one's body, mind etc.

Making euthanasia illegal just leads to messy, painful suicides as much as the illegality of some drugs leads to dangerous and uniformed drug consumption.

Other than that the standard views ie. not making people suffer it out 'til the bitter, agonistic end, are all completely relevant arguments.

Now for a contentious quote-

"I would feel real trapped in this life if I didn't know I could commit suicide at any time." - Hunter S. Thompson

 

[- l - u - c - e -]

Definately.
I think all individuals when they are at a certain age, should be able to give permission to someone (family member, lawyer, whatever) to say that if they ever got to the point where they had no quality of life, they do/don't want to be let go..

My great great Auntie is in a Nursing Home, sleeps all day everyday (literally), has no quality of life whatsoever, is so disgustingly skinny, has no colour to her face.. It's just so pointless and it hurts so bad. She always told my mum (before she got this way) that she would want to die.
She also told her that she had done all the things she wanted to in life, and she was ready to go.
I do not know anyone who would want to be alive, when there is no quality.
So yes, I will say, without any hesitations, that euthanasia should definately be legal in Aus!

(Please excuse if this has already been said, I didn't read all posts. Yup, I'm tired!)

 

[Klue]

I have been thinking about this quite a bit tonight. Its interesting that not one person in fifty posts has expressed that the dont believe in voluntary euthanasia. hmm.

Im sure though, I agree with voluntary euthanasia.

But why wasnt it mentioned during the recent election campaign. Neither Rudd or Howard. Hmm

But the main thing I have to remark about the previous posts in this thread. UnSquare has changed! 3 years ago he was slightly less unique!
But seriously.

:D

 

[eggman]

But why wasnt it mentioned during the recent election campaign. Neither Rudd or Howard. Hmm

Are you serious?

Its a polarising issue, there is no way a major party would build an election campaign around a positive stance towards voluntary euthanasia. Both the Coalition and the Labour party have the christian groups and churches that peddle shit like this so deep in their ranks it would be political suicide. Take this quote from each back in January this year from this article...

Neither the Prime Minister, John Howard, nor the Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, would be drawn on the issue yesterday. A spokesman for Mr Rudd said: "The Parliament of Australia has voted on this issue and Mr Rudd respects that vote." The Prime Minister's spokesman referred to Mr Howard's previous comments on the issue, and said: "The last time it was before Parliament it was a free vote."

The Premier, Morris Iemma, said only that he did not support euthanasia. The NSW Opposition Leader, Peter Debnam, would not comment.

The Health Minister, Tony Abbott, said he did not expect Dr Elliott's story to have a strong impact on the convictions of "people like myself".

But as always it pays to look beyond the two big players, there are groups who campaign for Voluntary Euthanasia

http://www.vesnsw.org.au/pages/election07.php

http://www.saves.asn.au/

 

[Samadhi]

I have some personal experience with this subject - my grandmother went through voluntary euthanasia a couple of years ago, in Switzerland. She was a UK resident, but had dual citizenship.

If it's treated the same as it is in Switzerland - then i'm an advocate. I knew how much pain my grandmother was in, she had NO quality of life, yet her mind was sharp. It wasn't even an existence. She went peacefully, slipping into death, with her two sons laying either side of her, holding her hand - the way she always wanted to die.

 

[LittleSmoke]

The only thing one really owns in this world (or should at least) is ones body. Therefore I believe people should have the freewill to decide whatever they want in relation to there bodies. The government should only intervene for two reasons:
1) in order to guarentee it's really the individuals decision, that he or she isn't being pressured or trying to escape something else, and to make sure he is capable of rational decision making
2) in order to advise the individual of others ways of life, like councilling, psychotherapy, etc. But this should only be an advise, not an order. The individual should still have the right to bypass it all and make his on decision.
Society should lament deeply the loss of an individual and review its culture so next time errors are not made and individuals don't decide to die, but never take away ones right to leave the the world without feeling pain.