The right to die

Anyone see the programme which showed a man travelling to Dignitas in Switzerland?

After seeing how far he had to travel, whilst in so much discomfort, just to die without pain and suffering, surely in a country with legal abortion we should now introduce legal assisted suicide.

Having seen someone die in pain myself, all the person asked, persistently, was to go home to die surrounded by her family.

How many more people have to be put in dark rooms in a hospital to writhe in pain-or be so sedated with morphine they are unable to say a final goodbye?

Don`t they deserve dignity?

Aren`t we already playing God when we take so much as a vitamin C tablet? or undergo surgery?

 

In one word, yes! But it needs careful and very stringent regulation.

 

I totally agree and I'd say there's more and more people would agree with you too and I, for one, know that I'd like to be allowed to die with some dignity if I was faced with such a situation.

I wonder what if would take for the law to be passed in this counrty to allow for this to happen.

 

I agree with all above.
This ,all life is good life ,is O.K until it happens to you or someone near to you.
Some can cope with illness and pain some can't.
I think you should be able to have the choice.

 

That's what it all comes down to.

 

I agree, for what its worth.

Keeping someone alive artfically when they dont want to be, is actually worse than playing god.

Its saying "I know better than you",

(the ivdividual that is suffering, that is).

People should be allowed to say when they have had enough, and it should be possible to help someone take their own life, without fear of prosecution.

 

Yes I agree with what most of you all say and it so easy to critise people that are in this dilema, until it happens to one of us, Or our family, We will never know how we could cope or manage our lives, It is very hard to judge sitting on the outside.
It must be extremely hard if its ones child or partner. These parents and carers are very brave people

 

What about someone who is a burden on the family or THINKS they are a burden...........Might they feel pressured to want to die?

 

I dont think that anyone that ill would be a burden if with a loving family and I think the case of wanting to die rather than pressured to die is what the debate is all about mryxms

 

Surely we are talking about people that have reached the end of their tether.
There is no cure and life is unbearable.

To force such people to live is inhumane.
If they want to die.

 

Im not sure, in theory yes..... in practice, many isues that would need consideration

 

Claire, my first (& always has been/will be) answer to your question is yes.

But....and then we're off. How many people with problems will be co-erced into this? How many people without close family or friends could 'choose' this way because the 'carers' looking after them say so? It's a minefield but I still say yes. My husband & I have already talked about this (for various reasons) and we know what we'd 'live' with and what we wouldn't want to.

Alot of people are 'helped' along by the medical proffesion anyway and I don't mean Harold Shipman ways. When a person is in that much pain, constantly, what is the best thing? When a person knows (and they say the brain is the last to go in many cases) that they hate the life they are living and maybe, yes, they are feeling guilty or whatever because of the strain they think they are putting on people, not because others are saying or feeling so, what is best for them?

It needs more than just one person to decide but not another government debacle! But who says yes in the end? I didn't see the programme but am hoping to see it maybe repeated or something. I know I will cry and the rest, but we have choice in most things let us have this.

Interesting to see most people that have replied on here feel the same but we all have these apprehensions.

cheers

 

I 100% agree with a person's right to to choose.

Unfortunately, I think the law will change eventually but for the wrong reasons. As we have more and more people needing nursing care and less and less people willing to do the caring, financial pressure will win in the end.

Right result for the wrong reason IMO

 

think we ought to try and have a trial run on on rapists and pervs and let the victims decide:gnthb:

 

It seems to be another one of those things where despite the majority of people saying yes, the law doesn`t change.


The saddest aspect to the programme for my own part, was that they guy would have wanted to carry on a little longer, at least until it became unbearable, but because of the legal repercussions for other people, he had to do it whilst he was still capable of travelling to Switzerland and holding an interview with the prescribing doctor. He must have lost about 3 months or so of tolerable life because he was afraid for his wife, or whoever would have said "now" and then acted upon it.

I don`t think anyone has actually been prosecuted by their own country upon return for taking someone to dignitas, I think the government here at least is hoping it will be ok if they tactitly ignore the issue and hope everyone will stay quiet about it. But I think a change must come that allows people to make legally binding arrangements in something very similar to a DNR in a living will.

It`s interesting that there actually is no legal "right" to an abortion "on demand". That it requires two doctors to state there is a medical reason for the procedure-physical or psychological.

Maybe bringing together some of the legal elements to a living will and a medically supervised abortion is the way ahead.


I brought the subject up because I found it remarkable that in a world governed, and inhabited by people of a questionable moral conduct, the act of assisted suicide is still considered morally wrong by some. As though they are in a position to judge. They who are with out sin.....................

Borrowers, I think you must have had the same conversation I have had with my husband. We don`t agree-one of us will not accept the morphine ( or whichever sedative is offered as pain relief) and come home and do it there ourselves whilst we still can, and the other one will fight til their dying breath. Beligerent, or brave? I`m not sure but we`ll find out either way-unless of course there`s an out of control bus on the cards.

Thank you all for your opinions, very thought provoking.