Abandoned Forum

[Mysti]

What are your views on this subject? Is it dangerous, or neccesary? It's your call.

[nowhere man]

I thin assisted suicide is selfish. The person that wshes to end there own life is also going to ruin the the life of the person who assisted them. Because they will most likly be charged with murder. I would never help someone kill themself. I couldnt live with myself afterward

[Astarte]

I thin assisted suicide is selfish. The person that wshes to end there own life is also going to ruin the the life of the person who assisted them. Because they will most likly be charged with murder. I would never help someone kill themself. I couldnt live with myself afterward

Agreed, but in the case of euthanasia, I'd be there with them if they were doing/administering it themselves. It's a brave decision to make and having to face it alone would be horrible.

[lycan]

assited suicide is kind of strange in my oppinion
i mean how many ppl do u know that will say that they want a doctor to
stick a needle in them so they can end there lifes

[Astarte]

I think there are thousands of depressed, or elderly, or sick people in any city who would gladly end their lives.

If my mother, who is quite ill and elderly made that decision I would respect it want to sit with her till the end.

We stayed with my father until he died. It was not an assisted suicide, he died as a result of a long illness. He was in hospital and we were with him day and night for the last week. That was 10 years ago this January and I still can't talk (write) about it without crying.

[hamster]

It's a sad, sad thing all around -- and the potential for abuse is terrifying. What if some selfish son or daughter decides to "assist" their elderly parent to death, in order to get an early start on their inheritance? What if some unethical doctor gets tired of whiney Mrs. Plumbutt and decides to jab a needle full of Sleepforever serum into her arm? What if some government somewhere decides that a whole class or race of people is too miserable to live and should be assisted to suicide?

[Astarte]

What if some selfish son or daughter decides to "assist" their elderly parent to death, in order to get an early start on their inheritance? What if some unethical doctor gets tired of whiney Mrs. Plumbutt and decides to jab a needle full of Sleepforever serum into her arm? What if some government somewhere decides that a whole class or race of people is too miserable to live and should be assisted to suicide?

I think all that's happening now, anyway, on a fairly regular basis. You just need to open a newspaper to find something that would relate to the above.

We recently had the case of a doctor in an aged care facility here hastening many of his patients to an early grave. I think that's something that happens on a daily basis. There have also been various reports of teenagers murdering parents for just that reason and as for governments and genocide, well, where do you start?




I think if assisted suicide became legal, the line would be a mile long. I also think it will probably become legal because of economic reasons. The cost of health care being so appalling high.

[Twin2]

Oregon has an Assisted Suicide law. There are several steps along the way though. There has to be two doctors must be involved in Oregon, plus a psychologist if there are doubts about the patient's competency. Because the right-to-die societies insist on medical certification of a hopeless or terminal condition before handing out the lethal drugs.

The Oregon Death With Dignity Act came under heavy pressure from the US Federal government in 2001 when Attorney General John Ashcroft issued a directive essentially and immediately gutting the law. This brought on a public outcry that the Federal government was nullifying a law twice voted on by Oregon citizens. A disqualification of democracy! An interference with states' rights! Immediately the state of Oregon went to court (2002) to nullify the directive, won at the first stage, but the appeals are likely to continue until 2004. Since l980, right-to-die groups have tried to change the laws in Washington State, California, Michigan, Maine, Hawaii, and Vermont, so far without success. Thus in the USA, Oregon stands alone and under great pressure.

In 2005 the US Supreme Court agreed to the federal government's request for it to decide whether Oregon's law was constitutional. The case concerned not so much the ethical correctness of physician-assisted suicide but turned legally on whether it was the federal government or the states which controlled dangerous drugs, as used by doctors in Oregon. The court's decision, expected in early 2006, will affect pain control throughout America.

[Math_nerd]

I case anyone hasn't heard, the supreem court upheld the act voting 6 to 3.

[Mysti]

If you or one of your nearest and dearest relatives contracted a long, drawn out terminal illness and you are in constant suffering, to the point of extremity, baring in mind you would never get better and will eventually die, but would have to wait through a huge amount of pain before it actually happens, wouldn't you like to have the ability to tell a doctor you want to end your life, to escape it? I think euthanasia can be a good thing. I would like to think my life could be ended if I am constantly in pain, and doctors are only there to relieve pain, which this does.

Of course, I am not condoning abuse of this system. A way to prevent this, is if you signed a contract in your name to allow a doctor to turn off your life support. Obviously, this is not faultless, but if you sent a handwritten contract to a central base and you supply your fingerprint, if you did end up terminally ill, your life could not be ended (unwillingly) by another person without them first having to have the exact same fingerprint, and handwriting skills as you. If you can think of a better suggestion, I'm all ears.