Sue Rodriguez

[jimfeng5]

i think we all remember Sue Rodriguez, the women with terminal disease ALS in 1991, she suffered a painful death because later few week in herlife, her muscles had atrophied to the point that her joints would no longer stay in their sockets. Her shoulders were constantly dislocated. She wanted a euthanasia, but government rejucted her~ "Whose body is this?" With those four words Sue Rodriguez single-handedly catapulted the right-to-die debate onto the public stage.

in my own opinion, i would definatly agree with her having Euthanasia, i think this is the basic Human right, that as she said, it was her body that she wanted to kill, just because she cannot kill herself, so she seak for help, what is wrong with that?? people have their own choices, as long as it wont affect other people, I donnot think it was a big deal

 

[#juan]

Sue Rodriguez did finally commit suicide, with the help of a doctor.

Federal NDP MP and friend Sven Robinson, who was by Rodriguez's side, breaks down as he remembers her "dignity and courage" during those final moments. Robinson confirms that he and an unnamed doctor were the only two present at the time of Rodriguez's death.

 

[Curiosity]

I am not up to speed on Canada's laws governing.....

Pysician assisted suicide.

Is it possible in Canada to obtain this if one is declared morbidly and/or terminally ill?

If it is legal, is it something the people voted on or ?????

 

[FiveParadox]

Wednesday's Child, to the best of my knowledge, assisted suicide, even assisted by physicians, is unlawful in Canada. However, if I remember correctly, the Bloc Québecois was planning on, or already had, tabled legislation to the effect of decriminalizing assisted suicide when it was dropped from the Order Paper due to dissolution.

 

[Curiosity]

Thanks Five!

 

[FiveParadox]

Assisted Suicide

I would not be surprised, nor opposed to, see assisted suicide become lawful in Canada, by the hand of a physician, within the next few years (probably not during the term of the Conservative Party of Canada, though).

 

[Jay]

A recent case...

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/01/27/suicide-helper060127.html

 

[FiveParadox]

In compassionate cases, I am quite sympathetic with those who would choose to exercise assisted suicide (provided they are of sound mind to make such a decision, and have unequivocal physical or mental cause to do so); I would agree with the decision of the Crown to leave this decision up to the presiding Justice.

 

[tracy]

Assisted suicide is still completely illegal in Canada. I've seen enough to wish it was legal, but laws are laws. The way we treat the dying is often so sick and the laws about it are out of date. We can allow a person to dehydrate to death, but we can't give them a bunch of morphine to just speed things up. That's what I don't get.

Oregon is one of the only places in North America where terminally ill patients can get a prescription for a lethal dose of a drug, but it must be self administered. Studies have shown that just knowing you can kill yourself gives you the ability to tolerate much more suffering because you know if things get too bad you have a way out.

 

[Colpy]

I wish I could remember where, because anecdotal arguments just don't cut it, but I saw an article on assisted suicide in the Netherlands.

Over 1,000 patients a year are "put down" WITHOUT their agreement or any previously made request.

In my books, that is murder.

I am not sure this is a road we need to go down.

 

[tracy]

I have heard stories about that Colpy, but I do wonder about the specifics. I work with babies, so everything we do to them is without their agreement or request since their parents are their decision makers. That isn't unethical in and of itself.

 

[Curiosity]

Re: RE: Sue Rodriguez

Assisted suicide is still completely illegal in Canada. I've seen enough to wish it was legal, but laws are laws. The way we treat the dying is often so sick and the laws about it are out of date. We can allow a person to dehydrate to death, but we can't give them a bunch of morphine to just speed things up. That's what I don't get.

Oregon is one of the only places in North America where terminally ill patients can get a prescription for a lethal dose of a drug, but it must be self administered. Studies have shown that just knowing you can kill yourself gives you the ability to tolerate much more suffering because you know if things get too bad you have a way out.

Tracy

Hospice will overadminister morphine to terminally ill patients (the only ones they care for in any case). Perhaps I am breaking a rule here but I know for a fact they do give morphine in more than adequate dosage to hasten death but to add to the patient's comfort. It is part of the hospice protocol and if a family objects, they have that right to withold the procedure. It is done over days, however, not one lethal injection..... but far higher than normally would be delivered in a hospital setting. Much of this is covered in the Final Medical Directive - part of the DNR.

 

[tracy]

That's not the same thing as euthanasia though WC. They give excessively high doses of narcotics to patients because those patients have such a high tolerance that they need a large dose to get the same results that a regular dose would do for you or me. Hospice nurses can only give meds to treat pain. If death is hastened by pain control that's ok, but they can't give a medication with the intention to kill the patient. Same goes with docs (though they are seldom the ones to administer medications anyways). I would not be shocked if it happened occasionally, but I've never personally seen it and it would still be 100% illegal in Canada and the US.

I love my job and love my babies. One of the most meaningful experiences in my career was caring for a dying baby and making his passing as comfortable as possible for him and his family. If I did nothing else of value in my life, that one instance would be enough for me. The flip side is that I have seen and cared for patients whose deaths were horrible. It's those cases that make me think legal euthanasia wouldn't be such a bad thing. The nurses I work with are pretty diverse when it comes to ethical issues like abortion or the death penalty, but I can't think of one who hasn't expressed a wish that euthanasia were legal under certain circumstances. We treat our dogs with more compassion than we do our human loved ones. I can tell you without hesitation there have been some cases where I have thought "If this was my baby, I would kill her with a lethal dose of morphine, laws be damned". Obviously I would never do that in my role as a nurse, but I don't know how a parent can stand to watch their child suffer needlessly. It must be the worst experience possible for them. I mean it's bad enough to lose a child, but to have to watch them suffer for hours, days, weeks, months? I just wish we could lessen their pain a little sometimes. Sorry, I'm rambling now...

 

[Curiosity]

Tracy

You are exactly right, and most of the information regarding the dosage levels isn't communicated very often. At death's door most families and patients could care less anyway, they just want the hurting to stop. I know more is often given than is made public.

Pain will always be the foe of the caregiver eh?

For all we have discovered in our modern world of medicine, we are still at the mercy of unremitting and recurring pain.

 

[jimfeng5]

Sue Rodriguez did finally commit suicide, with the help of a doctor.

Federal NDP MP and friend Sven Robinson, who was by Rodriguez's side, breaks down as he remembers her "dignity and courage" during those final moments. Robinson confirms that he and an unnamed doctor were the only two present at the time of Rodriguez's death.

SHE DIED OF NATURAL DEATH..not of suicide..as the record, she died with pain

 

[jimfeng5]

but guy~ if canadian government legalized assisting suicide, wont you afraid that some evil doctors whill threaten their patients with death? i mean, i personally agree that if i see my child suffer, i would be in hell. but think in a large scale, legalize a.s. is not really a good idea, maybe then murder has a new meaning.. i mean i feel terrified and untrust the doctors if it is legaled...

 

[tracy]

Threaten their patients with death? I'm the first to say I've met some bad doctors, but I couldn't even imagine that happening. A doctor has nothing to gain by threatening patients with death, and any doc that would murder his patients would probably do so whether assisted suicide was legal or not.

 

[jimfeng5]

but if the doctor killed someone after a.s. legalized, then they could say that the patient asked to die and such...and they make some fake evidences.. u know.. but it is a possibility!

 

[tracy]

I think they could do that now. Look at how many times Dr Kevorkian has been acquitted by juries.

It would be quite simple to prove someone truly wanted euthanasia though, just include it with the other things spelled out in advanced directives. You can customize those as much as you want. I even have how many days I am willing to be intubated in there.