Assisted suicide

[JLM]

That is just about all I've been hearing this past week or two on C.B.C. radio. I really wonder if people who are not in that position are able to have a valid opinion. Can a meaningful conclusion be drawn from a discussion between people on both sides of the line?

 

[DurkaDurka]

I believe if you are of sound mind and suffering from a fatal disease etc, you should have the right to end your life with physician support. Whether the cost should be covered by the government, I'm unsure.

 

[WLDB]

We're all in that position as we're all going to die. We also all know people who have died or will die in the not too distant future. Most of us probably will not go out in a very pleasant way. That would make our opinions valid, but valid or not we all get a say on these things. We cant start dismissing any opinions for being invalid as that can lead to one of those "slippery slopes."

I want the right to be able to end my life if I am facing a slow and painful death. The terminally ill may not be able to do it themselves and need assistance. I am totally against euthanasia of people without their consent. And I mean their consent, not their next of kin. Just to prevent family members from potentially knocking off their grandmother for the inheritance.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

I believe if you are of sound mind and suffering from a fatal disease etc, you should have the right to end your life with physician support. Whether the cost should be covered by the government, I'm unsure.

I say government pay under those conditions as well. Equal opportunity. Otherwise you may have to be rich not to suffer.

 

[DurkaDurka]

I say government pay under those conditions as well. Equal opportunity. Otherwise you may have to be rich not to suffer.

Well said.

 

[Niflmir]

I say government pay under those conditions as well. Equal opportunity. Otherwise you may have to be rich not to suffer.

Well, I am pretty sure they would already pay a ton to extend your painful life by as much as possible, so I don't understand why they wouldn't pay less for you to end it with dignity.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Well, I am pretty sure they would already pay a ton to extend your painful life by as much as possible, so I don't understand why they wouldn't pay less for you to end it with dignity.

Never underestimate the power of the bureucrats and pencil pusher.

 

[Niflmir]

Never underestimate the power of the bureucrats and pencil pusher.

Oh, I don't doubt that they would do it. I just don't understand why they would.

 

[SLM]

I say government pay under those conditions as well. Equal opportunity. Otherwise you may have to be rich not to suffer.

Well put.

I believe if you are of sound mind and suffering from a fatal disease etc, you should have the right to end your life with physician support. Whether the cost should be covered by the government, I'm unsure.

Another consideration, if we're talking the dollars and sense side of things, is how much does extended end of life care cost the healthcare system? Not that I think such things should come down to money, at least not exclusively, but I'd be interested in seeing the comparison.

As to the general topic, this is something that I view as a viable end of life option. In other words, this is not for the guy who lost his job and is in the midst of a depression. This is about being able to end your life relatively peacefully and with a little dignity as opposed to agonizing pain while you die slowly.

 

[Niflmir]

Well put.

Another consideration, if we're talking the dollars and sense side of things, is how much does extended end of life care cost the healthcare system? Not that I think such things should come down to money, at least not exclusively, but I'd be interested in seeing the comparison.

As to the general topic, this is something that I view as a viable end of life option. In other words, this is not for the guy who lost his job and is in the midst of a depression. This is about being able to end your life relatively peacefully and with a little dignity as opposed to agonizing pain while you die slowly.

The problem with people who are depressed and want to commit suicide is that they will often accomplish it without any help. Unless you count a passenger train as help.

I don't really consider suicide to be selfish; as I see it, an important aspect of getting out of depression is realizing that you own your own life, not that your life owns you. I think calling suicide selfish to a depressed person is often just exacerbating the problem. That being said, no one should need to ruin the day for everyone else while ensuring their own demise.

I have had a number of train delays in my life because someone jumped in front of the train. Things like that make you wonder if providing lethal medication to a person wouldn't be the better choice.

 

[SLM]

The problem with people who are depressed and want to commit suicide is that they will often accomplish it without any help. Unless you count a passenger train as help.

I don't really consider suicide to be selfish; as I see it, an important aspect of getting out of depression is realizing that you own your own life, not that your life owns you. I think calling suicide selfish to a depressed person is often just exacerbating the problem. That being said, no one should need to ruin the day for everyone else while ensuring their own demise.

I have had a number of train delays in my life because someone jumped in front of the train. Things like that make you wonder if providing lethal medication to a person wouldn't be the better choice.

Well first of all, I didn't call anybody selfish.

I do see a difference between euthansia and suicide though. Just because they call it Assisted Suicide doesn't mean it's the same act by someone of the same mindset as those who do jump in front of a train. But I'll get to them in a minute.

We don't talk about death in this country. Even when we are dying, we don't talk about death. It is a reality though, and the more we talk about it, the more we acknowledge and think about how we want our lives to come to an end when it's at it's end, the better prepared we are all going to be. I think Sue Rodriguez is a prime example of how we should be more humane when helping people reach the end of their lives. However, they choose that end to be.

As far as depression goes, it can often be a transitory thing. Circumstances can change for anyone and I can't get behind any sort of a movement to help people end their lives prematurely particularly if they are not in their right mind. So that is a very different topic altogether. Suicide in that sense should not be an option.

 

[WLDB]

I don't really consider suicide to be selfish; as I see it, an important aspect of getting out of depression is realizing that you own your own life, not that your life owns you. I think calling suicide selfish to a depressed person is often just exacerbating the problem. That being said, no one should need to ruin the day for everyone else while ensuring their own demise.

Agreed on the selfish point. I had some major problems with depression and once attempted suicide, but not fully by choice. I have no memory of the event. After that I became very afraid of possibly doing it again and succeeding. Fortunately that didnt happen but it gave me a new perspective on those who commit suicide due to depression. I believe that its quite possible that many are not in full control of themselves when they actually do it. I recall a former co-worker of mine committed suicide a few years ago. The attitude of the people at work afterwards was disgusting. They all called him a coward and said he was selfish. I don't believe they were in a position to judge, no one really is unless they've been there.

As far as depression goes, it can often be a transitory thing. Circumstances can change for anyone and I can't get behind any sort of a movement to help people end their lives prematurely particularly if they are not in their right mind. So that is a very different topic altogether. Suicide in that sense should not be an option.

I totally agree. I also think death should be talked about far more here and in other developed countries. Death has become too clean and isolated. We send the elderly off to old age homes so they can slowly fade away and eventually die out of sight and out of mind. Its horrible.

 

[SLM]

Agreed on the selfish point. I had some major problems with depression and once attempted suicide, but not fully by choice. I have no memory of the event. After that I became very afraid of possibly doing it again and succeeding. Fortunately that didnt happen but it gave me a new perspective on those who commit suicide due to depression. I believe that its quite possible that many are not in full control of themselves when they actually do it. I recall a former co-worker of mine committed suicide a few years ago. The attitude of the people at work afterwards was disgusting. They all called him a coward and said he was selfish. I don't believe they were in a position to judge, no one really is unless they've been there.

That is a typical reaction, one that I happen to think comes about due to the shock and grief. Anger is a huge part of the grieving process, so don't judge them to harshly. Also when we deny we are in the grief process, we tend to hang on to the anger for a lot longer. Have their attitudes softened any since then?

Sometimes I think we are more at a loss with what to do with our grief when we are more detached from the deceased, in other words if it's someone we know in a more casual way (as opposed to close friends or family). But it can still affect us a great deal. I can recall one time while working in retail there was a customer who died of a sudden heart attack, nothing anyone could've done. But I was quite affected by it and I had a hard time reconciling what I was feeling. I had a difficult time sleeping for weeks afterwards and didn't know what to say to anyone about it because I didn't understand it. Took me a while to realize that it was some weird kind 'survivors guilt'.

I totally agree. I also think death should be talked about far more here and in other developed countries. Death has become too clean and isolated. We send the elderly off to old age homes so they can slowly fade away and eventually die out of sight and out of mind. Its horrible.

The problem is that it's not clean and isolated, we've only allowed ourselves to be deluded into thinking that. Death comes for all of us eventually. So by ignoring the way we let all the people die who go before us, we just allow ourselves to stop thinking about it in regards to our own end. It's just because we don't want to face it, and that is somewhat selfish.

 

[mentalfloss]

Taylor hopes Tories back ruling
Court judgment lifts Canada 'from the Dark Ages,' ALS victim says

Last year, she joined other plaintiffs - including a woman who took her dying mother to Switzerland in 2010 to end her life - in a lawsuit challenging Canada's ban on physician-assisted suicide.Justice Lynn Smith ruled Friday the law is unconstitutional and gave Parliament a year to rewrite it. Taylor was granted an immediate exemption, although she said she's made no decisions about when, or even if, she will ask a doctor to help her die.

"I live one day at a time, and I'm not there yet. I'm still here for living, and I hope for a long time," said Taylor, sitting in a motorized wheelchair and occasionally struggling to drink out of a water bottle. "When it's time, it's God's will, not mine, and I'll leave it at that. ... I can't answer for somewhere I'm not."

Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has not said whether the Conservative government will appeal. A spokes-woman described assisted suicide as an "emotional and divisive issue," and said he is reviewing the decision.Taylor said she hopes Ottawa accepts the court's decision.

"We have emerged from the Dark Ages to realize that dying is part of living, and it means we no longer have to die a horrible, tormented death," she said. "I would really like to think the government would see that they can't do this to me, they can't do this to other Canadians. I would hope that they would just let it go and not appeal it."

Taylor hopes Tories back ruling
​

 

[JLM]

Taylor hopes Tories back ruling
Court judgment lifts Canada 'from the Dark Ages,' ALS victim says

Taylor hopes Tories back ruling​

It's good to see just how upbeat she is and the fact that she hasn't given up yet- just wants the "toolsl" in place for if and when! :smile:

 

[Cliffy]

This only seems to be a major issue with those who think human life is more sacred than any other life form. But they will think nothing of putting their dog or cat "to sleep" when it is suffering. I find it odd that they would let their loved ones live in agony for years, suffering horrendous pain and discomfort though. To me, all life is sacred but I do not want to see any creature suffer a long drawn out death because I can't face the reality of my own mortality. Every creature should have the right to a dignified death, just as they have a right to a dignified life.

 

[taxslave]

That is just about all I've been hearing this past week or two on C.B.C. radio. I really wonder if people who are not in that position are able to have a valid opinion. Can a meaningful conclusion be drawn from a discussion between people on both sides of the line?

Normal for CBC. Try and make an issue where none really exists.

 

[TenPenny]

Anyone who is involved in health care knows that when terminal patients are getting near the end, they often get massive doses of morphine 'to ease the pain', ie, to hasten death.

This will allow that decision to be made rationally, and the action to take place before the dying spend weeks in a hospital bed hooked up to machines being forced to live.

It's a big improvement.