The Right to die.

[cam]

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6353339.stm

What are your thoughts on this?

I believe everyone should be entitled to the right to die when they are terminally ill or suffer from a disability so bad that their quality of life is zero.

This poor woman is suffering so much and they cannot save her at all so why not do as she asks?

[hiddenscars]

I think that the only ourselves can decide when we die, if we are suffering in such a way that we are only going to get worse and there is no life left, basically.

If that person is too ill to make the decision themselves then a family member or spouse should be next in line to do it for them.

I beleive that no one in this world should have the power to stop someone else from leaving the earth plane, or vice versa, telling them to leave. We are all equal as humans and as people.
Who the hell should have the right to say 'no you can't die'.

I agree with euthanasia and abortion depending the situation. I don't have a general take on it.

I think people, have their own right to die, within in reason depending on why they want to, when they want to.

I could go on, but I want to hear more views first.

[cam]

jaybabe said:

If that person is too ill to make the decision themselves then a family member or spouse should be next in line to do it for them.

I agree with all of your post except the quoted part.

Its way too dangerous to allow family members make the decision.
If a person who is ill did not make the request while they were still capable of doing so then we must assume they did not want it.


When someone is on life support sometimes the doctors advise the family that it should be switched off but that is a totally different circumstance.

[hiddenscars]

Fair enough, but what if before when they were ill, they didn't want to go yet, because it wasn't as bad as it was when they were uncapable of making the decision.

I can understand why alot of family members wouldn't be able to do it.
To be honest, I think its all down to personal choice and opinion on this one.
I would rather have my family, if they could, make the decision rather than a complete stranger.
Of course, if they couldn't do it then I would have to allow a stranger to do it for me.

I just think, there is no general view on this, from my point of view and I have to think about each situation seperately.

Concerning life support machines, well I agree that the doctor will know what is best, but I wouldn't like a stranger to end my life just like that, but thats just my opinion.

[cam]

It is so hard to try and work out what the boundaries should be.

I am not sure of the country where euthanasisa is carried out but even they have very strict guidelines.

The person must be of sound mind and must have a doctor to confirm their condition ect.

If I was dying I would never want anyone to decide I should be allowed to go if I could not speak for myself.

Many people are religious and in effect it is suicide which goes against a lot of beliefs.

[hiddenscars]

I know what you mean and I do think there should be strict guidelines or the world would be going even more crazy.

I don't really think much of suicide, apart from I don't think people should be made to want to kill themselves by other people or by a situation made by other people.
But if someone does commit suicide then what can you do, its too late.
But if it because of anther person, then it should be dealt with to a certain extent.

I think euthanasia should be allowed though.
And I would rather have my friends and family let me go than a stranger.

[cam]

This country is so backward at coming forward in my opinion.

They wil put a dog out of its misery but a human being is left to suffer intolerable pain and worse..the mental anquish of waiting to die.

If someone wants to go peacefully then they should have the right to say so but....if they are incapable then I do not think anyone should be able to make that decision for them.

I am not sure of this but I believe its either an injection or a liquid that they give in europe and the person just drifts off as if going to sleep.
Lovely way to go.

[hiddenscars]

Its an injection they give them, in most places anyway, bit like being put down.

I think if a person has been suffering in pain for a long time and they have got to the point when they are dying in pain but they can't manage to make the decision themselves, then someone should do what is best for them and make the decision.
Because for all we know they might want to die, but of course, you can't generalise a thing like this.

And on the subject of this, I think the death penalty is wrong.

[pixi]

I find this so totally hard.

My gut feeling is no, mainly because somewhere inside me whether its right or wrong I feel it's not up to us to decide when it's our time to die.
Also because I have seen the effects of what suicide on a family and in particular someone very close to me has done. Now I know suicide is a completely different topic but it's still taking matters into your own hands and I feel that is just too much responsibility and such an onerous thing for the people who are left behind to carry.

I know that I could never make that decision and I'm sure as I can be without being in that position that I would never be able to help someone if they asked me to. My worst nightmare would be having to stop someone I loved life's support if I was ever in that situation.

After watching both my Grandparents die slowly from cancer I still feel strongly against it. With my Grandad I was further removed from it as I was a lot younger but with my Grandma who we lost last year I was very much involved and it has to be the worst and hardest thing I have so far had to deal with. But in the same respect I am so so grateful of that extra time we spent together as I am sure I would have never known my Grandma in the way that I do now (and we have always been extremely close) had we not have had to cope with her illness.

[cam]

think if a person has been suffering in pain for a long time and they have got to the point when they are dying in pain but they can't manage to make the decision themselves, then someone should do what is best for them and make the decision.
Because for all we know they might want to die, but of course, you can't generalise a thing like this.

This is where it becomes very dangerous. Only the person dying knows what is best for them.
My father is dying a very slow death and for all we know he might want to die BUT we dont know that for sure.Only he knows that and he cant tell us.Its not our place to decide he should go.
Why on earth he would want to carry on is beyond me and I am not ashamed to say that I wish he would die now to end his suffering but he might want to live for as long as he can even though it is awful.

Pix...(((hugs))) must have been a terrible ordeal to watch your grandmother go through all that.

I agree with you that 'suicide' is a terrible thing to inflict on a family (I know) but I see euthanasia as something totally different.

Who knows...if I end up like my father I might want to live until the bitter end but as of this moment..no way.I would opt for the injection.