Assisted dying

[AnnieA]

I would want authorities to have a bit of control over who makes the decision -- I'm not a fan of just allowing anyone, "loved one" or not, to assist a suicide without some sort of formal documentation by medical people that the dying person made the request personally and without coercion.

To do otherwise could lead to a lot of folks just deciding that granny had lived long enough and taking the matter into their own hands either for insurance money or just to get rid of the trouble of taking care of granny.

Good point. I saw too many not so "loved ones" when working in home health who kept granny stuck in a bed in a back room starving and unhygenic because they wanted to keep her at home for her Social Security check. Real "love for granny" isn't always the basis for end of life decisions.

 

[AnnieA]

In the end stages of Parkinson's disease in a nursing home as his cognition flickered in and out, my father in a lucid phase begged my sister to bring him poison. She could not, of course, but death finally came as he wanted it to while we faced the agonizing decision of whether to install a feeding tube, which would have been against his wishes. When the quality of life is nill and there is no hope of recovery or improvement, assisted dying I believe should be an option, one which I'd choose for myself...

So sorry that you had to face the tube feeding issue in your father's case. It's a hard decision but my "go to" professionally when helping people decide this is: "Will re-feeding change the prognosis?" If the answer is no, then choosing not to tube feed is usually the right clinical decision. When a person is sick and weak enough that they no longer eat or drink, the body produces endorphins.

 

[pleinmont]

My husband had a brain haemorrhage in 2006 when an aneurysm burst in his brain. He had brain surgery, which probably increased the serious brain damage which he now has, sometimes I think it would have been better if nature had taken its course and he hadn't survived. Academia was his greatest love and it really distresses him that he can no longer do anything of an academic nature.

 

[Keesha]

My husband had a brain haemorrhage in 2006 when an aneurysm burst in his brain. He had brain surgery, which probably increased the serious brain damage which he now has, sometimes I think it would have been better if nature had taken its course and he hadn't survived. Academia was his greatest love and it really distresses him that he can no longer do anything of an academic nature.

I’m so sorry pleinmont. This must be incredibly difficult. Do you care for him yourself? That would be tough.

Losing the mind of someone is possibly worse than losing them totally. I can relate to it in some ways.

It’s hard finding the silver lining in some of life’s difficulties.

Take care of yourself pleinmont the best you can.
I wish you love & contentment

 

[pleinmont]

I’m so sorry pleinmont. This must be incredibly difficult. Do you care for him yourself? That would be tough.

Losing the mind of someone is possibly worse than losing them totally. I can relate to it in some ways.

It’s hard finding the silver lining in some of life’s difficulties.

Take care of yourself pleinmont the best you can.
I wish you love & contentment ❤

I am officially my husband's carer, even though he doesn't reckon he requires one. He is still a lot more intelligent than me even though he has only half a working brain. However, I do know better about his health, of which he has other issues too these days, but will he listen to me, no he doesn't. He goes off on route marches around our neighbourhood, and I haven't a clue where he is going. He takes his mobile phone, but if I try to ring him doesn't always bother to answer it, which really annoys me. I have told him when I have had enough of him I will put him in a care home, and I mean it.

If I had been the disabled one I would have been in a care home from the start, he was always useless if I was ill in the past.

 

[Keesha]

Awwww.....yeah .... that freedom thing I can relate to. Sorry but I sound more like your husband than anything. I’m constantly wandering away without telling my better half which drives him nuts.

Now this conversation sounds truly awkward in a topic about ‘assisted dying.” lol

 

[StarSong]

I learned to seek inwards where I discovered my ‘own’ meaning of God. An intelligent, loving, timeless energy that flows through us and connects us to a magic beyond belief. A place where miracles do happen.

This God doesn’t judge us. This God supports every decision we make since this power gave us consciousness and free will to make our own choices. This God gently nudges is when we go off course by tapping into our intuition. This God doesn’t use the concept of correct or incorrect behaviour since that’s a human character we added to an all loving energy.

My God doesn’t have human qualities. Religion is what humans did to try and understand something that is way beyond our understanding but that’s my own personal belief about God. God is beyond our understanding.

Note: My post is not meant to criticize religion in the least. It’s just not for me.

This is so close to my own beliefs that I found myself nodding as I read it. Yet another reason why we seem to get along so well, @Keesha.

 

[chic]

I've had a lot of family members die of various forms of cancer and they pleaded to die, but doctors would not offer assistance. So, I do believe in self deliverance. I've always hated to see anything suffer my whole life long. If we can help our sick pets to a peaceful dignified death, why not other humans?

Why not?

 

[Lvstotrvl]

I’m surprised that some of you believe in hell, I always felt hell was right here on earth. When I look around and see homelessness, ppl without decent food n water, babies dying of cancer because of the greed,of the big pharmaceutical companies n the horrific diseases that we can’t cure to me that is hell!

 

[Butterfly]

Word was that Hitler was a Christian. Guess he made the cut but Ghandi didn't. Go figure....

Hitler might have said he was a Christian, but that doesn't make it so.

 

[Lvstotrvl]

If I recall sinners do not go to Heaven they go to Purgatory, there are 9 levels to Purgatory n if I recall the sinners spend 1 to 2 thousand years there, the only way they can leave is to have someone,from earth pray for them a certain amount of time. I can’t imagine anyone praying for some one like Hitler etc.

 

[pleinmont]

If I recall sinners do not go to Heaven they go to Purgatory, there are 9 levels to Purgatory n if I recall the sinners spend 1 to 2 thousand years there, the only way they can leave is to have someone,from earth pray for them a certain amount of time. I can’t imagine anyone praying for some one like Hitler etc.

How anyone can believe that silliness to be factual beats me.

 

[Lvstotrvl]

Lol,......oh come,on, I think we all believe in silly things sometime in our life! BTW....I don’t believe in Purgatory or the devil or hell but since I haven’t died yet,it’s not up to me to judge others beliefs.....lolol

 

[pleinmont]

Lol,......oh come,on, I think we all believe in silly things sometime in our life! BTW....I don’t believe in Purgatory or the devil or hell but since I haven’t died yet,it’s not up to me to judge others beliefs.....lolol

They can believe what they like as long as they don't force it on others with threats if they don't convert, as the extremists do.

 

[Judycat]

I'm OK with it as long as the person assisting knows what the hell they're doing. Read reports of people suffering even more at the hands of these angels of death because of resistance to the amount of drugs given, not being allowed to obtain the proper drug anymore and alternate drugs being used leading to the patient taking hours to die sometimes in burning agony. Kind of puts the damper on assisted dying for me. Hoping this is an extreme rarity, but still, not so eager to trust someone else to do me in properly. Fentanyl sounds nice. Not too crazy about the potassium injection though.

 

[rgp]

They can believe what they like as long as they don't force it on others with threats if they don't convert, as the extremists do.

Watched a netflix doc, about that just the other night. How "Christianity" was forced on native American Indians as well as tribes of of south America......conform or die basically !........can i get an Amen?...LOL!

 

[Pepper]

Watched a netflix doc, about that just the other night. How "Christianity" was forced on native American Indians as well as tribes of of south America......conform or die basically !........can i get an Amen?...LOL!

Amen.

 

[fuzzybuddy]

We don't live forever. There are no 250,000 year old humans. I think we forget that for every birthday, there will be a deathday. When there is nothing anyone can do to prevent what will occur, and one is in pain, what is gained by prolonging the situation. There is a distinction between suicide, and the determination to end pain and suffering in an ending life. With suicide, if prevented. life can continue. With assisted dying, if prevent, death will shortly happen. Is "life" in those last minutes, worth the suffering?

 

[Butterfly]

We don't live forever. There are no 250,000 year old humans. I think we forget that for every birthday, there will be a deathday. When there is nothing anyone can do to prevent what will occur, and one is in pain, what is gained by prolonging the situation. There is a distinction between suicide, and the determination to end pain and suffering in an ending life. With suicide, if prevented. life can continue. With assisted dying, if prevent, death will shortly happen. Is "life" in those last minutes, worth the suffering?

No. And I think each person should have the right to decide the answer to that question for themselves, not have the government make the decision for them.

 

[C'est Moi]

You know.... I had thought this might be a decent forum..... without Christianity haters. Seems I was wrong. At every turn, someone comments rudely. "Oh well, it was worth a try. Enjoy your place.

There are two topics that always cause dissension on forums; politics and religion. If you avoid those topics you'll be fine. (And there are always those who enjoy making hateful remarks; use the "Ignore" feature to make your forum experience better.)

 

[charry]

I am officially my husband's carer, even though he doesn't reckon he requires one. He is still a lot more intelligent than me even though he has only half a working brain. However, I do know better about his health, of which he has other issues too these days, but will he listen to me, no he doesn't. He goes off on route marches around our neighbourhood, and I haven't a clue where he is going. He takes his mobile phone, but if I try to ring him doesn't always bother to answer it, which really annoys me. I have told him when I have had enough of him I will put him in a care home, and I mean it.

If I had been the disabled one I would have been in a care home from the start, he was always useless if I was ill in the past.

yep , ive def heard this story before pleinmont, on a few sites.....
if you want to be a carer, take over my role...
no, i dont think so, i wouldnt let you near my husband ...

 

[pleinmont]

yep , ive def heard this story before pleinmont, on a few sites.....
if you want to be a carer, take over my role...
no, i dont think so, i wouldnt let you near my husband ...

 

[JaniceM]

I think people should have the absolute right to terminate their lives, with help if necessary, if they are terminally ill, or living with an incurable condition, which makes their existence a living hell. If it were legal here in the UK, I would be prepared to assist someone to die, having taken a course to ensure that I knew how to go about it.

What are the thoughts of others on this topic, which I realise is controversial?

I hate it when I don't have a yes/no opinion on a topic, and this is one example.
I definitely agree that it should be allowed 'if they are terminally ill, or living with an incurable condition which makes their existence a living hell,' but my concern is if it were legalized it wouldn't be long before cases that did not have that criteria would claim the same 'rights.'

In other words, I don't believe people should be able to take that step as a matter of 'choice' only, or in other, less serious situations.

 

[Butterfly]

I hate it when I don't have a yes/no opinion on a topic, and this is one example.
I definitely agree that it should be allowed 'if they are terminally ill, or living with an incurable condition which makes their existence a living hell,' but my concern is if it were legalized it wouldn't be long before cases that did not have that criteria would claim the same 'rights.'

In other words, I don't believe people should be able to take that step as a matter of 'choice' only, or in other, less serious situations.

Just curious -- why do you think people should not be able to "take that step as a matter of choice only", or in other situations?

 

[JaniceM]

Just curious -- why do you think people should not be able to "take that step as a matter of choice only", or in other situations?

Two reasons. First, however a person's life may be "today" is not necessarily an indication of how it will be in the future. Second, in most cases, a person's actions affect other people.