Medical Aid in Dying (MAID)

A friend was invited to such an event in Maine; which is one of the states. Everyone expressed their love etc., and the loved one was given a cocktail of sorts which put her in a deep sleep and then she was gone.

I would have declined an invitation to a friend's final moments. Not sure how I would feel for a family member. I wasn't given the option of being there for either of my parents who died alone in a hospital due to Covid.
 
AnneTeak said:
A friend was invited to such an event in Maine; which is one of the states. Everyone expressed their love etc., and the loved one was given a cocktail of sorts which put her in a deep sleep and then she was gone.

I would have declined an invitation to a friend's final moments. Not sure how I would feel for a family member. I wasn't given the option of being there for either of my parents who died alone in a hospital due to Covid.
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This sounds morbid.
 

There was a book about 25 years ago that was basically a do-it-yourself manual. One of their suggested methods was to overdose on sleeping pills and then put a plastic bag tightly over your head. I don't recall the title of the book, nor have I tried it.
 
Marcy Sheiner said:
I doubt it's that simple. I've pondered suicide for many years, and now know I couldn't easily do it. I certainly wouldn't be able to do physical, painful harm to myself (slitting wrists, shooting, hanging), it would have to be done with pills. Getting a hold of the right pills, dose etc. also not easy. So....I'm stuck here.
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I wish it weren’t that simple.
 
some of the skandanavian countries seem to do it well - the patient is linked to a tube attached to an inserted arm needle and via some machinery can operate a device to pump a lethal dose of some drug directly into the blood stream - watched it once - all relatives standing around and the doctor just said to the patient "when y're ready press the button and the drug will pump into your body and you can continue to say goodbye to all of us - usually legal - but gives the patient responsibility for acting on his/her need right then - not without critics of course - there always will be an opposing view and mine might be one of them!!
 
MACKTEXAS said:
This is a complex issue. It provides potential for the government to incentivize Medical Aid in Dying to reduce the expense of long-term care, and it raises ethical concerns about devaluing life and shifting healthcare priorities.
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Has it occurred to you that in the USA one reason so few states have it is because here medicine is a business, largely run by corporations and they make more money sustaining life even when all quality of life (which each of us should get to define for ourselves) is gone? And in the process they plunge the families into financial crisis.
 
feywon said:
Has it occurred to you that in the USA one reason so few states have it is because here medicine is a business, largely run by corporations and they make more money sustaining life even when all quality of life (which each of us should get to define for ourselves) is gone? And in the process they plunge the families into financial crisis.
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You are on to something; sounds real & true.
 
Marcy Sheiner said:
I doubt it's that simple. I've pondered suicide for many years, and now know I couldn't easily do it. I certainly wouldn't be able to do physical, painful harm to myself (slitting wrists, shooting, hanging), it would have to be done with pills. Getting a hold of the right pills, dose etc. also not easy. So....I'm stuck here.
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Been there, done that, had an NDE. Several threads on SF where i talk about it.
 
Diva, I play a lot of chess at Chess.com and also play Civilization VI at Steam.com. In Civilization VI I advance from one caveman with a club to nuclear weapons carried by jet bombers. When I drop my nukes, I kill MILLIONS and hear the screams of the victims. That experience make me want to live as long as possible so I can kill MILLIONS in the game. One game of Civilization VI takes many months to finish. I get my blood lust out in that game so I never think of my own problems!

Do NOT buy Civilization VII since that game has many bugs making it much worse than Civilization VI.

In my state of Connecticut Living Wills are legal. Thus, I have one on file with the Geriatric Unit of the nearest hospital and with my geriatrician. A Living Will allows refusal of all treatment including food and water. If I implement my Living Will, I will be dead in 2 or 3 weeks. My geriatrician told me he would visit me every day until I die if I implement my Living Will.

At my age of 90 I doubt I will live too much longer in any event.
 
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@feywon, I would not welcome standardized legalization of euthanasia to cut the costs you're concerned about, "even when all quality of life (which each of us should get to define for ourselves) is gone."

Has it occurred to you that there are many people who may decide for themselves that "all quality of life is gone" simply because they feel lonely and have no significant health issues? Should doctors be standing by to euthanize them with the blessings of the state?
 
MACKTEXAS said:
@feywon, I would not welcome standardized legalization of euthanasia to cut the costs you're concerned about, "even when all quality of life (which each of us should get to define for ourselves) is gone."

Has it occurred to you that there are many people who may decide for themselves that "all quality of life is gone" simply because they feel lonely and have no significant health issues? Should doctors be standing by to euthanize them with the blessings of the state?
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I’m more than ok with it.

In many situations it makes more sense to me than legalized abortion.
 

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