Article: The Doctors Who Invented a New Way to Help People Die

Ruthanne

Ruthanne

Caregiver
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https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/01/medical-aid-in-dying-medications/580591/
Prescription suicide for the terminally ill.

Seven states—including Hawaii, where a law took effect on January 1—and the District of Columbia now allow doctors to write lethal prescriptions for qualifying, mentally capable adults who have a terminal illness. And support for the practice has gained new national momentum after the widely publicized death of Brittany Maynard, a young cancer patient who moved to Oregon in 2014 to take advantage of that state’s aid-in-dying law.

What are your thoughts on prescription suicide or anything from this article?
 

I want it to be available here in the UK.. currently anyone wishing to end their own life, has to be fit enough to travel to Switzerland which of course if you're very ill is almost impossible..... and then pay for the services at the Digitas clinic..I believe it's around £10,000

I would definitely want to be able to be in charge of my own destiny if I ever got terminally ill..I don't want to live for months or years in Pain, and be a burden and heartbreak on my family..!!
 
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IMO it's a wonderful step in the right direction.

I believe that I should have the right to have a pill or injector available that will work the first time every time when I decide it's time for me to leave this world. Just having it available to me as an immediate option would give me some strength and courage to help get through another day.

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I've always thought it was stupid for us to not allow our pets to suffer needlessly, but we're supposed to suffer until our last breath.
As Patch Adams said, "There is nothing wrong with dying." A drug for this purpose should be available.
It would avoid suicide - which is more traumatic for those left behind, it may not be possible, & may be messy if it is possible.
 
Blah that one patient took 18 hours to die on the docs' first low cost concoction. Rather gruesome. Chlorohydrate burned the patients' throats...? Good Lord! No easy way out for the non-wealthy. Wouldn't use fentanyl because of its bad rep? Really? Sounds troubling, if not insane. But still stand by my post above. Patient should be fully informed though.
 
I very strongly believe that a terminal patient should be allowed, at their own request, a way to end his/her life on their own terms, and should be entitled to a physician's assistance if they need it (but that no physician should be forced to participate if it is against his/her religious or moral principles). I also believe a person should be legally allowed to put their request for such an end in some form of legal writing before the fact.

I do not see where society gains anything by forcing a terminally ill patient to suffer all the grisly and agonizing effects of an illness that will ultimately take their life. I also do not see where society has the right to insist that the patient suffer said agonies if the patient wishes otherwise.
 
I think it [a death causing concoction] ready to go, should be available to anyone over 18. There are many reasons why people want to end their life. It should be no one else's business once that decision has been made by that person.

We are brought into this world by the actions of two people, either by plan / desire, or by accident. We should at least have a say in when we leave. [barring accidental death]............jmo
 
Absolutely agree with this. If people want to check out they should be able to get themselves some drugs that will give them a cool buzz while they drift peacefully away. That's so much better than what we have now where your method of choice seems to be blowing your brains out at the kitchen table with a .45 and leaving a big mess for someone to clean up.

As it is now almost 23,000 people are committing suicide by firearm every year.

https://www.vox.com/2015/10/1/18000510/gun-suicide-homicide-comparison
And the anti-gun people always include that number in their "Killed by gun violence" statistics so that those deaths look the same as when some nutcase goes into a school with an assault rifle and starts executing kids.

We could cut the so called "gun violence" deaths in half if we had a better way for people to check out if they want to.
 
Butterfly said:
I very strongly believe that a terminal patient should be allowed, at their own request, a way to end his/her life on their own terms, and should be entitled to a physician's assistance if they need it (but that no physician should be forced to participate if it is against his/her religious or moral principles). I also believe a person should be legally allowed to put their request for such an end in some form of legal writing before the fact.

I do not see where society gains anything by forcing a terminally ill patient to suffer all the grisly and agonizing effects of an illness that will ultimately take their life. I also do not see where society has the right to insist that the patient suffer said agonies if the patient wishes otherwise.
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Follow the money ....... As long as we are alive, and in dire need of someone's attention. We are a cash cow ......all involved makes a nickle.

Once we are gone ..... all that stops.

Other than a few religious zealots and their groups , it's mostly the medical system that want's to keep us alive no matter what.

And IF we are really bad-off ?? Even better, the machine does all/most, of the work. Then billing our Ins./co [or us] is the only real task. Once the ins./co starts to balk, & /or [we] run out of money ...... we mysteriously die .......... of natural causes.
 
Trade said:
Absolutely agree with this. If people want to check out they should be able to get themselves some drugs that will give them a cool buzz while they drift peacefully away. That's so much better than what we have now where your method of choice seems to be blowing your brains out at the kitchen table with a .45 and leaving a big mess for someone to clean up.

As it is now almost 23,000 people are committing suicide by firearm every year.

https://www.vox.com/2015/10/1/18000510/gun-suicide-homicide-comparison
And the anti-gun people always include that number in their "Killed by gun violence" statistics so that those deaths look the same as when some nutcase goes into a school with an assault rifle and starts executing kids.

We could cut the so called "gun violence" deaths in half if we had a better way for people to check out if they want to.
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The last gun related suicide that I investigated, the man was lying in his shower stall. It appeared that he sat down in the stall before putting his .357 in his mouth. Definitely very effective.
 
911 said:
The last gun related suicide that I investigated, the man was lying in his shower stall. It appeared that he sat down in the stall before putting his .357 in his mouth. Definitely very effective.
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That leaves a terrible mess for someone else to deal with.
A book I read some years ago said to take a lot of sleeping pills and the put a plastic bag over your head. Seems better than most common methods.
 
911 said:
The last gun related suicide that I investigated, the man was lying in his shower stall. It appeared that he sat down in the stall before putting his .357 in his mouth. Definitely very effective.
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At least by doing it in the shower stall he showed some modicum of consideration for those who would be stuck cleaning up the mess. Better than blowing his brains out at the kitchen table and doing a face plant into a dish of Spaghetti.
 
I'm all for it also, the reason someone wants to take their life is very personal and they should have an easy and safe way to do it. I know of people who came home to find a relative or house guest either blew their brains out or hung themselves. I would hate to come home and find something like that. Assisted suicide can be planned and effective and gentler on all involved.

The book I think Manatee referred to is Final Exit, it sits on my shelf right now. My mother in law bought it many years ago when she started to have a lot of pain and anxiety accompanying her old age. Luckily she never had to use the advice in the book.
 
My father in his final days in a nursing home begged my sister to bring him poison; he was suffering with no hope of recovery, and was in his right mind. Of course, we could not honor his request but I believe that death with dignity should be available to those of sound mind who want this option.
 
Fyrefox said:
My father in his final days in a nursing home begged my sister to bring him poison; he was suffering with no hope of recovery, and was in his right mind. Of course, we could not honor his request but I believe that death with dignity should be available to those of sound mind who want this option.
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FF: I cannot imagine how difficult it was for your family to watch your father suffer so without being able to help him.
 
From reading through this thread, I am struck by the fact that everybody who has written has the same unanimous opinion. If we are a microcosm of opinion in the world (western world, anyway), why the holdup in getting this passed? Only a few states have phyiscian-assisted suicide.
 
Sunny said:
From reading through this thread, I am struck by the fact that everybody who has written has the same unanimous opinion. If we are a microcosm of opinion in the world (western world, anyway), why the holdup in getting this passed? Only a few states have phyiscian-assisted suicide.
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While I am almost never in agreement with rpg on anything, I think he is on to something when he said:

Follow the money ....... As long as we are alive, and in dire need of someone's attention. We are a cash cow ......all involved makes a nickle.

Once we are gone ..... all that stops.

Other than a few religious zealots and their groups , it's mostly the medical system that want's to keep us alive no matter what.
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I always thought it was pretty stupid to have a law making suicide a crime. What are you going to use as punishment-death? That kind of sums up what we feel about assisted suicide. It doesn't make sense. I think what bothers people is how do we judge when to allow this. When is it so hopeless, and so agonizing that it is humane to allow someone to end the torment? I don't know.
 
I agree, fuzzy, though I would go further. It should not be a "crime," no matter what the reason. If the reason is something that could be treated or corrected, the person's family and friends should try to help them, and prevent it. But why make it a "crime?"
 

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