Euthanasia - Good or Bad?

horseless carriage said:
We are so sorry to tell you that your new born son has a disease known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. As ALS progresses, the degeneration of motor neurons in the brain interfere with messages to muscles in the body which means that your son will be totally paralysed, unable to talk, not even able to control his body functions. Far better that we just let your son slip away, leave you to mourn and grieve, then, when you feel able to, perhaps try for another baby.

That is what can happen once the genie is out of the bottle, and if that unfortunate child not been allowed to live the world would have been robbed of the genius of the physicist Professor, Dr, Stephen Hawking.

The problem with Euthanasia is that once a law is passed, legalising assisted dying, it won't be restricted to the terminally ill. Anyone seen as a financial drain could be coerced, especially confused elderly people. I sincerely hope we don't let that genie out of it's bottle.
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I don't think euthanasia will be used to allow babies to die. It would be a decision made by adult patients for themselves.
 

horseless carriage said:
We are so sorry to tell you that your new born son has a disease known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. As ALS progresses, the degeneration of motor neurons in the brain interfere with messages to muscles in the body which means that your son will be totally paralysed, unable to talk, not even able to control his body functions. Far better that we just let your son slip away, leave you to mourn and grieve, then, when you feel able to, perhaps try for another baby.

That is what can happen once the genie is out of the bottle, and if that unfortunate child not been allowed to live the world would have been robbed of the genius of the physicist Professor, Dr, Stephen Hawking.

The problem with Euthanasia is that once a law is passed, legalising assisted dying, it won't be restricted to the terminally ill. Anyone seen as a financial drain could be coerced, especially confused elderly people. I sincerely hope we don't let that genie out of it's bottle.
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Was that an example or are you still caring for a son with ALS?

Stephen Hawking is a unique example but one worth thinking about. Hawking's ALS started late which for me means he had the opportunity to get an education, it's impossible to know what he would have been able to do if born with ALS.
Stephen Hawking developed the motor neuron disease ALS in his early 20s.


How fast do you deteriorate with ALS?
Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure, usually within 3 to 5 years from when the symptoms first appear. However, about 10 percent of people with ALS survive for 10 or more years.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Fact Sheethttps://www.ninds.nih.gov › Patient-Caregiver-Education
 
Just had my will done over yesterday and before the attorney could get started on the question I interrupted saying "pull the plug." She then moved on. If a doctor signs a doc stating terminal illness and the hospital wants to keep billing you by keeping your dying ass alive they should not be allowed to charge for it then see how fast you get released.
 

Mitch86 said:
If the elderly over age 80 are suffering terrible pain and impairment, should they be allowed euthanasia? In Nazi Germany every man, woman and child who was suffering incurable pain or impairment was allowed euthanasia without any problems. The Nazis were an evil bunch killing millions of innocent people but they did have a Tiergarten 4 Euthanasia program where every person in their nation could get out of life if they so requested.

Here in America the best we can offer is Hospice care for the suffering and dying. They do not try any cures but allow "natural" dying to progress for many months or even years until death. Other countries like Canada and Switzerland have euthanasia. Canada requires a 90 day residency and Switzerland charges $ 10,000 plus a witness who knows the patient and can identify the body after death.

10 US states do offer some form of euthanasia. The others require suffering of at least 6 months to 6 years to die. What do you folks think of this issue?
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I'm in favor of euthanasia in cases of long term suffering but I hate that you brought the Nazi's T4 into the OP discussion. T4 was not about mercy.
 
Years ago, I was visiting my former piano teacher. One of her students was also visiting her. He knew I was a firearms instructor at the time & he asked me to get him a gun. I explained that he would have to go through legal channels - present ID, fill out required registration forms, pass a written test, background check & a 10-day wait. He said "I don't want to go through all that; I need a gun now.
I said, "Sorry, I'd be committing a crime."
After he left, I asked my former teacher why he wanted a gun so badly. She explained that he has AIDS & he knows how sick he will be in a few weeks. A month later, he died. I don't know whether he died of AIDS or by suicide. He was 24.
I remember thinking, "There's got to be a better way......"
 
I have DNR (Do Not Resatate) copies at my Drs offices & also both hospitals I use. Suppose I code while in the hospital or on the surgery table; they try to shock me three times. If they do not get a heartbeat, they quit.

One problem here in our state is if you go with Euthanasia is if you have any insurance policies, they will NOT pay if it is Euthanasia or what they call suicide. So people have to suffer till they pass on.
 
@Tom 86 What a life ending journey for your wife and for you. I'm sure those last months were precious. I'm very surprised at the testing for the morphine levels. I've never heard of this. Next hospice nurse I encounter at work, I'll ask. Could vary by state perhaps?
 
I think people who are rigidly against this are still relatively young and haven’t achieved ‘old age’ yet or perhaps they have never visited a relative in a hospice who is slowly dying in agony.
 
Not something I've ever spent much time thinking about. Most Christian religions are against doing such due to the Ten Commandments, "Thou shalt not kill, and self suicide has been considered under that. But non-Christian atheists could easily take matters into their own hands regardless of any laws. With barbiturates drugs readily available in this era, a person not otherwise incapacitated that wants to end their life could do so themselves without needing to involve someone else. I find it odd that apparently there is such a cultural bias against doing it yourself that one will not even find web discussions for such? As our world becomes increasingly overpopulated with haves and have-nots, less Christian, people of all ages, sadly will increasingly be committing suicide, much less old people at the end of their years.

wikipedia snippet:

Assisted suicide is contrasted to Euthanasia, sometimes referred to as mercy killing, where the person dying does not directly bring about their own death, but is killed in order to stop the person from experiencing further suffering. Euthanasia can occur with or without consent, and can be classified as voluntary, non-voluntary or involuntary. Killing a person who is suffering and who consents is called voluntary euthanasia.
 
Living Wills are available and legal in most US states. They allow one to refuse all treatment including nutrition and hydration. One can die over 2 weeks that way or even less. After 2 days of that hospice may take you and keep you comfortable to the end.
 

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