Euthanasia! should it be legal?

Do you think that euthanasia should be legal?

If someone is suffering from a serious illness should they have the right to ask for assisted death?

There are obviously a load of rules that would have to be in place to prevent as far as possible the abuse of this, but I have always found it odd that we would never stand by and watch an animal suffer unnecessarily yet we allow our fellow human beings to.

Surely if that individual wants to be put out of there misery they should legally be allowed to, without any come back for the person who assisted them?

Your thoughts?

I think you'll find that, whilst it may not be 'legal' in the strict sense of the word, it already goes on.  When someone's life is close to the end there is a very fine line between alleviating their pain, for example, and upping the dose very slightly so that they slip away.

However, I tend to think that if someone thinks the best solution to their situation is death - any age, any condition -  we have failed them incredibly badly as a society

I think it should be allowed. When they are terminal and at the point of wanting to die (from pain, etc), what is the point of keeping them alive? I guess it's like us putting off euthanizing pets because we want to have them around as long as possible, so it's even harder to do that with a person (maybe some feel it's not far from murder?)...similar to a person in a vegetable state that is kept on life support for years.

GI: yeah I know it goes on with like morphine, but it does not say on the death certificate, overdose, it says eg cancer. For it to be legal it would have to state the exact cause of death. And the trouble with the increased meds is that the person has undoubtedly suffered for some time before the dose is increased enough for death to occur.

I've seen this first hand working in a nursing home, when the morphine pump is put on, the person is generally close to death but it still takes about 2-3 days for them to die.

vice: I agree with what you say, I have often wondered if one of the main reasons it isn't legal is because no-one wants it on their conscience.

Im from Oregon. We are the only state (so far) which allows doctor assisted suicide for terminally ill patients who are in a lot of pain and can prove that they are mentally stable - not just acting on impulse.

Weve had the law in place for about ten years and only about 265 people have been prescribed the lethal dose of barbituates. Of those 265 only about 170 have gone through with it.

It allows people to die with dignity. Their family members dont have to go through the agony of watching their loved one die a long, painful, horrible death.

azirra, wow I didn't know that, and I think it kind of proves the point that it can work.

Yep it should be legal.

I agree with it. If I was suffering from something terrible, I'd rather put myself out of my misery than suffer until death came on its own. I knew Oregon legalized it and I'm glad there's at least one state that recognizes that this is not necessarily a bad thing.

For me, it's more about that the government is saying that even though you sincerely want to die, even though you (and your loved ones) are in a massive amount of pain, they're not going to let you. The most important decision maker in this process should be the person who wants to die (which is why all of you should consider filling out living wills!!). I just can't fathom, in good conscience, telling someone that they aren't allowed to do that.

philosophically, yes.  practically, I don't know if there would be a way to ever make it work. 

If euthanizing animals is humane and kind, why do we do even less for people who are suffering? 

This is an increasing issue as medicine becomes more successful at keeping people alive longer and longer.  there is a point when your quality of life is just gone, but there's nothing to kill you because they cured it all.

I euthanize animals everyday as a living, and they are sick and dieing and i feel its the right thing to do so they dont suffer needlessly, My grandfather is ill, and he asks to die everyday, would you want to lay in a bed, urinating in diapers, and not being able to do anything for yourself? when my time comes, i hope i am allowed to be euthanized.

I've just had this discussion with someone, who is religious and their argument was that no one can take a life! They then went on to say that people don't suffer when they are dying because they are spaced out on drugs and it is their right to refuse further medical intervention?

I said well someone has the right to refuse further intervention, so they are in fact bringing forth their death? they agreed yes!

So what is the difference other than assisted instant death and a prolonged forced death with refusal of help? Both are to get the same outcome. They didn't say anymore.

Personally I take the first assisted death why linger if you didn't have to.

I seem to be the only one I know that supports the right eventhough I dont want them pulling my plug after Ive flatlined.  Pain, shmain - if the only alternative, Im staying.  Therefore my opinion doesnt come from being able to relate to such a decision but from what people should be entitled to.

I think this is a horribly gray area though, knowing there are many people alive today and happy to be when previously had literally wished themselves dead.  I also think, though, that is why such decisions must be left to individuals and their doctors, not their government.  Too complicated with too many factors for government to just come in and say, "Nope."

My late FIL had a series of mini strokes that basically made him have no short term memory - For a few years we were able to keep him at our home but it started to get so bad when he would get lost in the house and not recognize his own son- so we had him put in a nursing home.  He was in an alzheimers wing- he got so bad he forgot how to feed himself, use the restroom and stuff.  He didn't have alzheimers but it was just as bad.  This IMHO isn't living this is no way to go thru life not knowing who you are where  you are or who your family is.  He thought he was in Korea in the war again most of the time.  Other than his brain being mush his physical  body was in excellent shape he lived 5 years bedridden in this facility before he finally died of sepsis pneumonia from aspirating food into his lung.  My husband always said it was too bad he didn't take his dad out to the desert hand him his gun and say goodbye when the man had the faculty to make his mind up then. 

sure our medicine can keep anyone alive forever it seems, but the question should be is this really "life"?  Is this what you would want?  I think if the quality of life of someone is so bad it should be up to family and drs to decide what is going to be best.   I'm not just talking terminal illness and pain - I'm talking quality of life.  I just pray I never have to go thru this or put my family thru it. I hope if I get to this point that overdose of whatever I take will make it go fast- and I hope I have the prescence of mind to be able to make this decision.  Who cares if my life insurance won't pay for suicide why should my family go broke paying to keep me alive.

I agree with you, dbacker. I've talked to my parents about this and luckily our whole immediate family is on the same page. That's no life at all. When I worked at the mental hospital, we had a geriatric unit and most of them had alzheimer's and it was the most heartbreaking thing to deal with everyday... and they weren't even my family. 

My grandmother is developing alzheimer's and when I was home one of my aunts suggested I visit her while I was home but another aunt vehemently told me I shouldn't do it. She said she's gotten so bad she wouldn't even know who I am now esp. since I was gone for a year. I know my grandmother wouldn't want to live like that. She's been putting off moving in with my aunt for a couple years but it's to the point where she's going to be forced.

Although one could argue if that is the same as suffering in pain...

i'm absolutely in favour of assisted suicide, but there's so much grey area.  if you're lucky enough to have a disease in which life-sustaining treatment can be withheld, and if you have the ability to express you will to have that done, it's relatively simple.  same if you have the capacity to administer (or request) an overdose.  but it gets fuzzy when you have a condition that doesn't leave you dependent on treatment, or that diminishes your ability (or perceived ability) to make your own decisions.

and i can tell you that people's will about these things can change.  my mother suffered a massive stroke four years ago and is confined to a wheelchair.  she's lost one breast, her reproductive system, and part of her colon to cancer.  she has a form of cancer (carcinoid tumours) that--until recently--was progressing so slowly that treatment wasn't indicated (she's 73).  if you'd asked her the day before her stroke if she would want to live this way, she'd have said no f***ing way.  but now, she's clinging to life like you wouldn't believe, and she was thrilled when the oncologist finally offered a treatment for the cancer so that she can hang on a little longer.

Well said pgeorgian....   In the previous example when someone claims 'I know my grandmother wouldn't want to live like that' (with Alzheimer's)... how do they know?   Alzheimer's patients may live in a world of their own and may not know who anyone is but, carefully managed and loved, they can be quite contented.   Assuming someone 'wouldn't want to live' is exactly why euthanasia is a slippery slope and why doctors are not queuing up to call for its introduction.

I think I am safe in saying that it is a natural human instinct to cling to life, where there is "hope", I saw this with my own dad.

But the case that made me think on this subject again is a case in the courts here just now where the lady has no hope. She has MS and is currently in an electric chair and can do very little physically for herself, but her brain is still at the moment very much in charge, but that will not be the case for long and she wants to die before that part of this illness happens.

For her to have assisted death she has to travel to Europe, to travel to Europe her husband has to take her. She is asking the courts to be specific about what would happen to her husband for helping to take her there, the courts are very vague about it. Others have done it and some are under investigation, but as yet no-one has been charged with anything.

So on top of this ladies terrible illness, she has the worry of what if anything will happen to her beloved husband should he help take her to her death, and also the fact that she has to travel so far just so she can die remembering how happy her life had been and how much her husband and her loved each other.

If someone makes the educated choice to end their life, I would much rather have them end it in a controlled setting. 

The way of the future. 

but how do you know whether they're making an "educated choice" or they're acting out of temporary despair?

I am a veterinarian and I have euthanized many animals.  Often it is the right thing to do.  But there have been times when it wasn't the right thing to do.  People didn't want to deal with illness, the animal had a terminal condition but was doing fine at the current time, they wanted to go on vacation and couldn't find an acceptable care taking situation, one party wanted to euthanize, while another didn't, the animal wasn't truly sick, but incontinent and destroying the house, etc., etc.  There have been times when I refused to euthanize and the owners just went down the street to another veterinarian. 

If euthanasia becomes legal, what's to stop someone from saying Aunt Betty is suffering, we need to put her out of her misery, don't worry, I'll take good care of her millions.  It becomes a legal quagmire.  Many elderly are already taken advantage of by their families when they are no longer sharp enough to monitor their own finances.  I prefer to see it go on behind closed doors, within the privacy of family and physician, rather than making it legal.