Euthanasia

[Kiama]

I was doing some homework last night whilst my little sisters were watching Casualty, and my attention was focussed by one of the mini-storylines in it... There as a man who had had a stroke, and couldn't use some parts of his body because of this. He had been like it for about a year, and was getting really down about it. He said to his wife:

"When we are supposed to have dinner, you give me pills. Instead of sex, you give me a bath. When I want to go see the football, I get Match Of The Day. I've lost my life." This man just wanted to die. He felt as though he had nothing left to live for: He had no Quality Of Life, as it is termed legally, and medically whe discussing this subject.

Anyway, he refused to take his medication when he was in hospital, and thus suffered another stroke. When he had been checked out and everything, his wife came in. The husband pleaded with her to help him die. So, she kissed him goodbye, told him she loved him, and put the pillow over is face.

Now, this made me think. Would I do the same for my life partner, if they really wanted me to, and if they were of sound mind? Would I give them what they wanted?

Many religions teach that you shouldn't kill. The Bible says 'Thou shalt not kill'. The Wiccan rede tells us: 'An it harm none, do what ye will.' The law condemns euthanasia unless the plea is taken to the courts and agreed to first, and then its not active euthanasia, such as actually putting a pillow over the face would be: It is always withdrawing treatment. That's the only euthanasia that is legal, in the UK anway.

But, on top of all this, would you let the person you loved most suffer needlessly? And would you be able to help them die? Would you be able to put that pillow over their face, then live with yourself afterwards? The moral and spiritual aftermath needs to be dealt with, and as far as nearly all religions are concerned, you've just gone against what they say!

So, the big question is, would you, and if so, why, and how would you cope afterwards? Can the decision be justified spiritually, in the face of the 'Harm none' and 'thou shalt not kill' type rules that nearly all of us live by?

Kiama

 

[Maan]

Difficult question
Here in The Netherlands there is a public discusion about that subject.

I really woud not know what i woud do. Woud i help someone? I hope i find the strength to help my loved ones when they need me to help or accept the fact that they want to end this live.
I believe in reincarnation and thats why i'm not against "activly " ending some ones live.
And when it was someones wish: how could i live with myself if i let a loved one suffer because i did not want to let him/her go? Woud it not be selfish of me?

And if i was in great pain?

This subject leads up to an other question: What is suffering?
You can suffer great pain without being sick. Would i help someone with mental problems that wanted to and their live?
I dont know?

 

[Malachite]

well....i think voluntary euthanasia should definetly be legal, including getting help if you can;t do it yourself...someone's life is their own, and its not up to anyone else to choose what to do with it...thats jsut slavery...

involuntary is more difficult...if the victim cannot express an opinion, and has not left written instructions...

 

[funkpuss]

I agree that euthanasia should be legal.

My mother died from a stoke well it was a blood colt in the brain. But before she went brain dead in front of me and waiting for a week for her to die. If my mother had lived she would of been a veg just rotting away, she was fed up and she wanted to die, so everyone said good bye to her and she died a few days later. She would never forgive herself if we had to give everything up and look after her. I didn't mind at all but it was what she wanted as we talked about death so many times. Also 3 months later my brother was paralised from the chest down and was brought back from being dead 5 TIMES this was hell for him. He went through deep depression etc. and now he is still paralised but he now copes with life more than me! But there was this other man in the same ward as my brother who had been in a bomb accident and he was paralised from the neck down. This man couldn't even think of killing himself as he couldn't do it but if that was me I would want to be dead, what kind of life can you have like that? I think people should have a choice if they want to die or not.

Just only a couple of months ago I wanted to die BIGTIME but it was just a cry for help. I can relate to people feeling like this esp illness and pain. There is help out there but thank god I had the strengh to pull myself out of it.

FP

 

[Emily]

I believe in voluntary euthanasia, that people should have the right to decide when to end their lives. There have been a few cases in UK papers recently of terminally ill people wanting the choice to end their lives before they they start the downward spiral into a painful and long death.
It is a hard subject to bring up, my family don't believe in euthanasia but they know I do, I would want to make sure that if anything happened to me, something that I wasn't going to recover from that they know I wouldn't want to linger but what would anger me the most is that with our laws I wouldn't have the choice and no matter how painful or degrading it would be, I would be kept alive by some hard working doctor or nurse.

 

[Diana]

If my mother - who was the treasure of my life and who was more of an angel than a human - had asked me, after her 18 months of suffering before dying, to help her with her journey to death's door, and help her open it, yes I would have done it. With a broken heart, and searing pain in my mind, I would have done it. But she didn't ask.
However, when the doctor phoned me one evening to say that she had double pneumonia, my sister and I agreed with him not to give her any medecine, but allow her to die this so-called "natural death". Just thinking of that night makes me weep but I just know we did the right thing.

 

[amyel]

This topic has raised much debate in Canada recently, over the case of father who helped his daighter die. I can't remember what the girl had, but she was unable to speak, walk or basically move. The girl was born like this. The federal and provincial gov'ts provided basically no financial assistence, and the family lived in a rural area. The girl was not expected to live to see her 18th b'day.

After 12 years of seeing his daughter in this condition, and emotionally exhausted from no available assistence, the father "helped her pass". I can't remember how. He was tried and convicted of murder and is currently serving a life sentence. It is still before the courts, as an appeal is being launched.

So I guess you have to say, when thinking about this: Who has the right to decide? Can father/mother decide for a minor child? Does the age of the dying person matter?

I know that personally, I have ordered my family & husband to provide no extreme measures to prolong my life if I am ever in a vegetative state - basically, Do Not Resusitate. I am comfortable with this. When it is my time to go, it is my time to go. If I have the will to live, I'd like to think I would fight to do so.

Now, could I actively help someone to die? That is harder. I don't think I could, beyond not giving medications, or such. But to smother or inject - I don't think I could.

 

[Diana]

On a more happier note than my emotional one above, here in Switzerland euthanasia is not legal. But there is an organisation that is tolerated - perhaps it exists in other countries? - called EXIT. You can become a member, and then if you are in a state which can call for euthanasia, a member comes anonymously to visit you in the hospital or home, and provides you with a strong dose of some medecine and you just fall asleep.

The authorities seem to turn a blind eye to it, and I think will until someone takes them to court. They are extremely wise and lucid people. They have on their board doctors, pharmacists, lawyers and ethical-profession people.
A girlfriend of mine knows that her mother called them and the next day she was found peacefully dead in her hospital bed.

 

[Kissa]

Following the discussion taking place in the Netherlands, the French Minister for Health, Bernard Kouchner, a medical doctor who came to politics after being involved in numerous humanitary organizations, says he approves of euthanasia. He hopes that the discussion in a neighbour country like the Netherlands will help south european catholic countries to discuss euthanasia too. He has admitted that he helped people to die when he was working in Bosnia and Africa (can't remember where exactly).

Euthanasia has been practised in France for years and although it is illegal (and will probably remain for a long time), doctors/family members who helped a patient dying are not sued in most cases.

Kissa

 

[lunalafey]

Get this, animal shelters put down healthy animals by the thousands because nobody wants them, loves them, no home, over populated..ect. Accepted practice. So if some one wants to die for WHATEVER reason...that is thier decision. It is a waste if that someone dies when they have so much more to live for.