Assisted suicide

Discussion in 'Ethics, Morality, & Justice' started by superstring01, Jul 17, 2009.

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Should assisted suicide be permitted in terminal patients?

  1. Yes. Permit assisted suicide.

    96.7%
  2. No. Do not permit assisted suicide.

    3.3%
  1. superstring01 Moderator

    Messages:
    12,110
    This may already be a subject elsewhere, but I found this article interesting.

    I've come to the conclusion that in our obsession with extending life has taken the dignity out of much of the twilight of our lives. To balance this fact, I think that under very controlled circumstances, people should be allowed to pass--with assistance if necessary--into death.

    I figure that there comes a point where prolonging life is far more cruel and offensive to the person than forcing them to stay alive and endure only pain and suffering.

    My personal perspective:
    • If the content of pain so overshadows the purpose of living, then the individual should be given the choice.
    • A doctor should be allowed to administer whatever levels of medicine is necessary to stop the patient's pain. If the dosage of medicine has the secondary effect of [for example]: harming organs, stopping cardio-pulminary and brain activity, then it should be permitted so long as the primary intention is to ease and stop the patient's suffering.

    ~String
     
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  3. PieAreSquared Woo is resistant to reason Registered Senior Member

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    String,

    My Mom died last week. In a way she was a lucky one. She had done pretty well most of her life until the dreaded broken hip. She went pretty quick after that. Hospice was giving her plenty of morphine.

    After visits to the nursing home over the past few months. There are a lot of people who's quality of life is somewhat questionable from what I have seen. Is it living or just existing.

    I have to say yes... it should be up to the person to be "allowed" to make the choice. I really feel that I want to move to a state that allows such a thing.
     
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  5. Japarican Registered Senior Member

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    I currently work in a nursing home and upon witnessing the pain some residents endure I would definitely have to say yes. Some are just sent to die from terminal diseases. The worst part of it is the long drawn out process of reaching their death.
     
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  7. Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

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    i compleatly agree string. Doctor assisted suicide and vollentry euthanasia (two different things BTW

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    ) should be legalise, i even wrote a paper on how to improve a bill that was before the SA parliment for that very purpose. The public surport, not to mention the surport from the health care proffessionals in this area and the families of pts with terminal illness not to mention the pts themselves is OVERWHELMINGLY in surport of VE yet for some reason goverments just dont have the political will to put the question before the house.

    One did (the NT) but sadly because they are a territory the former federal goverment used its territory powers to crush that law. Interestinly if the NT was ever made a state on the day it happened VE would become legal again because the power used didnt end the law, just stoped the territories from exercising it and that power cant be used against the states
     
  8. Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

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    i ment to put something in my post about this. Under "Gold standed" palitive care the most they can do for these pts is called "Cemical Oblivian". What it means is that large doses of both morphine and a drug called medazalam (an antisetic) are used to put the pt into an unconciouse state (though not enough to cause respitory failure). They can be in this for days or weeks, feed by a drip until they die. However it takes alot of tweaking to get the doses right and lots of pts keep waking up and repeatedly having to go through the "Saying goodbye" ritual (i guess you would call it). Not to mention the strain this puts on family. Most end up dying from untreated pnemonia rather than from a quick painless adminstration of for instance lethal doses of morphine (which remove the desire to breath which is different from resp failure from say asphixia)
     
  9. Mrs.Lucysnow Valued Senior Member

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    9,879
    Where is Brian Foley? I would have thought he would be all over this thread.

    Anyway you have all heard my rant on this before. Yes I agree we should allow people to choose assisted suicide, euthanasia, anything that will ease suffering and allow for a dignified death.
     
  10. superstring01 Moderator

    Messages:
    12,110
    Odd. People seem to be in favor of this every time I talk to them. I wonder what the hold-up is in giving people a dignified exit that they deserve.

    ~String
     
  11. Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

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    23,049
    pollies and there fear of offending religious groups
     
  12. shorty_37 Go! Canada Go! Registered Senior Member

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    12,140
    Yes, If that is what they want, it should be their decision. They are the only ones who really know what kind of pain they are living with.
     
  13. superstring01 Moderator

    Messages:
    12,110
    Indeed.

    I find it remarkable that it's the religious people who are least in favor of things that seem to be quite religious in nature. Easing suffering, being one of the biggest ones.

    ~String
     
  14. shorty_37 Go! Canada Go! Registered Senior Member

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    12,140
    Religious ppl ....easing suffering? I guess all those catholic pedophile priests don't believe in that. I wonder how many ppl are suffering out there as a result of being taken in by a religion.
     
  15. PieAreSquared Woo is resistant to reason Registered Senior Member

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    2,144
    I'm sure the numbers would be staggering.
     
  16. Baron Max Registered Senior Member

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    23,053
    Geez, String, that's not "remarkable" at all. Unless I'm sadly mistaken, virtually every religion in the world has tenets which forbid taking ones own or anyone else's life. It's not the "easing of suffering" that's the issue, it's the taking of life.

    Baron Max
     
  17. superstring01 Moderator

    Messages:
    12,110
    I get that part. What I don't get is their unwillingness to counterballance our society's forcing of old, dying, in pain, people to live longer and longer lives. Some counterballance has to be allowed and people should be allowed to leave this life with some dignity. I don't want to die peacefully. I want to be stood up and shot. I'm not afraid of guns. I want them to come to me and say, "Daniel, you've got one hour to life. We're going to chase you down. Your family and friends are here to say good bye to you. We've prepared a great meal for you. Here are some cloths and weapons that work. In one hour you will run. 10 minutes later we'll be coming for you (without dogs, that's just unfair). I want a fire-fight in an old town. I want my Kimber Custom Chrome with me and the bolt-action riffle my father gave me a few years ago.

    Nothing like being hunted to death, to make the last moments of your life so totally alive. No regrets there. None.

    ~String
     
  18. swarm Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,207
    Die when you decide.

    Water is readily available and quite fatal if you drink a sufficient quantity fast enough.

    Water intoxication provokes disturbances in electrolyte balance, resulting in a rapid decrease in serum sodium concentration and eventual death. The development of acute dilutional hyponatraemia causes neurological symptoms because of the movement of water into the brain cells, in response to the fall in extracellular osmolality. Symptoms can become apparent when the serum sodium falls below 120 mmol/litre, but are usually associated with concentrations below 110 mmol/litre. Severe symptoms occur with very low sodium concentrations of 90–105 mmol/litre. As the sodium concentration falls, the symptoms progress from confusion to drowsiness and eventually coma. However, the rate at which the sodium concentration falls is also an important factor, and the acute intake of large volumes of water over a short period of time, as occurred in this case, would have produced a rapid drop in serum sodium, which was fatal.
    http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1770067

    I would shoot for a gallon in under 20 min. but the exact rate varies depending on health, salt concentration, kidney function, etc.

    Needless to say this is one thing you shouldn't practice and it can be fatal.
     
  19. takethewarhome midnatt klarhet Registered Senior Member

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    625
    Suicide is a choice. Let individuals make it for themselves.
     
  20. Baron Max Registered Senior Member

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    Yeah, nice thought. But didn't you miss the added little part of "assisted" suicide? Once a person has waiting too long, and can't do it themselves, they might want someone else to help them die. See? Assisted?

    Baron Max
     
  21. takethewarhome midnatt klarhet Registered Senior Member

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    625
    It's still a choice. Just because they aren't able to do it themselves....
     
  22. visceral_instinct Monkey see, monkey denigrate Valued Senior Member

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    Damn, this post messed up my adrenaline level, I was gonna go sleep in a few minutes

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    That does, indeed, sound like a really cool way to die. Fuck going peacefully in my sleep.

    I'm in favour of assisted suicide. I have no patience with those who believe in forcing people to stay alive against their will. They are doing that for themselves, not the person with the illness.
     
  23. Norsefire Salam Shalom Salom Registered Senior Member

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    11,529
    Choice is choice is choice. If it's choice it ought to be allowed.
     

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