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Thought on medical-assisted suicide?

Vie

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I'm in the process of writing a paper, and purely for the purposes of my own morbid curiosity --

What are your thoughts on euthanasia?
Suicide in general?
Religious reasons? Moral/ethical reasons?
 

Savage Idealist

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What are your thoughts on euthanasia?

Granted that both the individual who wants to die and the individual who assists in the death are both willing to do so then it's fine by my standards.

Suicide in general?

If an individual has a powerful resolve to die then it is their choice alone. Although I make a disitinction here from an emotionally driven suicide, as in this case the individual is not in a stable mindset and thus prone to poorly though out, hasty decisions, and thus one should do what they can to prevent this type of suicide.

Religious reasons? Moral/ethical reasons?

Even if done so out of religious or moral purposes, as long as it doesn't violate what I mentioned previously, then it is fine.
 

SecondBest

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I think euthanasia, as painful and as difficult as it may seem, is sometimes necessary. I don't really believe in an absolute morality that extends beyond an individual's own subjectivity, and so I could never say something was wrong or right for EVERYBODY without feeling horribly presumptuous.

Having said that however, it seems to me that the general consensus on the attitude towards the sanctity of life is somewhat... thoughtless. While I am not saying that people should go out killing others willy-nilly, I do believe you have to try and bear in mind the quality of life a person is experiencing when this issue comes up. A bubbly, happy existence that last only 20 years is better than a depressed miserable one that lasts 80.

Suicide in general... man, I feel like I'm going to catch some serious flak for this, but I'm going to put it out there anyway.

In my experience, there are two general ways a person can die. They can die from the death of the body, or they can die from the death of the mind. The latter being what we call suicide. And this attitude of "Whatever doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger" is NOT true. You cause enough psychological trauma, you WILL kill the mind. The mind dies, but can't fully do so without the body, so it takes the body with it. This is how I see suicide. I've lost people in my life to it, and to me, that's what happening. It's the death of the mind as a result of experiencing something more than it can actually handle. And as hard as it was for me to accept, it is their choice to make. Again, I could never make the moral judgment to say in any absolute sense that what they chose to do was either right or wrong. It is their life and their decision.

Similarly, when the body dies, the mind must be taken with it as well - I think this is what may be referred to in ESP or near-death experience circles as "limbo." There are some who believe that after a body dies, the entire person will not completely die until the mind has let go of its own existence. So, in essence, for a complete death to occur, both mind and body must die.

That's all I got.
 

kyuuei

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If I get alzheimers like my grandmother.. I want to be medically assisted in my suicide. I wouldn't be myself anymore.. just a shell of a being, running on auto-pilot until I short circuit.

I'm not and advocate of suicide.. life is the best, and only, possession I truly own. But, if I cannot be myself during it anymore.. than it's not mine anymore either.
 

Vie

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In my experience, there are two general ways a person can die. They can die from the death of the body, or they can die from the death of the mind. The latter being what we call suicide. And this attitude of "Whatever doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger" is NOT true. You cause enough psychological trauma, you WILL kill the mind. The mind dies, but can't fully do so without the body, so it takes the body with it. This is how I see suicide. I've lost people in my life to it, and to me, that's what happening. It's the death of the mind as a result of experiencing something more than it can actually handle. And as hard as it was for me to accept, it is their choice to make. Again, I could never make the moral judgment to say in any absolute sense that what they chose to do was either right or wrong. It is their life and their decision.

Similarly, when the body dies, the mind must be taken with it as well - I think this is what may be referred to in ESP or near-death experience circles as "limbo." There are some who believe that after a body dies, the entire person will not completely die until the mind has let go of its own existence. So, in essence, for a complete death to occur, both mind and body must die.

That's all I got.


I totally agree. I feel that for some people who even are psychologically scarred, perhaps even "fucked" up, suicide sometimes really is the only answer. They're is no helping them as they're mind really is too far gone to be saved. It seems cruel to ask someone to stay around when there is no happiness for them.

My take on euthanasia is relatively the same, only reversed for the body. I don't see what the fuss is about if a mentally stable person makes a rational decision to end their life on their own terms, rather than succumb to what is often a degrading, horribly painful death.
 

kyuuei

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It's funny how wild our perception of death is. People just have to get over the childhood idea that death is such a god awful, gruesome thing.
 
E

Epiphany

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I'm not necessarily opposed to it, considering the inevitable problem of overpopulation. Some people who are suicidal snap and go on to commit homicide before they end their own life. I think circumstances should be taken into consideration, such as a parent who is still raising dependents. If they die then someone else is going to have to raise their children, and what kind of impact is that going to have on them? Not only would they feel betrayed by their parent, but they would feel betrayed by the government/institution who assisted them. There are a lot of ethical questions to be considered. It's true that suicide is somewhat selfish, but I think it is also selfish for people to tell a suicidal person that they must suffer indefinitely out of some sort of obligation to them.
 

Sparrow

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What are your thoughts on euthanasia?

Im all for it, if you are terminally ill it should be your choice to end your life. They accuse these doctors of playing god, but keeping people alive with machines and meds is the same idea..."playing god". We are over populated anyway...so whats the fuss, let people die in peace if they want to!

Suicide in general?

It depends on the person and the situation. Dont get me wrong, I wouldnt want any of my loved ones to commit suicide. Life can be tough and some people feel like there is no way out. I dont know everyones situation and experience so its not my place to judge.
 

Aquarelle

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I am in favor of euthanasia. It seems more cruel to me to disallow someone with a terminal medical condition to choose to end their life without months, maybe years, of suffering that will be painful for the patient AND their loved ones. If the person wants to end their life with dignity and relatively peacefully, I say they should have that right.

Suicide for non-medical purposes... I'm more conflicted on. I recognize that some people go through really rough times and it may seem like the only answer, but I do think a lot of the time, therapy/treatment/medication could help. However, if someone wants to end their life for whatever reason, I still think that is their right and their business. But if I had a close friend or family member who wanted to commit suicide for non-medical reasons, I would do everything in my power to get them to at least try all the alternatives before I would "give them my blessing" (I hate that phrase - I'm not God!! - but I can't think of a better way to put it, because I probably still wouldn't really approve, but I'd just not begrudge them that right). But if a friend or loved one had terminal cancer and wanted to end his/her life through medically-assisted suicide, I would support that decision.
 

Halla74

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^Perfectly stated! :nice:
 

rav3n

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What are your thoughts on euthanasia?As long as the individual involved has either a living will or is mentally capable enough to express their wants, I have no problems with this.

Suicide in general?If people don't want to live, this is their choice and my opinion is that society doesn't have the right to interfere in their decision.
 

Beorn

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Death is always a tragedy and is not something to be hastened. When people celebrate at a funeral, it is the life they celebrate not the death.

When I was working at a university a few years ago I knew a kid with Cerebral Palsy who was wheel chair bound, couldn't speak and couldn't feed himself. He was one of the happiest guys I've ever met and he was working on a bachelor's in engineering.

Most people are touched and encouraged when they hear of someone who overcame a brain injury, was born with some debilitating disorder, or has developed a terminal illness and yet lives with a sense of courage and purpose.

We are shamed by their strength.

And if the strength of such people should be admired is it not clear that something is terribly wrong when someone responds to such conditions with hopelessness and a desire for suicide?

If two people can have the exact same experience of horrific loss of ability or enduring pain and yet each responds in a completely different manner then it seems to me one of them must be delusional. I submit that it is the hopeless person that is delusional. That there is always a reason to live.

Just as a family can bring support and strength to someone weakened by a disaster we as a society can provide the support of our laws to the weak and the helpless.

Moreover, assisted suicide should never be allowed because it is impossible to maintain safeguards against undue pressure that may be placed on the weak and frail.

Last summer the British Parliament rejected an assisted suicide bill. The most influential speeches came from quadriplegic and severely disabled voting members of the House of Lords who spoke out against the bill. It was clear to them that fellow members of their disabled community would be at risk of succumbing to the evil wishes of family members and others that may benefit from the hastening of their death. Not to mention the potential pressure put on the disabled by society as a whole and influential public figures.

Baroness Warnock, a proponent of the bill, has claimed "If you're demented, you're wasting people's lives – your family's lives – and you're wasting the resources of the National Health Service."

That sentiment should be repugnant on face to anyone that has served the disabled or has family that is disabled.
 

guesswho

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I am in favor of euthanasia. I have a problem with people who have a problem with euthanasia.

Imagine this.
There are so many people in this world.
A very little percentage of them, suffer debilitating accidents, from which they cannot recover. If they want to get euthanasiated, they should be allowed.
 

Tiltyred

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I think anybody who wants to check out for any reason should be allowed. I am scared of being old, poor and sick, which is just about inevitable unless I commit suicide at some point. I wish I didn't have to live with that hanging over my head. Although I suppose Living Wills (which I have) are of some assistance. Still not very good assurance.
 

CrystalViolet

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I don't want some one else wiping my ass, so yeah, I plan to check out before I lose my mental and psychical capacities. No old folks home for me, thanks. And my rellies can squabble over my leavings at the funeral. It seems my wishes will not be observed after death, so there's no point in bequeathing my assets to charity. Sorry, my cynical streak is showing.
 

Bamboo

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If you wanna be dead, go for it.


Personally I think people who are suicidal should consider the possibility that if they hate their lives but are capable of providing the basics (food, shelter) for themselves, that they could readily spend more time doing service oriented work.

Might as well be useful and miserable.

It wouldn't be surprising if that led to a sharp decrease in suicidal thoughts and behavior, too.
 

Tiltyred

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Yep, they oughta just buck up, pull themselves up by their bootstraps, think happy thoughts for god's sake.
 

CrystalViolet

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If you wanna be dead, go for it.


Personally I think people who are suicidal should consider the possibility that if they hate their lives but are capable of providing the basics (food, shelter) for themselves, that they could readily spend more time doing service oriented work.

Might as well be useful and miserable.

It wouldn't be surprising if that led to a sharp decrease in suicidal thoughts and behavior, too.

Nice, but isn't this thread mainly talking about those who can't, or are face with the likely hood they won't be able too in the near future.


But I'll give credit where credit is due...studies have shown this does aid in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. Helping others gives people a sense of well being, but generally these people aren't sitting on thier arses doing nothing anyway.
 
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