64 replies to this topic

[kbbbb]

Should people have the right to chose when to end their own lives?

Or would people who want to live be exploited and murdered by greedy relatives?
Or greedy insurance companies? (as in Sicko when the lady whose cancer came back for a third time was offered euthanasia by her healthcare provider)

When should they? Should they always have the right? Or only if they have a terminal illness? (and what exactly is a terminal illness?)

::My view::

People should have the right to end their lives when the chose.
I am a Christian and think God doesn't want people to needlessly suffer and he would understand why a person chose euthanasia. Most arguments to the contrary put up by conservatives focus on obscure passages in the Old Testament, which is full of obscure laws that aren't followed anymore.

There are ways of ensuring that people can chose when they want to die and that loopholes allowing relatives to chose are closed. And if healthcare reform happened in the US then insurance companies would be barred from making such offers.

I think terminal illness is a really broad term. Honestly, some mental illnesses can cause such a compromise in quality of life and such intolerable suffering, I wonder if those people could chose when they want to die too (instead of being classified as incapacitated to make such a decision).

We have liberty in almost any other way, why not choosing if we live or not?

[Noitidart]

God dang what made you want to ask/debate this!? Is everything ok??
But ok. I say do whatever the hell you want when it comes to this. If you are religious then you know you're going to hell, if you still want that then ok. If you're not then whatever. Religious people shouldn't stop you as that's imposing their religion on the person. I have no clue why a non-religious person would want to stop them.

Honestly if you're thinking about it I say don't do it things will get better! Just think positive! In most cases it's the person thinking sad thoughts.

[jcrdude]

If it's my time to go, I want to go on my terms.

Healthy individuals committing suicide is wrong.

People who are circling the gutter committing suicide is acceptable.

I don't know if euthanasia is necessarily best for me specifically. I'm not sure which method I would choose if I were diagnosed with a "1-month disease," but I can assure you that I would be out living it up instead of sitting in a room trying to stretch it out.

1 month in the real world doing what the fuck I want to do > 4 months in a hospital.

[chobitz]

I watched an uncle die of oral cancer. Even in his last days in a coma it was obvious he was still in pain. There was not enough morphine in the world that would have eased his pain. I am not afraid of dying, its the pain of it that terrorizes me.

I told my husband if I were to ever be diagnosed with end stage cancer I would end my life. My greatest fear is to die bedridden, in diapers, in pain and have full knowledge of it all.

I am very libertarian about people's rights when it comes to their body. I say let suicide be legal BUT to protect their rights make sure you have to have it in your Living Will.

Notice I said suicide NOT euthanasia. There is a difference and you have to be careful. Euthanasia can lead to eugenics and eugenics is plain evil IMO..

[Georgina]

Totally agree with it with very ill people/people in allot of pain who wont ever get out of it until they die anyway.

Disagree with it with people with just a couple of "problems" money, relationships etc....

I'm my view they could legalize it but each case needs to be investigated properly, to find out why, and how motives etc

So much opportunity to be exploited...

[DarkVision]

Doing it without valid reason = Suicide.
Doing it with a valid reason such as a death causing illness/ cancer. Then it should be available

[wpanther93]

Notice I said suicide NOT euthanasia. There is a difference and you have to be careful. Euthanasia can lead to eugenics and eugenics is plain evil IMO..

That's interesting. How do you think euthanasia would lead to eugenics?

[chobitz]

Doing it without valid reason = Suicide.
Doing it with a valid reason such as a death causing illness/ cancer. Then it should be available

Killing yourself with or without a valid reason = suicide
Someone helping you kill yourself with your consent = assisted suicide
Deciding someone should die with or without their consent due to non life threatening illness like a disability and as any age like a newborn = euthanasia.

The main problem with euthanasia is human natures quest for perfection. You have a newborn who has a disability that while may make life challenging the child could still live a happy life but the parents or doctors decide they don't want the hassle (emotional, financial etc) of raising the child and euthanize the baby. It would lead to a baby born with a gene that might make it easy for the baby to get cancer, euthanize the baby. Baby is born with a gene that might be passed down to their children and cause problems, euthanize it. To eventually .. the baby isn't blond hair blue eyed? Euthanize it..

That is the evil or eugenics and its happened before. Ask the Germans..

Edited by chobitz, 05 March 2010 - 10:16 AM.

[outsidedream86]

Many people are so focused on quantity of life, not quality. I think assisted suicide should be legal for end-of-life situations where the person is fully informed of all the available options and is of sound mind. However, if it were legalized and not carefully regulated, I could see a situation in which people with depression or treatable illness would seek assisted suicide as the easiest path to end their pain.

While I agree that people should be allowed to do what they want to their own bodies as long as it isn't hurting someone else, that brings up an even bigger question: how do we decide harm? We live in a society, so any action we take will affect other people to some extent. For example, how much does a parent have to be suffering before their death is less harmful than having their child grow up without a parent? Or an elderly person seeking to end their life because they've become a financial burden to their family and the state? Do we allow it as an individual right? I don't really know how I feel about it either way at the moment--I'm too filled with questions.

[Noitidart]

Deciding someone should die with or without their consent due to non life threatening illness like a disability and as any age like a newborn = euthanasia.

Yeah that's what it is. It usually is done painlessly?

[chobitz]

Yeah that's what it is. It usually is done painlessly?

From what I've read its done with a similar cocktail as lethal injection. Put someone to asleep and then stop the heart.

[Salamanda]

Part of me wishes it was legal.
If I'm going to be living out my last days in pain, I honestly would rather just go.
And I was talking about this once, but I don't want to be old.
Period. No doubt about it. I really hope/think I will die before I hit 45.
If I have the option to be 'euthanized' then, I will take it.

I think that the decision to die should be made by that person and that person only.
It's a lot better than cleaning up a suicide.
But I can understand why people would want every case looked into.
Maybe there should be a grace period for less painful cases (i.e heartbreak, loneliness and whatever other reasons), like when you buy a gun. I mean, if you're not happy then you can wait a little while longer and maybe even change your mind.
But people with chronic illness, old age and some disabilities should be the first to have the choice.

[sircomflix]

I think that it's universally agreeable to have euthanasia as an option if you are suffering, have a painful terminal illness, etc. The topic only gets muddy when the person can't make the decision for themselves. It's really hard for me to pick a side when it comes to this, but I think it should be a case-by-case basis. There's really no other way of preventing abuse of the system, even if they only occur in the extremes.

[moosejuice]

When it's my time to go I suspect I'll want to live as long as possible, even with suffering. However, I think it should be each person's choice.

[artificial]

It should be legal, though with restrictions. Obviously a mercy killing by a friend shouldn't be allowed. However controlled conditions in a hospital environment should be fine, given there is just cause.

[kiddX]

My question is I guess what is the acceptable pain level to switch from it being suicide to it being euthanasia? Can you really compare the pain of 2 people and say it's fine to let you die, but "oh you're not hurting badly enough, sorry".

[chobitz]

Part of me wishes it was legal.
If I'm going to be living out my last days in pain, I honestly would rather just go.
And I was talking about this once, but I don't want to be old.
Period. No doubt about it. I really hope/think I will die before I hit 45.
If I have the option to be 'euthanized' then, I will take it.

As someone who is 41 believe me 45 isn't old. I feel not much different then I did 10 years and only a little different then 20 years ago( and I'm not sure how much is from my chronic illness or my disability to be honest).

But I understand what you mean. I do not want to be 85 .. I don't see the thrill of living to be 100..

[artificial]

As someone who is 41 believe me 45 isn't old. I feel not much different then I did 10 years and only a little different then 20 years ago( and I'm not sure how much is from my chronic illness or my disability to be honest).

But I understand what you mean. I do not want to be 85 .. I don't see the thrill of living to be 100..

Unless...through the miracle of science we're the last generation to die!

Huzzah! They can regrow all of our organs!

[Jiraiya]

I think it should be used in some extreme cases only.

[redlion]

"Save the Planet, Kill Yourself"

How can no one have mentioned CoE?
Homepage
Wikipedia

It is a right of inestimable value. I quote Seneca the Younger: 'The wise man will live as long as he ought, not as long as he can' and ‘To live under constraint is a misfortune, but there is no constraint to live under constraint’.

Concordantly Seneca committed suicide at the behest of the Roman emperor Nero.

[Salamanda]

"Save the Planet, Kill Yourself"

How can no one have mentioned CoE?
Homepage
Wikipedia

It is a right of inestimable value. I quote Seneca the Younger: 'The wise man will live as long as he ought, not as long as he can' and ‘To live under constraint is a misfortune, but there is no constraint to live under constraint’.

Concordantly Seneca committed suicide at the behest of the Roman emperor Nero.

I've surprisingly never heard of this.
These sayings yes,
"Save the Planet, Kill Yourself", "Six Billion Humans Can't Be Wrong", and "Eat a Queer Fetus for Jesus"
but not the group/church itself.
I find it funny that they love buttsecks though.

I dont condone eradicating the entire human population though. Even if it is over time and at ones own will.
No babies?! OH NOEZ. What will Pedobear do??



anyways, christ is a crutch and society is crippled.

[redlion]

I've surprisingly never heard of this.
These sayings yes,
"Save the Planet, Kill Yourself", "Six Billion Humans Can't Be Wrong", and "Eat a Queer Fetus for Jesus"
but not the group/church itself.
I find it funny that they love buttsecks though.

I dont condone eradicating the entire human population though. Even if it is over time and at ones own will.

I don't condone mass eradication, but neither does anyone in the CoE. They stress the voluntary aspect, and they know that they will always be opposed. There will always be people that don't want to die, people that want to leave their mark on the world by spawning a dozen wriggling, resource-hungry babies. We call them catholics.

There is a picture somewhere on the webz of Kat Korba holding up a sign with EaQFfJ on it. They had parades and stuff a while ago. Haven't seen them in the news recently though.

[Salamanda]

I don't condone mass eradication, but neither does anyone in the CoE. They stress the voluntary aspect, and they know that they will always be opposed. There will always be people that don't want to die, people that want to leave their mark on the world by spawning a dozen wriggling, resource-hungry babies. We call them catholics.

There is a picture somewhere on the webz of Kat Korba holding up a sign with EaQFfJ on it. They had parades and stuff a while ago. Haven't seen them in the news recently though.

They strongly urge no reproduction and voluntary suicide.
No reproduction = the end. eradication. period.

The Church has only one commandment, and it is "Thou Shalt Not Procreate." In addition, we have four "pillars" or principles, which are Suicide, Abortion, Cannibalism and Sodomy.

Looking through their website, they sound like a walking contradiction, almost like they think they know what they want but arent willing to do it themselves.
But they have a sense of humor so I can't even take this group seriously.

After reading what they had to say on Churchofeuthanasia.org, there is no way this organization is real. No fucking way.

[luvsmyncis]

There will always be people that don't want to die, people that want to leave their mark on the world by spawning a dozen wriggling, resource-hungry babies. We call them catholics.

Wrong. We call them The Duggar Family. They are Baptist or sumshit.

[Salamanda]

Wrong. We call them The Duggar Family. They are Baptist or sumshit.

UGH, I have this friend who I've known since I was in the womb and she swears by the Duggar family. She has met them numerous times and gone to church with them and all that bullshit. I keep telling her to STFU because the Duggars look like Polygamists in disguise (im waiting for the other wives to make an appearance), not too mention ugly people should not reproduce in mass quantities.
I cant disown my friend (she's following in their footsteps, 2 kids already and shes 24) because she always seems to track my number down or get to me through my family. Really, I just want her to throw her babies away and stop preaching about the Duggars. Then she can stay my friend.