The Right to Die
Go to the following website to read about the Pros and Cons of this issue:http://www.balancedpolitics.org/assisted_suicide.htm
or read the handout (pick up on 9/24) and take a stance. Once you have decided which side you support you must give reasons and be ready to back up your opinion. Don't forget you need to reply to someone's blog as well as answer the topic.
80 comments:
I believe it is up to the person wether they want to live or not. I personally do not a agree with physician aided suicide. I don't think it is right to take your own life. I do believe that it should be up to the person though. If they are in a lot of pain and agony and they don't feel like they can go on it should be there choice. I feel like human life should be valued though and that you shouldn't give up on life. God knows wether you are going to live or not and when you are in a life and death situation your life are in his hands. Things happen for a reason and god knows why he does things. If it is meant for you to live you will, but if it is meant for you to die you will die.
I cant really say a yes or a no to physician assisted suicide. There are so many reasons people should be able to. Like for example you could be sitting on your death bed and be in LOTS of pain with the doctors telling u that they dont have a cure but are working on it. they may never find one so they should be able to take there life. but then there are times when i dont think that people should be able to. I mean there are people htat are just in alil bit of pain or just hate there life style, people, or what they've done and try. So really I say that you should and shouldnt be able to.
I agree with ddrake1. I'm not really for it but i think that a person should be able to live or die if they please. WE dont always know how to see if from the way they do or what is goin on in there mind. But i say hes right the person should be the one to make the decision
In my opinion i think that physician assisted suicide is acceptable because if there is no cure for what you have or you waited to long to get tested for what u have then you are going to die a more painfull death then if you just died fast and easy, Im not saying that people should do it just to get out of like money problems or they fake sick so they can die. It would make death easy and fast sound eaiser then then slow painful.
in response to megan...
i agree with you. I dont think that people should live in pain the rest of their life or what they have left of it. People should not want to die because of those situations.
This is a tricky topic. I do belaive in miraculous recoveries because it happens but the chances of that happening are very slim. I know that I would rather die with dignity. I mean when my grandma was in the hospital it was so painful to see her with out any dignity. If iwas her and i asked my doctor to kelp me commit suicide I would pray so much that he would trust me and say yes i'll help you. And we're paying alot of money to these doctors, the least they can do is what we ask. And besides they have patients with more hope than the ones with the incureable disease. But I beleive there should be signed documents and a witness invovled in this. And I think there should be a way that we can make it so the insurance companies may never ever suggest suicide to clients. it has to be 100% the patients idea and decision.
I believe that a person's death should be natural and it is unethical to allow people to kill themselves. Don't get me wrong, I hate that people die of painful diseases and have to endure them til the end. However, if we allow people to take their own lives in this instance, the line will constantly be pushed a little farther and a little farther. After all, what really is pain and suffering? A single father is depressed because he has been out of a job for a year and his kids have grown up and moved out of state. He is in "pain." Should he be allowed to end his life because life is hard? No, it should not. A teenager is having a hard time keeping up with grades and fitting in at school. He is stressed and in "pain." Should he be allowed to end his own life because life has challenges that can be difficult. The line is drawn in the sand not in concrete. Eventually suicide could be considered a "normal" thing because of us trying to help the sick.
ddrake...
I am confused.
You have contradicted yourself. You do not believe in suicide yet you think someone should be able to decide to live or die. I believe that human life is too important to be wiped out with murder or suicide, but could you please explain deeper what you think?
I strongely agree with ddrake1. That's right it up to you if you want to live or not. God made you so it's up to him also if he want you to live. He put us on earth for a reason not to just be here for nothing. I think you should enjoy what you have and what he have done for us because you never know when the world going to end. It's God chose. Thanks TaBrisia
I believe it is up to the person. I mean if they are going threw so much pain and are just sick of it and they CHOOSE to die. Then let them. I mean its wrong to just give up your life like that but if i was in pain for a long period of time. and i tried everything and nothing were getting better i would just give up.
in response to megan..
i agree with you about the doctors saying there trying to find a cure.
but how often do people find cures in a short period of time you know?
so its a sticky situation both ways.
I'm most definitely for it. I don't mean to sound repetitive, but I think that if someone wants to end their life, then let them. It's their business, so stay out of it.
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I don't think it is right because it is agaisnt the law. Eight years ago Dr.Kevorkian was arrested for particapating in over 130 aided suicides. he still believes that people have the right to die. However, many believe that doctors shouldn't play God.I only hope that through medication and loving care eases the pain and suffering that patients experience.
Tough question mainly I think because this can be taken from two point of views. The actual person who is incurably ill, and the family or friends of the incurably ill.
Of course, being honest, friends and family are going to say the person wants to live! Who wants to see a loved one die in general? But if the person cannot speak... Whoever has the power of attorney (I believe) has the right to decide the fate of such person. But can you really tell what they would want? I don't believe you can decide by conversations you have had with the person in the past. And I don't believe you can say, "Well I know they would want this". Their opinion could have completely changed on this subject when THEY are the one in this position.
I think that physician-assisted suicide sounds horrible. This is due to the... I don't know... big word... not sure... SUICIDE! It's a touchy subject as some of us may know certain people that have mingled with the idea. For one, the name should be changed to something more specific, and more pleasureable to think about.
But besides that, I do partly agree with this type of "suicide", somewhat. But not too much. The only reason I think this is somewhat reasonable is if the person that is incurable literally says that it is okay, signs papers THEMSELVES, and everything, so on and so forth. Unless this person is able to do that themself, I completely disagree with such acts.
How can you personally judge whether someone is fit to live or not? You don't know how they feel, see, touch, anything. We are all different. I think it should be legal if you medically (ONLY IN A TERMINALLY ILL POSITION) want to be "put to sleep". I would not want even my mom to decide for me if I could not speak for myself, as she does not know how I feel. I would just want to live, because I want to make my own decision.
As confusing as this topic is... I conclude by saying I am COMPLETELY against it, unless the person that is terminally ill can consent personally.
NO! i believe that no one no matter what situation should be given the right to take away their own lives. Even if someone is brain dead they, as long as they have blood flowing they are still alive to me. the only way to allow assisted suicide would be if keeping the person alive would no longer be possible. either it be money problems or just not the right equipment to keep them alive. everyone was given the right to live and they shall keep that right until they die naturally.
I also believe it should be the right of the patient to decide, with the approval of a physician, weather or not they are in an unrecoverable (either a cool word or a Bushism) or vegetative position or state. We allow our suffering pets to be "put to sleep" in order to relieve them from the pain why not give that same relief to humans. It is not that I don’t value human life and I think it would be an ignorant stament that anyone would say or allude to. For those skeptics, the point of being able to do something means you can choose not to do it either. If your family thinks it is wrong for ANY reason, it is their right to deny Physician-Assisted Suicide. And if you believe that way I would encourage you to do so. I have a problem with saying NO ONE should do it because I believe it is wrong. If it is wrong in your opinion voice it but let other people make decisions for themselves based on their beliefs not yours!
in response to PSanches:
I think you are generally confusing the difference between physical and mental pain as reference to your comments about teens with bad grades. The debate is based on the physical pain of patients with MEDICAL PHYSICAL injuries. i think your argument needs to be reshaped regarding these issues not mental one.
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Jaime Eisner...
I am saying that the line is not drwa to just physical pain ending death the term is "pain and suffering." Personally, I do not believe in suicide but if this is made legal than there must be strict written concrete rules not just saying someone s in pain.
This subject is very touchy. Some people believe that putting somebody out their misery is the right thing to do, while others believe that it is wrong and takes away from the natural death cycle. I strongly disagree with the idea of assisted suicide. Who gives the right to doctors to play God? If this were to happen i would want all doctors to be completely and 100% sure that they know EXACTLY what they are doing and are sure that assisted suicide is the best option. In the Pros and Cons it said under "yes" that if assisted suicide where allowed doctors would have more time to work on patients that are savable. To me, thats just wrong how do you know FOR SURE that there is no way they can be saved? And what makes somebody's life more important than another? If a doctor said to me, "well i just don't think that in the end you will be ok. There is another way to avoid you suffering and being in pain..." (or however that would be put) The only thing i would be thinking is "so i am basically a waste of time and you want to get rid of me?" Honestly, that is just not right. Death was meant to be a natural process and shouldn't be placed the hands of certain people.
i agree with Alondra...
as long as people are still living they deserve the life they ave been given. The only way any type of assisted suicide would be ok is that there is no way they can be kept alive. If the machines are no able to save them then i guess that is understandable but in no way is assisted suicide alright.
Just because other people care about the person who is about to die does not mean they should make them live through a horrible procedure. I mean if the person goes to someone and says i want to die, then i think they should be able to do it.
I also agree with Emilee, it is their business, so stay out of it.
I believe that a patient that has been diagnosed as incurably-ill should be allowed to make this decision, but i also think that they should have to be permitted to do so by a psychaiatrist. Meaning that a psychaiatrist or even just a doctor should have to assess the patients psycological well bieng (state of mind). For instance when people are scared or in pain they tend to make rash decisions.
I also beieve it naive for anyone to refuse an incurably-ill patient the right to make this decision. How can you pass judgement on a situation such as this without knowing what the patient is going through. If you put yourself in their shoes it is a much more complex situation than simply will you choose to live or give up. For instance you have been diagnosed with terminal bone cancer. Every second of every day you are in imense pain. Eventually you are not only in terrible pain, but are slowly becoming more and more incapable of completing day to day tasks to the point where you are bedridden. To make matters worse you cannot hold any food down which causes you to not only be dieng of cancer, but also starvation. Now if you like this future by all means stay alive. However some people believe it or not realize that each day alive is spent wondering if today is the day so instead make the decision to bypass the pain and suffering. They obviously won't make their desicion without thinking it over first. Besides since when did it become acceptable to tell someone what to do with their life?
I have to disagree with Alondra Ray's comment on the point of when assisted suicide should be allowed. She wrote "the only way to allow assisted suicide would be if keeping the person alive would no longer be possible. either it be money problems or just not the right equipment to keep them alive." I can see the problem if the equipment wasn't available, but doesn't everyone have the right to live no matter the cost? I can't imagine a single family member that would let a relative die because of the cost (the obvious exception being if they didn't care about the relative in question).
i personally think that a person should not commit suicide because u might go to hell and u could make your kids think it might be OK to that when life gets tough and they could affect all their relatives and make the have a mental break down which would not be cool.
An incurable patient should be able to commit physician-assisted suicide, only if the patient has been cleared psychologically by a psychiatrist or doctor. If a person is well aware of their situation in terms of chances that they could live then this patient should have the right to decide whether or not they will live. Those who choose to have a physician-assisted suicide would allows doctors to get vital organs that would lives of others.
In response to Morgan:
I agree with your belief that physician-assisted suicide is acceptable only when the patient has a, "well bieng (state of mind)." Given the situation where a person is in extreme pain and forced to make a decision like this one, their point of view may be altered from what it normally is. However, if the person shows no signs of psychological issues then they should be able to make the decision of having a physician assisted suicide.
PSanches:
Phtysician assisted suicides are based on physical conditions not mental this means you need to change the basis of your entire argument
I do think its up to the individual as to whether or not they wish to live, but I do not agree with doctor assisted suicide. I can see some of the good reasons behind it, but only under certain guidelines such as agreeing to it themselves, not people who say, "Its what they would have wanted," like Mike said. Its a tough subject, but I really lean towards disagreeing with the idea of doctor assisted suicide. I believe that doctors' priority should be to keep patients alive as long as possible, not pull the plug if they cannot be cured
Well if the person straight up chooses to die i think they should go ahead. i dont think that they should be like assisted in killing themselves though. thats a little weird.
Well I believe the answer is very simple. If the person is too ill to live and doctors can no longer carry on any more procedures the person has a right to choose to suffer and live longer or pass away quietly with no pain. It is their life they are questioning. If they choose not to live any longer so be it.
An unanswerable question to everyone except the patient. I do believe is a human right to take your own life but only because it is what the patient wants. I do appeal to giving away his organs to someone who truly needs them. The releasing the sadness of the family doesn't seem to make sense to me. In my opinion, i think if my great grandmother commied suicide instead of letting her heart pump as long as it could i would feel much more depressed.
I'll have to agree with emilee. It is their life they can do what they please with it. If they want to die it won't stop them from killing themselves a more harmful way. Why not let them go in a more peaceful way?
Jaime...
I am talking about the FUTURE of this bedside manner. As we have seen with many policies they start fine and end up meaning something else. I am just saying that it is a possibility and I think that must be taken into account.
Also sorry to all on my last entry. The grammer was atrocious.
I go both ways on this, I think it would be okay, BUT the patient should be able to have the final word. I mean if there is no cure or there is just too much pain and there is really no hope I think it would be alright. If you were put in that situation you would want a way out. But then again you hear about all these miracle stories on how the patient made an over night recovery. Personally if I were put on the physician side I would not be able to assist in this, the physician would have to take in the patient’s age to, if you’re a minor I don’t think you should be able to, this is just my opinion though.
In response to Amanda…
I agree with you, it is up to the person, and I know that committing suicide is somewhat like giving up but I don’t think that is always the answer, I think the person should wait as long as they possible can, and then make a decision, because taking your life is a BIG choose to make.
I think that this decision is very difficult. I mean personally i dont think i could kill muyself, but if someone feels the need to die go for it. I mean say if someone looses both of their legs or something thats not the life style that they are use to living life. If they feel they cant live like that then let them go there isnt that much you can do about it.
I agree with rabecca edgars because she is right if there isnt a cure, what are you suppose to do? live life unhappy? come on now nobody wants to do that. Plus if that person is in pain. Nobody likes pain. So ya you should be able to do what you want!
I think that if a person has a terminal illness and is in alot of pain they should have the right to choose to have a doctor help them committ suicide, otherwise they might do it themselves in a way that would be traumatizing to the family. they could die quietly and without any blood with physcian assisted suicide otherwise they might just go and blow their brains out
in response to dan
I agree with you and think that a person should be able to choose wether or not they want to keep suffering
This is very hard to answer, I think if your in great pain or agony and it cant be cured then YES go ahead but if your mentally unstable then no because then you get into friends and family issues and thats not cool haha. I agree with ddrake1 its up to you! Religion is a whole other thing also so its your choice but if the pain is really that bad do it....
I think that incurably-ill patient should be able to commit physician assisted suicide. This is not wrong because it follows the Hippocratic Oath. Doctors should be allowed to assist the patient in commiting "suicide" if it puts them out of severe pain or misery, even if the family objects because it is the patients life not the family's life.
I agree with Eric because I also believe that patients who have been cleared and understand the circumstances should be able to kill them selves.
in response to psanchez
I totally agree with you that human life is too important to be wiped out. I was saying that it should be up to the person though because you don't know what they are going through. If i was in the hospital bed i would not commit suicide i would let my life play out like it was supposed to.
Interesting angle to take Psanchez. Although it is quite an extreme example of pain. Maybe you are right there are people that will press the issue of "what is pain" BUT, until you have a loved one that is dying and is in so much pain, the true kind and they have lost their dignity an assisted relief doesn't seem wrong.
In response to Shelby:
I agree with you because if that patient wants to commit suicide I think that they have the right to die. They should do the killing themselves though instead of being assisted by the doctor. That may make the doctor feel guily even though the patient wanted to die, but the doctor could have easily stopped them.
Mike, you are so RIGHT. The word suicide is repulsive, selfish, and horrifying all at once. Something could be the greatest thing in the world call it a ugly name and no one will touch it. Maybe we do have to get rid of the word. As far as making choices that is the point if the person can not speak for themselves then it would not be that ugly word "suicide"
In my opinion, patients should not be able to kill themselves with a physician's assistance. Doctors have ethics and once they recieve a degree they take an oath to do no harm, which includes not killing someone. People that just want to kill themselves may take this is a perfect oppurtunity to do just that. There are religions out there that do not believe in killing epople just because they want to. There is always a chance, no matter how small that a person may recover from something, and it would be futile to kill yourself.
In response to ed simione, I agree with you. Doctors should keep the patient alive as long as possible.
i think if people want to die, a. they are lame, b. i guess they can. If you are hurting that bad you should be able to say "Doctor, I so wanna die." The doctor will respond, "But you have so much to live for" and the patient goes "I live for pain." Doctor goes "What about your family?" "i have no family, and i have terminal cancer." this guy is seriously ill and if he wants to die, he can. People take these issues really , really seriously, but its just like running a marathon. If it hurts really bad, you can give up, but your coach will yell at you and call you a wuss.
I agree with the people who said they will kill themselves anyway. It's either doctor assisted, or razorblade assisted.
Well really i don’t see why a person would want to die some boring death like taking some little shot. If you are going to commit suicide you could at least go out in style. Now if some person is lying on a hospital bed with like 20 tubes stuck into him, no family, and is in pain everyday he should have the right to die. If the actual person is not able to make the decision on his own then there has got to be some rules. If some 20 year old chick married to an 80 year old with some terminal disease I think it should be tried as a case of some sort to see if it is fare or not to pull the plug.
If you want to say that no matter in what condition a life is worth more than anything in the world. I think I would agree but seriously its not the end of the world let a person die if they want to its not going to affect are largely overpopulated world. Now if we got some suicidal polar bear ready to pull the plug on his boring life in the Sandiego zoo, get him some darn counseling or something those things are already almost extinct.
if this person is miserable and suffering i beleive they should be able to decide for them self weather to live or not. it is worse to make them suffer then to let them die.
i agree with everyone pretty much. but to ask the doctor to do it for you is wrong. it could screw up their life's if they were to get in trouble. if it weren't against the law then go for it but if it is i would rather have the patient do it themselves.
I personally think that we need to definitely stay on track for this "issue".
Jaime and PSanchez...
Jaime, as opinion goes I agree with you about what you are saying. PSanchez, remember that 1) we are not talking about how the future is going to shape, and how it will run. 2) Remember we are talking about incurably-ill patients here. These are not people that got run over by a truck and lost an arm, and go "OH MY GOSH I CANNOT LIVE!!!" These aren't people that are emotionally scarred or upset. These are people with diseases or conditions that TODAY, in our society, we do not have enough medical ability or structure to cure. We are simply not advanced enough, at least what is released. I believe if you have a disease that has the slightest 0.0000001% chance of being cured, you should not be able to apply for this "suicide". However, if you literally have less than a chance of getting better, why live through pain? I do not mean your girlfriend broke up with you it's the end of the world pain, we all know what that feels like! I am speaking about medically astonishing conditions, that simply are a blur to our community.
ddrake1...
I do agree that human life should be valued. But how can anyone, including me, justify a correct answer to this question? We all have our opinions, but we do not know how it personally feels to be in this position. Who knows - if I was in this postiion I might change my mind and decide I want to live. And same for you - possibly we could all understand what it feels like. Maybe then our positions on this would change.
I don't mean to bring religious aspects into this, but I believe it possibly beneficial. ddrake1, it sounds like you are somewhat religious. As am I, and we still have different opinions. To point out, just because I personally believe in certain Beings, we may not necessarily have the same opinion. We all are different. I believe Whoever gave us all the right to choose, and thats why we have such a variety of answers. Even if now I'm the one off topic. Ha
I believe that all sorts of "killing yourself" should be illegal. Let me start with two particular reasons of why people defend suicide. Reason A)Health care costs can be reduced, which would save estates and lower insurance premiums. My argument against this reason:Isn't a persons life more important than people saving money and lowering costs? Anyone that gives this reason is cold hearted and they are probably also the same people who want all the elderly people dead because they don't bring money in and therefore are "useless". Reason B) The right to die should be a fundamental freedom of each person. My argument against this: I definitely don't believe that we have "the right to" take our lives. Were you in control of yourself being born or not? No, you weren't, so why should you be in control of when you die. Death is supposed to happen naturally. Look at the animals, do they just decide when they should die? Nope. If people start compromising on morals when do we know how to stop, because we can't all just be deciding which basic morals are to be left out, then the whole world can become messed up and chaotic. Where would it all end if it is to be based so much on what you feel. For example: You decide to forget about how wrong it is to steal because you find the t-shirt you've searched for in every store but you don't have enough money to pay for it and so you steal it. Then everyone might as well steal because we need things, and then you would even forget about all the governments laws because who are they to put laws over us? You see, compromising morals for what you feel can lead to chaos. Also I read some comments on how the word suicide is an ugly word and they should get rid of it. You know why its an "ugly word"? Because killing yourself is an ugly thing, and it is morally wrong. The meaning behind any word is the thing that makes it beautiful or ugly.
In response to Psanchez:
I love how you said the line is written in sand, not concrete. And just as you said "eventually suicide could be considered a 'normal' thing..." so we can't keep pushing the line further...because eventually the line could altogether disappear. It seems to me like all of Americas standards are going down the drain. And it's obviously not good because our nation as a whole seems more depressed these days.
in response to Alp
I think the same way you do. If the patients are going to kill themselves anyway the doctor should just let them. The doctordoes not always have to assist them, but they should not hold the patient back.
As always, I am impressed with the entries, It is wonderful to see so many varying opinions, but the nicest thing is the way you are all respecting each others differing opinions. This is obviously a very emotional topic. As far as animals go, the research shows that animals do "go off" and die when they feel it is time, and since we some of us are focusing on words, incurably-ill is just that, they are going to die. This isn't a line in the sand or concrete, it is just fact. They are going to die, shall we allow them to go with dignity absolutely. If this is to comfort, love, and support the person until they take their last breathe so be it. But if a person chooses to die with dignity on their time table is this really so horrible?
Mrs. Burr, I love your response, it is an interesting view compared to mine. However, how do we really know when someone is incurably ill? Perhaps the doctor is wrong, perhaps a cure all of a sudden is found, or maybe a miracle recovery could happen. There have been many miracles in the area of health. There is always that "what if", and when it comes to a persons life I put more importance on the what if. My aunt had a miracle and so did a friend of mine.
Yes i believe that a patient should have the choice to commit physician assisted suicide because it puts them out of pain. Why should they have to suffer?? In a way when a family has to decide whether to take another member of their family off of life support it's kind of the same except you dont know how long the patient is going to survive. I think this would be more painful of having to, in some cases, starve to death or go without water or respirators. I personally, would rather have it be quick and with as less pain as possible than have to be in constant pain for days until i pass. Yes i admit it would be hard and it does contradict the doctors hippocratic oath, but i dont see why taking someone off of life support isnt contradictory to it too.
In response to Kenny:
I understand what you are saying and yes i agree with the fact that doctors do have ethics but in the modern version of the hippocratic oath they 'kind of' take an oath to do no harm but they at the same time kind of dont, it specifically states:
"Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty."
This i found on Nova.com if you want to look more into it, but many medical schools around the country do take this oath and it has been used since 1964.
The patient should have the right to be able to commit physician assisted suicide, but only if they absolutely want to and they are of sound mind.
In response to asager1:
I completely agree and would like to add that you pretty much added to my original post.
I also agree with the fact that life support and respirators and all that jazz are good if you want to buy some extra time. But it doesn't necessarily mean it's helping them get better.
Does anyone remember that whole situation with Terry Schiavo? Her husband didn't want to see her suffer anymore (she had been on a feeding tube for 15 years or so), but her family wanted her to stay on it, claiming that she was conscious. Her tube was obviously pulled out and she died. I'd have to agree with her husband on that because after 15 years, I'd reach my boiling point.
I believe strongly that a person should be able to die without undue pain. Someone with terminal cancer for example, is going to die. The question is when and in how much pain. I feel it is wrong for the government to tell them that they have to suffer and die in pain. Hospice is an excellent option but even with hospice some people would chose a painless death rather than escalating pain medications and a slow deterioration of their body and a drain on all the resources they would rather have go to their heirs. How can anyone say this is wrong. I think that only the person dying of a terminal illness has the right to say assisted suicide is right or wrong for them.
There is a big problem though. Even if you agree they should be allowed to die an assisted painless death that they desire, who kills them. I don’t feel it should be doctors because they took the Hippocratic oath not to do harm to patients. If assisted suicide becomes legal I feel there should be a group of people that review the situation made up of regular citizens (not pro-life people but people that would agree that assisted suicide would be an option for some) and if they agree then the state would help arrange the injections. Dr Kevorkian’s views are too radical. He once assisted a women who had terminal “depression”. That would never be a reason for suicide by a reasonable group of people. But someone with esophageal cancer who can’t eat and intermittently bleeds and is losing weight, who are we to tell him he has to fight it to its natural end? Why not have an out when things get too bad? I think it is moral and right and would be very reasonable if the system by which it is implemented is set up correctly.
(probably you can read that I agree with most of you guys)
I believe strongly that a person should be able to die without undue pain. Someone with terminal cancer for example, is going to die. The question is when and in how much pain. I feel it is wrong for the government to tell them that they have to suffer and die in pain. Hospice is an excellent option but even with hospice some people would chose a painless death rather than escalating pain medications and a slow deterioration of their body and a drain on all the resources they would rather have go to their heirs. How can anyone say this is wrong. I think that only the person dying of a terminal illness has the right to say assisted suicide is right or wrong for them.
There is a big problem though. Even if you agree they should be allowed to die an assisted painless death that they desire, who kills them. I don’t feel it should be doctors because they took the Hippocratic oath not to do harm to patients. If assisted suicide becomes legal I feel there should be a group of people that review the situation made up of regular citizens (not pro-life people but people that would agree that assisted suicide would be an option for some) and if they agree then the state would help arrange the injections. Dr Kevorkian’s views are too radical. He once assisted a women who had terminal “depression”. That would never be a reason for suicide by a reasonable group of people. But someone with esophageal cancer who can’t eat and intermittently bleeds and is losing weight, who are we to tell him he has to fight it to its natural end? Why not have an out when things get too bad? I think it is moral and right and would be very reasonable if the system by which it is implemented is set up correctly.
(probably you can read that I agree with most of you guys)
I think it is the person who is dieing choice. If you have a disease and you are incurable and you don’t feel like fighting anymore. Also say this person has a disease that puts you in the worst pain every moment of the day, and the doctor gives you a time table that you are going to pass, I think you should have the option to stop this pain. I just think that the person that is passing should have the choice if they can die or not.
Yes i think that could be a good thing. If there is a temonaly ill person who doesnt want to live anymore it would be better for them to get a shot then shoot themself in the face. It would also be nicer i would think for someone to know exactly when your going to die.
I agree with d drake also. I think a person should always decide if they live or die if they have dieses that are incurable. But say the person is incompetent, and then the family members should play a role in the decision making of the sick person.
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i believe its up to the person wether they want to live or not. to tell you the truth i really dont think its right to take your own life but it really is up to the person if they want to live. some people dont want to have to go through a lot of pain, they might not be able to handle it.
i agree with ddrake1 because i dont agree with physician aided suicide. but it really is up to the person.
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