[X] My Assistant

[Vox]

I'm all for assisted suicide, if the person are in that bad a state, and they want to end it, but are unable to, I think it's their right to ask someone for help.

However, my sister, who was 40% burned in a rather nasty attack, she actually asked my Mother to kill her when she was in hospital, because of the suffering. My Mother said she simply didn't have the courage/whatever to end her life, nor did she have the know-how how to do it with minimal pain. So she didn't.

Thirteen years on, my sister is actually more physically fit than one of my other sisters - however, she's had just under ninety operations to try and 'reshape' her, and she still says to this day that she'd sooner die than go through the pain again.

So I'm not sure exactly where I stand on the view that "if they can't get better, let them kill themselves" because my sister is proof that sometimes you CAN recover from these situations that render you useless. She was told she'd never drive, never walk, never speak, and she does all three perfectly well. If my Mother had killed her in that hospital bed, would it have been right? It would have saved her all the pain from the operations she has had (and will continue to have until her death) and yet, she frequently tells us how she loves her life (she recently got married).

Quite a tricky one. ^^

[Annakyoyama358]

I'm all for assisted suicide, if the person are in that bad a state, and they want to end it, but are unable to, I think it's their right to ask someone for help.

However, my sister, who was 40% burned in a rather nasty attack, she actually asked my Mother to kill her when she was in hospital, because of the suffering. My Mother said she simply didn't have the courage/whatever to end her life, nor did she have the know-how how to do it with minimal pain. So she didn't.

Thirteen years on, my sister is actually more physically fit than one of my other sisters - however, she's had just under ninety operations to try and 'reshape' her, and she still says to this day that she'd sooner die than go through the pain again.

So I'm not sure exactly where I stand on the view that "if they can't get better, let them kill themselves" because my sister is proof that sometimes you CAN recover from these situations that render you useless. She was told she'd never drive, never walk, never speak, and she does all three perfectly well. If my Mother had killed her in that hospital bed, would it have been right? It would have saved her all the pain from the operations she has had (and will continue to have until her death) and yet, she frequently tells us how she loves her life (she recently got married).

Quite a tricky one. ^^

With all due respect, burns are not terminal. Personally, if you're not likely to die, then you SHOULD try to live.
CANCER now theres somehting that I'd rather die than live through once it's terminal

[Vox]

With all due respect, I think I recall correctly that my sister was burnt enough for it to be considered terminal. She was attacked with petrol. This wasn't an "oops, got too close to the radiator ;" burn.

Personally, if you're not likely to die, then you SHOULD try to live.

Take that disease where your mind is perfectly active, but your body is slowly rotting (I can't think of what it's called...¬¬) - sure, you can certainly live through it, but would you still want to live, even though there is no way of communicating or doing anything whatsoever, aside from blinking (if you've still got eyelids =S)

[Frankincensy]

This is a really good article by Terry Pratchett, who has Alzheimer's disease. He argues for a tribunal that would give terminally ill people the right to euthanasia according to the facts of their individual case.

[Yamper]

If the person is suffering, why not let them die? I don't see why anybody should live, but be suffering. Death is the only peace that terminally ill people only have. yet the bozo's that want to stop it, are too ignorant to realise the pain these people are going through. As for people helping them die, I think they should do it, if the person isn't capable in any physical way. People think they're not helping them, when they really are; cos it's what they want the most. Eternal Peace. Although I do believe in Reincarnation.

The death penalty should only be used, if the person has gone out of their way to kill someone. Manslaughter, they shouldn't be using the Death Penalty. Just jailed.

This post has been edited by Samoo: Jul 9 2010, 12:18 PM

[koolchick]

Totally in favour of it as long as the person who is ill wants to die. It is awful to watch a loved one suffer knowing they will die, 8 year ago my grandad got lung cancer and was told it was terminal I was in a bit of denial really the day before he died I found out and knew he was going to die I didn't know at time not all cancers meant death which was lucky as it stopped me getting false hope. But that night after we had seen him I actually hoped he would die rather than staying how he was. I'm not sure I could help anyone die what ever the reason even if I knew it was for the best and to end their suffering and that is what they wanted. I hope I'm never in a situation like that. But yes it should be up to the ill person and there should be a way to prove afterward that is what the person wanted.

[Lester Burnham]

The issue with Physician-Assisted Suicide is that many believe it's murder. People, in my opinion, have the right to choose whether or not to continue their life. Cancer patients have the option of continuing or stopping treatment, so is that suicide if they stop it? I believe that, when there is no other alternative, patients who are terminally ill can request that their life be ended. However there can't be any grey areas. They should be able to make decisions for themselves and have a trusted family member present when they make the decision so any legal issues can be resolved.

[S3iKun]

Animals that are suffering and most possibly will die anyway are putted down, instead of letting them live with massive doses of medicine and such.
That happened to one of my cats recently, and she had gotten medicine in half a year before we had to put her down, and she was as liked as a family member to us.

So why is there such a huge difference between an animal that suffers an deadly illness , which can't tell us it wants to die and a human who suffers an deadly illness, who can tell us, and does tell us she want to die?

We put down the animals "to reduce their suffering" and that is alright, but not to do the same to humans, who can tell us they're suffering and wants to die?