For awhile now Canada along with the Netherlands has legalized assisted suicide. Canada has now empowered these laws to make it easier. It is unsavory I suppose to contemplate one's demise but think of it. If you are suffering with a terminal illness with no hope of recovery, do you want to wither away slowly and suffer? I for one would not wish to live as a vegetable. Why not have a doctor assisted suicide and die with dignity? Have you witnessed old folks with their bodies and minds gone unable to even feed themselves? In these 2 countries they make darn sure that relatives don't sign the death certificate just to get their hands on the inheritance. There are many safeguards in place to prevent this. Also at least 2 doctors have to sign on for it to happen. I think it is humane and I am 100% for it, where do you stand on this?
I had an uncle who was like a second father to me. The last ten years of his life he was completely bedridden with a form of Parkinsons. He was basically unable to get out of bed or move or speak but his eyes moved around and for a while, at least, he was mentally alert. I think that he drifted off into insanity at some point (at least I hope so.) His terminal illness was insidious in that it took so long, but I often thought that he would have wanted to die rather than face what he faced every day. There is a right to life, but there also should be a right to death in place of a health-related, miserable life like that.
It's really simple - my body, my choice. If I'm finding life intolerable then I should be able to check out. There need to be safeguards and your family need to be included in some sort of counselling facilitation so there are no unanswered questions, nothing left untried. Right now someone with a mental illness who commits suicide leaves a mess for someone else to find, traumatises those around them, and usually dies alone and unsupported. Too often we hear that family weren't aware. The attitude is that they gave up, rather than they succumbed to the disease. Mental health needs a lot of work. Put structures in place so assisted suicide handled openly and honestly so that when they pass they're with people who care. I don't expect this to happen in NZ any time soon, we're struggling with the idea of it for people with a terminal disease and 6 months to live. There's a huge risk that family may coerce an elderly/disabled person to die. We have new laws around coercion but there's a huge amount we need to learn about how those laws will be tested and used.
I can't disagree that people have the right to make this choice. I'm not so sure it's a good idea to trust it in the care of government. Although making sure relatives can't make the decision just for inheritance purposes is sure a good thing.
Until now we've had religious leaders controlling the debate. They have strong opinions on the whole process of death and what happens after. It's time to limit legislation to provable facts.
Iron cold logic ought to determine the debate as opposed to worthless sentimentality. We routinely put down animals by virtue of the fact that we don't want them to suffer. But when it comes down to the suffering of our fellow humans, then all of a sudden we seem to get weak in the knees and go all wobbly.
I think that it will be really difficult to provide a solution if suicides by otherwise physically healthy people is included in the discussion. Terminally ill or permanently incapacitated people will be more understandable for most. Helping someone to kill him/herself because they are having a bad year, is a totally different thing in most people's minds. Mind you, it goes beyond assisted suicide. It has gotten so crazy in this country about opiates that deserving people are being denied painkillers for fear of addiction or fear of the doctor being questioned by the government for his prescription count.
If one were to do that it would be at the very least a manslaughter charge. I would never advocate any type of a suicide for a psychological disorder. You see there is always hope for that. But there is no hope for those who are terminally ill and are suffering with excruciating pain.
If you have the right processes in place someone who is "just having a bad year" will be able to see that. Mental illness is not having a horrible life. There are too many celebrities who seemingly "have it all" but can't get past their mental illness. There are also very high profile people with terminal illnesses who savour every day given to them - yet they truly are having a "bad year". I think of the train drivers who have people leap in front of their trains - most years we have 3 or 4 - and the legacy of not being able to stop, not being able to prevent the death. I think of the person who went down to our wee beach late last year and took their life, alone, cold, and presumably desperate - knowing that they'd be found by a complete stranger. Would their decisions have been different if they'd been supported? If they'd had the mental health care they obviously desperately needed? If it's designed well it the process would end up saving lives.
I can't imagine either having the courage of being desperate enough to jump in front of a speeding train. I would assume that sitting in your vehicle with the motor running and the garage door closed would be infinitely easier. I believe when one does that you simply fall asleep and never wake up.
In my opinion, everyone have right to do any thing with his life. A human is better than animal always using brain more than better and better. Human can make a better decision for his life until manic.
If we are talking about governments the last part of that word certainly would apply as in...."moron".
It is really about the ability to choose a dignified end and applying some humanity by allowing people to have that choice if they opt to do so.
I can't imagine even contemplating suicide personally. Seems to me that rather than fall peacefully asleep those fumes would start a person into a coughing fit. I partially agree. My personal definition of freedom is having the right to do anything you want, any time you want, and having the financial means to do it - as long as you harm no other person by doing so. When it comes to the right to do anything with your life the act of suicide is most likely going to hurt the people who love you.
Only legislation is doing it. But world never standing with legislation ever. Its prove form history!