Why do you and those who agree with you get to make that call for other people? What gives you (the collective you) that authority?
you are asking me to defend not doing something. a non-action.
but when people are feeling suicidal do you believe they are in the best position mentally to make the decision to end their own life? or is their judgment clouded?
do we allow someone running a high fever and hallucinating make decisions about their treatment? or do we treat them with the understanding they did not possess the means to make a rational decision?
Why do you and those who agree with you get to make that call for other people? What gives you (the collective you) that authority?
So what conditions do you believe rate assisted suicide? No one can stop someone from committing suicide on thier own, even inmates in prison manage it.
So when should a licenced medical professional be allowed to assist in the ending of human life?
“One accurate measurement is worth a
thousand expert opinions.”
- Adm. Grace Hopper
"Whenever you dream, you're holding the key, it opens the the door to let you be free" ..RJD
Nope I dislike the idea of suicide where someone is not in terrible pain and terminally ill. My difficulty comes when I consider that I do not have the ability to know another's pain. Who am I to say they may not seek release from that pain?
RR,
So, the only option you would leave for someone who is suicidal is to guess at how they should end their life or do so in a way that leaves a gruesome scene for their loved ones to discover?
"Futility is the defining characteristic of life. Pain is proof of existence" - Thomas Covenant
Hashi, re the historical basis for the ban: That's what I thought.
SerScot and Sarge, I agree with both of you. I wouldn't want to see anyone commit suicide if their pain could be ameliorated -- but who am I to say how unbearable their pain is? How would someone go about judging that? Use a scale of 1 to 10?
EZ Board Survivor
"Dreaming isn't good for you unless you do the things it tells you to." -- Three Dog Night (via the GI)
Or a scale of gerbil to sasquatch. 'Doctor, my pain level is easily at werewolf levels every day!' 'Oh, that high, eh? Let's hook you up to this ultra-morph drip immediately!'
Monsters, they eat
Your kind of meat
And they're moving as far as they can
And as fast as they can
My opinion is that if you truly are going to commit suicide then I am not in favor of making it easy for you. Also, if you want to go, please don't take anyone else with you.
Seriously.. I can see where there is a balance here. I don't want a neighborhood market where you can go sit in a chair and be given whatever it takes to kill you. But on the other hand, there comes a time when your family and friends need to let go and give you permission to let go.
We miss you Tracie but your Spirit will always shine brightly on the Watch
aliantha wrote:Hashi, re the historical basis for the ban: That's what I thought.
Yeah, it's "playing god." Or at least stealing from him, because your life is his to dispose as he wills. And Hashi is right, Catholics view it as a mortal sin usually.
My father died Saturday, November 1st after 5 days in Hospice and nearly 7 weeks in either a hospital or a rehab center. He fell down in his screened-in porch, and spent 3 days out there in the Florida heat before a neighbor noticed the papers stacking up at the door.
He was badly dehydrated, and beat up pretty bad from thrashing around (we believe he had a couple of seizures). He had been suffering from early-stage dementia, and the trauma from the fall dramatically accelerated his trip down that rabbit hole.
It became very apparent very quickly that he was not going to recover. He wasn't eating or drinking enough, which prevented his wounds from healing. He lost 40 pounds. His back was covered with bedsores. When he was coherent, he was miserable. When he wasn't, he was terrified.
We should have been able to give him a way out. Hospice was wonderful, don't get me wrong, but he should have been allowed to let go much, much earlier.
Chalk me up as a huge supporter of the right to die.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
Sorry to hear about that Cail. I watched my dad go from lung cancer. The good thing is that he had not taken a lot of pain drugs and because of that, they were able to keep him comfortable with drugs until he passed.
The thing is you have to be able to make that decision before its taken from you. The gal that had brain cancer that got all the news recently said exactly that. Her biggest fear was that she was going to have a 'episode' that would leave her in a position to no longer be allowed to have that decision or be able make it for herself. Remember 'brain cancer' so she was scared her perception of her situation might be altered by an episode and she wouldn't make the decision herself. Thankfully for her, that didnt happen. She passed quietly on her terms with her family.
We miss you Tracie but your Spirit will always shine brightly on the Watch
I wouldn't want to see anyone commit suicide if their pain could be ameliorated -- but who am I to say how unbearable their pain is? How would someone go about judging that? Use a scale of 1 to 10?
