euthanasia ( Archived) (37)

yep, know what mean in that sense. i come from a very large family and some nurses ,and worked with elderly etc also myself. it just when one is working at the coalface and see people suffering with dreafull pain etc, who dont wish to be, and who may wish to pass away, as many have expressed a wish to. well, u start to ask questions, and wonder why they dont have a choice. as in the sense of euthanisa been formally available if they choose to avail of it. i was also in the army during my late teens, i recall stories whereby seriously injured soldiers in battle, who would be suffering from horrific injuries,and in great pain, who would ask, request their comrades to put them out of their needless suffering and let them pass away sooner. apparently, their comrades would respect their wishes and often complied. i would regard this as a humanitarian action.

Absolutely!
It is the right of every person to decide when and how they will terminate their life.
How dare anyone use the apparatus of the state to interfere with this basic human right.
What is gained by forcing someone who is terminally ill to live a few more days or months? Does it make the death-phobic Christlings warm and fuzzy to think that they are forcing someone to endure unspeakable agony?
Denying someone who wants to die is barbaric and cruel.

In Germany you can make a "living will or advance directive" in which you can state that you don't want to be resuscitated if there is no chance of betterment or survival.

In a lot of cases hospitals want to make money (e.g. with private patients) keeping them alive on machines for a time even if it's only prolongs the inevitable. My mum has one of these wills and we will accept her wish should it ever come to that.

I'm ok with it too. Basically when you dog is dying you take it Slanky and she puts it to sleep to stop the suffering. And it should be the same rule for humans

@AB: Unfortunately it's not in a case of an accident and someone paralized or in pain, just if you are in a vegetative state with no hope of getting healthy again. But is a good thing that at least something like that exist and it saves you and the ones around you suffering.

Euthanasia is different as there is active help required. I think if I know I have no hope of recovery and pain would be getting too bad (e.g. cancer or something like that) start stockpiling sleeping pills etc. so that you can make a decision yourself at some time. But if you're paralized and helpless there isn't that option and if someone close to you helps you they might be prosecuted...

Only if I say so, I love the power

There is a few on here I would happily push the button on

I was in the local community hospital to visit an old lady who was friendly with my deceased mother on Thursday. She could communicate but some of the other elderly patients looked to be in a bad way and i thought how sad to end your life in such a way. I would be all for Euthanasia anything else is control for whatever purpose.

if that was possible here in ireland i think id be signing one of those.

I personally believe watching a family member die slowly in agonising and undignified manner can have such bad effects on their loved ones..id hate my kids to have to go through that..and me, of course.

Firstly, Great subject.

As I am sure you know there has been a lot of debate on the subject of euthanasia over the years. Like you, I have witnessed terrible suffering as a result of Cancer and other similar destructive diseases.

Many would say if they saw an Animal suffer, that the kindest thing to do would be to put the animal out of it's misery, Yet those who Govern our countries appear to do everything to avoid the question of ending a Human life at the request of the human who is suffering. Worse again is the fact that when loved ones of the person suffering, assist in taking the life of that person, they would then face the full wrath of the law.

We have to look beyond religious belief and man made laws, and instead look toward the suffering of those wishing to take their own lives, or who wish assistance in doing so.

I am not suggesting making it EASY to take ones life, not at all. However, if Doctors and Specialists agree that keeping a person alive is only prolonging their suffering, then what right does Religion, or man made law, or government have to deny the suffering person the right / wish to choose between ending suffering or ongoing suffering.

Just my opinion.

Re: My last post, here is an example that directly affected my family and myself in a really stupid way.

My Father who was suffering from severe Lung Cancer (terrible pain, and on constant oxygen supply) took the decision after my Mother died (Breast Cancer), that he no longer wanted to continue his treatments.

He asked me to his home, to tell me of his decision, I think he was worried that he was letting his children down some how. He spoke at great length, and If I am honest I just listened. He told of his love for his Wife of 41 years, his now grown children and Grandchildren. I hugged him and in truth, we both cried, laughed and as two grown men found common ground on many things, despite our relationship having been rocky for quite a time.

I respected his decision, I respected the Man, his bravery, his love and his strength. I told him I would do anything to help him to be as comfortable as possible, knowing that his decision to stop treatments and medication would leave him in the most terrible pain.

Two weeks later I was called by a Doctor, who told me Dad was very, very Ill, and requested I go to his office to speak with him.
I spoke with the Doctor, and told him I knew about my Fathers decision.

Within a month, my Father was rushed to hospital on the verge of death. when at the hospital the doctors took the decision to keep an otherwise dead man, alive by artificial means. When I apposed this move and asked for the machine to be switched off, I was told I didn't have the right to ask!

The hospital was legally bound to keep him alive for 24 hrs, despite the wishes of the Family or indeed those of the patient.

Apart from further pain to my family, what exactly did prolonging the death serve?

Very apt point made about animals - When an animal is suffering, a decision is made quickly without fuss or delay to ease the suffering of the animal. As a caring society should we not afford people the same rights?

cos religion enters the argument..

Yes they can, actually. It is everyone's right to refuse treatment at any time, and just have enough treatment to ensure their comfort while they die naturally. So, at any time they can, right now, just chose to have a full on morphine drip and die in comfort. It does no-t take some radical change in the law to do that, that's available right now as part of basic patient rights. And if you didn't know that basic fact and you worked for the health service then no wonder people suffered.

In the first paragraph above I was quoting someone else.

This is the modern version of the Doctor’s Oath, more commonly known as the Hippocratic Oath.

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not", nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to 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. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, be respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.



If you check out the sections highlighted in red, wouldn’t they alone argue for the reasonable use of euthanasia ? within the conditions I have expressed before.

The Oath in layman terms binds the Doctor to DO NO WRONG, and to do the utmost to serve the patient in a way that is caring and considerate of the situation of said patient.