Assisted death.....

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archangel

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My good lady and I were discussing this recently and we both agreed that assisted death in certain circumstances was what we would settle on (not saying this is imminent). It would be very interesting to hear other opinion....would you be willing to assist your other half to their demise when the time comes..'.?

And should a prison sentence be served to those who were involved?
 
Having watched my Grandfather, Mother and Father all die slowly and unpleasantly, I would have been happy to have helped any of them die with less pain and much more dignity than any of them were allowed in their last days/weeks/months. If anyone had allowed their dog to be treated like all 3 of them were, they would be prosecuted for animal cruelty.
 
All for it - I'm sure they'll bring out a DIY pill one day!

AL
 
Nod said:
Having watched my Grandfather, Mother and Father all die slowly and unpleasantly, I would have been happy to have helped any of them die with less pain and much more dignity than any of them were allowed in their last days/weeks/months. If anyone had allowed their dog to be treated like all 3 of them were, they would be prosecuted for animal cruelty.
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I watched my father in law stagnate in a hospital bed for weeks.....I have always been in favour for a dignified death....and like you say if it had been an animal you would surely have been prosecuted..
 
I'm in two minds on this one. On one hand I'd hate to see a loved one suffer the way some of my friends have. I agree with @Nod there, you would be prosecuted for animal cruelty. I also think an individual has the right to decide how and when to die. But thats a double edged sword, I can easily imagine a situation where they are no longer capable of making, or in acting that decision for themselves. I worry its a short step from there to someone pressurising you to make that decision or making it for you to stop being a 'burden'
 
From a humanistic POV - there may be grounds under certain circumstances.
From a practical POV - a slippery slope that could easily be misused.
From a moral/ethical POV - not an option.
For me - not an option.
 
For me, from a moral point of view, it is immoral to require a person to suffer what we would not allow an animal to suffer. It is said of the British that we care more about our pets that about people and in this regard our law embodies this. Wrongly, IMO.

I am an advocate of self determination, in life and in death. So, I would like to see a way for people to end their own lives, including with external assistance if necessary, written into statute. I would also like a legal way medically assisted way for people that aren't at the point of needing external assistance to do it without needing to go to Switzerland or step out in front of a train etc.

I would like the ability to formally record now that if in the future I lack the capacity to make decisions for myself, no longer know who I am or what day of the week it is and there is no prospect of recovery, then I can be put down - not have treatment withdrawn if I need it to sustain life, I mean the positive step of ending it. There would be no purpose to my existence for me, so I see no reason for me to exist beyond that point.
 
If there were some sort of guarantee that it could not be abused by potential beneficiaries or simply those that get off on playing God, then having seen both of my parents die from cancer, I could agree that assisted death should a) be an available options and b) not be seen as a crime.

Sadly, I don't think there would ever be an acceptable level of guarantee and in fact I would guarantee that some would abuse the right should it exist. Harold Shipman's actions cast a long shadow..
 
I would have no problem with people being able to arrange their own end, but only with the right checks and balances.
So so, it would mean bring doctors into it, which I doubt they will do. Lawyers, who would certainly do it if there was a couple of quid in it, in addition to next of kin.
The problem is that it is so easily open to abuse if it is just a relative who is involved.
 
onomatopoeia said:
For me, from a moral point of view, it is immoral to require a person to suffer what we would not allow an animal to suffer. It is said of the British that we care more about our pets that about people and in this regard our law embodies this. Wrongly, IMO.

I am an advocate of self determination, in life and in death. So, I would like to see a way for people to end their own lives, including with external assistance if necessary, written into statute. I would also like a legal way medically assisted way for people that aren't at the point of needing external assistance to do it without needing to go to Switzerland or step out in front of a train etc.

I would like the ability to formally record now that if in the future I lack the capacity to make decisions for myself, no longer know who I am or what day of the week it is and there is no prospect of recovery, then I can be put down - not have treatment withdrawn if I need it to sustain life, I mean the positive step of ending it. There would be no purpose to my existence for me, so I see no reason for me to exist beyond that point.
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Top post!
 
Palliative care has never lived up to it's name in my many experiences of it.

Long past time for assisted death with dignity.
 
"Thankfully" both my parents died from heart attacks & I had a heart attack at 39 so this will not be an issue for me or my family. But what a choice to have to make-one of the bravest decisions you would have to make!
 
onomatopoeia said:
I would like the ability to formally record now that if in the future I lack the capacity to make decisions for myself, no longer know who I am or what day of the week it is and there is no prospect of recovery"..............
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Brought a lump to my throat reading that. We (more my wife) are now at this point with her mum (only in her 60s) suffering from the last stages of vascular dementia.
 
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Having seen my Granddad go through this nearly 17 years ago and my Nan passing away last week it's something that I definitely think should definitely up for discussion.

Mercifully my Grandparents passed after relatively short fights against cancer but I still can't help thinking that being able to choose your time would be a lot more dignified than being confined to a hospital bed or hospice just waiting to die.
 
dinners said:
Brought a lump to my throat reading that. We (more my wife) are now at this point with her mum (only in her 60s) suffering from the last stages of vascular dementia.
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My mum has been at that point with my grandmother for several years now (Alzheimer's) and it has been really hard on her, although familial experience is not my motivation - my thoughts were shaped long before the symptoms were evident.
 
This is something my father is going through at the moment

He's 80 in a month

He's had a heart operation and survived 2 instances of bowel cancer 10-12 years ago

Now he's been diagnosed with a failing heart

His lugs filled up with fluid to the point of barely being able to breathe

They had him in hospital for 3 weeks , pumped him out and sent him home

He's got no energy at all , spends most of the day asleep , struggles to breathe when he's awake, even walking to the kitchen takes all his energy

I can tell he's had enough , there's no cure, it's just going to get worse but they can't put a time on how much longer he'll live

His worst fear is an old peoples home, he'd throw himself out of the car on the way there rather than go in

I'm pretty sure if there was one pill he could take he'd want it to be over.

If you die in your sleep after a long healthy life you're very lucky
 
In my opinion everyone should have the right to die with dignity. Unfortunately it's a huge legal nightmare for those that really need some clarity from the system during a very difficult time.

I've had a conversation with my OH on my requirements regarding DNR too.
 
In common with others on this thread I've seen family members die squalid deaths, both parents had cancer. I have sworn to myself that I will not go the same way if there's anything I can do about it. So yes to assisted death.
 
Yet another in total agreement here.
We have watched the suffering and pain (emotional and physical) as well as experienced the damage a family can suffer.
The sooner it is allowed the better.
Again, as mentioned above it could be abused as can so many things, but it would help so many I believe.
 
I don't know.

Some people die miserably, and I understand the reasons why there should be an easier, more dignified, way to bring life to a close; but this is going to require state sanction and participation by doctors. I'm not ready to trust either of them with this sort of authority and I suspect that the criteria would gradually be relaxed once the door is open, to reduce the cost of caring for people who have no hope of recovery. The potential for abuse by family and others who stand to gain by the death is also a serious concern.

On a personal level, it's more difficult. I suspect that if someone very close and dear to me was going through hell, and it was in my power to grant them peace, the legal consequences would be the least of my concerns.
 
MartynK said:
I don't know.

On a personal level, it's more difficult. I suspect that if someone very close and dear to me was going through hell, and it was in my power to grant them peace, the legal consequences would be the least of my concerns.
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And this is the issue for me - My wife looks after kids who are dying and she brings her work home at times (meaning there are often long discussions and tears in the evening), and we have also watched a family member die recently. I have another family member who may be heading that way before too long. To help someone avoid the suffering would be a wonderful thing and would help preserve their dignity as well as saving those who are watching a loved one suffer. One of my main memories of my sister is that of her face as a corpse.

The cost savings to the NHS or whoever could be massive too - one injection or months or even years of care..?

As you say, the potential for abuse is a serious issue but for me the personal side is the one that matters most. Granting them peace as you say.
 
stevewestern said:
as well as saving those who are watching a loved one suffer.
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That may be a by-product but should never be a consideration for ending life ... many older ones would succumb to the suggestion of ending their lives for just such a consideration.
 
I think that you've even mentioned cost savings shows a large area where there is so much potential for abuse. The idea that you could speed someone on their way to save a bit of cash is horrific. That opens the door to all sorts of things.
 
gramps said:
That may be a by-product but should never be a consideration for ending life ... many older ones would succumb to the suggestion of ending their lives for just such a consideration.
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Not a consideration but a by product as you say. I do not want my kids to see me suffer should I head that way and my mum doesn't want us to watch her deteriorate.

boyfalldown said:
I think that you've even mentioned cost savings shows a large area where there is so much potential for abuse. The idea that you could speed someone on their way to save a bit of cash is horrific. That opens the door to all sorts of things.
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I think that if decisions are made well in advance then it could be workable, but yes, there is a huge opening for abuse.

Did anyone ever see a Yul Brynner film called Soylent green - it is may be very dated but has a very interesting slant to this sort of thing..
 
stevewestern said:
I think that if decisions are made well in advance then it could be workable, but yes, there is a huge opening for abuse.
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Decisions made well in advance can be changed though, or at least minds can. I'm not broadly against this by any means. I do think though its a decision that should be taken carefully, without any pressure from outside sources though.
 
stevewestern said:
Not a consideration but a by product as you say. I do not want my kids to see me suffer should I head that way and my mum doesn't want us to watch her deteriorate.
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Hence it become more about the relatives than the individual ... is that right though? :thinking:
 
gramps said:
Hence it become more about the relatives than the individual ... is that right though? :thinking:
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No, it is not more about the relatives - my point about my sister is that my main memory of her is of her dead rather than alive. She died suddenly - my brother in law died slowly and we all watched him shrink and disappear, so our memories of him are not ones we want to recall. This certainly helps me in my desire for my kids not to see me suffer.

It is certainly NOT more about the relatives in any way.
 
stevewestern said:
No, it is not more about the relatives - my point about my sister is that my main memory of her is of her dead rather than alive. She died suddenly - my brother in law died slowly and we all watched him shrink and disappear, so our memories of him are not ones we want to recall. This certainly helps me in my desire for my kids not to see me suffer.

It is certainly NOT more about the relatives in any way.
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Sorry but just re-read what you have written ... it is about 'your memories', rather than the individual facing death.
I don't want this to seem like a personal attack, it really isn't and I can appreciate your feelings - it's just, for me at any rate, illustrating why there are so many incidental issues that would cloud the decision made for the individual who was facing death.
 
I certainly would agree that we need an option to prevent suffering. Why is it cruel to let an animal suffer yet not a human. I certainly would not want to be a vegetable if anything happened or be a burden on my family. While something like dignitas offers a great service, it would be better for most to have this option available at home.

I for one though would happily break the law if a loved one was suffering in this way - fortunately the courts do treat this sympathetically.
 
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