For or Against?

Euthanasia/Right to Die Forum

Simple Question.
No Fence-Sitters Allowed.
To quote your President: "You're either with us or aginst us".
What will it be?

I am for Euthanasia.

Having watched several of my family members go through a very slow process of succumbing to an illness and having known that some of those people wished to end their lives and could not and were forced to go on living in pain and without hope of a cure, it breaks my heart.

I'm for Euthanasia as well. There is so much suffering by patients with terminal diseases, it seems inhumane to force them to continue to suffer for legal reasons.
When our animals are terminally ill, we euthanize them for humane reasons...why are we less sympathetic with humans?

I am for legal Euthanasia but, I see were it is a very complicated issue and simpler to keep illegal.

How does one qualify pain? You can rate the pain on a scale of one to ten. You can compare it against some other pain that you have experienced. But, unless you have suffered from every ailment known to man, how can one person compare their pain to another's?

Here's what I'm getting at...

How is it decided, what level of suffering is eligible for euthanasia? Think of how it would be...to be suffering in what you consider to be unlivable pain, and to be denied euthanasia while other pain suffers of other conditions are permitted euthanasia, because their pain is "worse".

With different thresholds for pain, people will define unlivable pain and suffering, differently.

And...
There would certainly be your suicidal types that would consider themselves suffering...desiring euthanasia.

Clearly, there would have to be some guidelines or qualifications for such a procedure...but, how would that be determined?

When we think of a terminally ill patient, suffering out their final days, it is easy and humane to think that they should be allowed this option. But it is complicated...very complicated, because "rules" would have to be made...but how?

I think they should make it legal under the right circumstances. I"m not saying whoever wants to die should just go to the doctor and be able to do it. Here's an true example of a case in which it should have been done. I have written about this before but I'll type it again.

My Mom works at a nursing home. Now this kind of stuff goes on all the time but I knew the lady in this case so I'm going to use her as an example. She had a terminal illness. It eventually started effecting the muscles in her throat. The doctors talked about it and said that more than likely she would end up choking to death. They don't know when but one day she'd could be eatting and choke and die. Well, that could happen to any of us. SO doctors orders no food or drink or meds. They were just gonna let her lay there and die. My mom would go in to feed the other person in the room and the lady would point to her mouth wanting food or something to drink, but she couldnt give it to her. She just laid there in a bed and starved and thristed to death for 14 days. Could you imagine? Weeks she was there starving to death. NOw they knew she was going to die, that was the plan, so why couldn't they just go ahead and give her something day one to put her out of her misery.


But then there are those people who would want it done because it's an inconvience to come to the rest home once a week. For example one lady asked my mom if there was something the doctor could give her mom to make her go to sleep and not wake up. WHy you ask? She was tried of driving down on Sundays, it was too much for her she was too busy. NOw in that case the daughter should be the one to ge tit. BUt thats just my opinion.

I am 100% against it. Man taking man's life is not right which is also why I'm against abortion. God has a plan if God wants to take them he will.

SO yuou think it's better for someone to lay in a bed and starve to death than go ahead and get it over with?

Did you not read my post? DOCTORS ORDERS NO FOOD NO WATER NO MEDICATION.
This lady starved to death.

Well, this kind of thing happens all the time. Is it right NO. But I think it would be much better if they are goning to kill someone, which is what they did, to do it quickly and painlessly instead of starving them to death which is an extreamly slow and painful way to die. Follow?

Oh I agree completly. I'm just saying if they are going to do it there are better ways. It's gonna happen, it sucks, it's wrong but it happens.

I'm not ok with it. That's not what I'm saying i'm not saying it's ok. YES we need to do something. BUT in the mean time, I'll take the less of the two evils.

I'm yes with a "but", like I guess most people are.

IF and ONLY IF the victim has a written will that he wants the plug pulled then it's his life, go for it.

this isn't a legal contract... but i'm pretty sure if I'm brain-dead... just go ahead and pull the plug. What the heck do I care.

It's a double edged sword...on the one hand it goes against our moral fiber to euthanize someone. On the other, you have the fact that we euthanize our pets...loving & long standing members of our family, if they're suffering from some terrible disease...meanwhile they can't even vocalize to us that this is their wish. Why shouldn't we do the same for a human being who's suffering from bone cancer or the final stages of AIDS? Someone who's life consists of nothing but sickness and pain, who begs for it all to end? Which at that point is more humane? To euthanize them...or to force them to continue suffering?

I also voted yes...

But I think its important that someone specify in a living will that they would want this if they are unable to say so for themselves at that moment...or the person should be able to say "this is what I want." I do tink it should be legalized but I think before it can be done it should go before the court so that if someone cannot speak for themselves and dont have a living will that states this...then Im afraid that some people could take advantage of the situation (for inheritance reasons)...so I think the court should hear from the person wanting it, or request to see the living will, or if those arent available to hear from the person wanting to do it, and from doctors to back them by saying that they are indeed dying and in pain.

Unlike Crazie, I do separate this issue from abortion...for a number of reasons...but this isnt the place to start up that conversation so I wont.

I totally agree with Mystic! A living will is a must have for everyone old enough to make that kind of decision. That's the biggest fight over Terri Schaivo here in Florida. The woman has been a vegetable for almost 14 years. These past years the husband has been fighting with his wife's family to have her removed from life support. He says that before her coma she expressed to him her wishes to never live her life in that way. Whether she said that or not is open to debate. But had she had a living will, the battle would not have lasted this long.

i agree more on passive euthanasia than active. i say euthanasia should be legal but there should be some exceptions against it. I feel deliberatly giving someone something to die is wrong, but i feel that taking them off machines so they can can die is alright.

I think it should be legal for the terminally ill as well. Imagine dying from bone cancer...having all that pain when a certain dose of medication can take all that pain away forever.
But I don't think it should be available for anyone. Obviously depressed people who are suicidal would take use it. But if it's limited to the terminally ill and comatose only, that would be humane.
The woman in the vegatative state would have to starve to death to be euthanized. They would have to remove her feeding tube and wait the week or two before she died. Now which is more humane? Starvation or euthanization?

But if you involve the courts, it becomes such a drawn out process that it probbaly wouldn't end up lessening the ill persons sufferring, if anything it would prolong that suffering.

Having to go to Court and go through all the reasons you want to die again and again would be pretty disheartening.