Should Doctors Be Allowed To Assist Patients That Want To Die?

I think it should be legal, I would hate to be crippled and not be able to eat by myself, shit by myself, shower by myself, the list could go on, it would be very depressing and there would be no privacy

 

Only in extreme health risk situations, were the patient's state is so deteriorated the pain of simply being alive is unbearable.
not just
"i wana die cos my muffins r ready lol"

 

Personally, I believe that people should have the right to choose whether they live or die, because who are we to tell anyone they can't take their own life if they're willing?

With that being said, I also believe that there should be some restrictions on this. When a patient is diagnosed, and they know it's going to be a long, hard road ahead, and the possibility of recovery is there, but not too likely, they should be offered something to sign to allow the doctor (or whoever is taking care of them) to take their life for them.

There was a court case in Canada a few years ago where a woman was fighting for the right to have someone assist her in committing suicide. It was a close vote, but the courts voted it down, and there was a lot of outrage from it.

It's a really touchy subject, and a lot of people just don't want to get their hands too deep in it because they're scared of it, truthfully.

 

If the people that want to die have agreement of their family then why not.

 

No family will agree to that though

 

If somebody is going through extreme pain and will never be the same again maybe parlayed or something of that sort I do think they should have the right to decide wether or not they want to continue living a life like this

 

Absolutely. It's part of our right to self-determination - our right to die.

 

Personally, I think human euthanasia should be legal everywhere. If a terminally-ill patient really wants to die, they can check out of the hospital, go to their home, and commit suicide. It's all about the terminology and ethics I think. DNR's are entirely legal. Why aren't DNR's frowned upon as much as human euthanasia? You can sign your life away that way and intentionally reject treatment or medication while at a hospital--which could possibly cause you to need resuscitation--but then the code blue team wouldn't legally be allowed to save your life. There are ways around it, so why not just assist the people who truly desire death to avoid longing pain and suffering for themselves and their friends and family? Would that make them considered suicidal? People on life support are taken off of life support everyday: sometimes by the desire of the patient, other times by the family of the patient. That isn't so wrong, it's legal. Consider DABDA (the theory of coping with death by Kubler Ross). Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. This is for those who are dying, commonly mistaken to be for those emotionally attached to the one who is dying. Some people don't go through all of these stages, and sometimes not even in this order. But if someone has accepted death, then it should entirely be their choice whether or not they die.

There should be some sort of guidelines to human euthanasia, but it should definitely be legal.

It isn't ethical to assist purposeful death on someone else, because that's the same thing as murder apparently. But it isn't. At least I don't believe so.

 

Yes, if somebody want's to die and his/her family know about it then I don't see any problems?

 

Very good topic to talk about, I have to argee. I feel if someone is in enough pain they shouldn't deal with it. Plus as op said it would be very embrassing having doctors or family members picking up you're shit.

 

Very much liking the responses received thus far.

One argues that you shouldn't have the choice to euthanize one's self and that burden shouldn't be put on the patients party or other members.

So many ethics come into this and the morality of things get a reality check. Definitely makes you think about it.

 

As long as the person who is suffering is in a fit state of mind, I don't see a problem in the act itself. Although I don't think doing it at a doctors surgery is the best idea.

 

I agree with you, only on those cases should a person die wish should be granted, otherwise, why would people want to die otherwise, life is our only paradise, if we waste that, there won't be a second time.

 

In my opinion, no one should allow someone to die eventhough they are paid for. A life, once its gone, its gone. It'll never come back.

Assisting someone in suiciding is the same as murdering someone.
Every life is priceless. It can never be paid for something else.

If I were to put religion context in, it is taboo for someone to suicide.

 

I work in a hospital where I meet cancer patients and brain-damaged people all the time and there are those who think "it could be much easier just to die now" and I've these patients had a super-improvement in their health status and became "happy" again .

One should expect that people who come to the hospital are afraid, people who are ill may have difficulty seeing the long-term and therefore people who have a diagnosis which can be treated, doesn't have the right to choose whether to live or die in my opinion.

However, are we talking about a disease or condition that can not be treated (eg. Huntington) then you should be able to say that when the patient is no longer able to do even the most ordinary things due to the disease, then it will be the "okay" that the patient may choose to die.

I hardly think there are many here, who wants to be a vegetable the rest of their lives. At least I've told my family that if I were to become a vegetable without any chance of improvement then they're are to turn off the machine, or atleast not let me lay in a bed for 20 years etc.

 

Yes, it should be allowed.

 

Exactly what he said.

It's the person's life, the person's choice

 

Yes, they should. Everyone should have the right to choose wether they want to live or not.

 

I don't think so, no. But under the law, yes.

 

yes. if the family consents.