TV channel to broadcast assisted suicide

It seems that people who are against PAS are using examples that have NOTHING to do with PAS (i.e. Killing their baby out of mercy, being suicidal). I am for PAS, but I'd like to hear the negatives of PAS using an actually related example. There are a set of diseases out there that have at least 90% mortality rate within a certain short period of time, correct? This is what they call a terminally ill person. For those who are against PAS, what are the negatives for making it legal for a terminally ill person to commit suicide? If you are okay with this case, but have a problem with people potentially trying to expand that for other cases (slippery slope), does this mean you don't think the definition of a mentally competant terminally ill person is well defined?
 
dreama said:
Unfortunately this isn't always the case. The severely disabled are not free from depression. I've gone through phases when I really wanted to kill myself.

I am now glad that I didn't do it because life is definately worth living.

This is a very real danger of legalizing assistive suicide. Why I am not for it.
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same here, dreama.

putting a bit of a personal spin on this, i know what it's like to experience severe depression due to my bipolar. i've wanted to kill myself many, many times because of my deafblindness even though i *realistically* know that there wasn't ONE good reason why i should die. (when i feel that way, it's the illness speaking -- not me.)

as for whether or not to legalize assistive suicide, that's a difficult call for me to make. i can see both points of view.

my mother passed away of terminal cancer and after seeing what she experiencenced for 6 months prior to her death, i don't *ever* want to see anything like that like that again in my life.

if assistive suicide is legalized, ALL possible measures must be taken to ensure that only those individividuals for whom the treatment is designed for are the ones who actually receive treatment.
 
Daredevel7 said:
does this mean you don't think the definition of a mentally competant terminally ill person is well defined?
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I've heard of cases where people have been euthanised who were depressed and just so happened to have a severe disability too so in states where Euthanasia is legal that DOES happen.

If someone is VERY near to death. If they are in a lot of pain, then I think exceptions can be made in these cases if the patient wishes. However, this is just an exception I'd make for the most severe cases. I think that anyone who wants to kill themselves should just be given councilling and rehabilitation since that's what they NEED. Since that is what non disabled people would get. So why should disabled people be any differant.
 
ocean,

televising someone's live death gives me the willies, too. i rememember watching the john wayne gacy execution and it left me with such an empty feeling inside. :(
 
Hear Again said:
my mother passed away of terminal cancer and after seeing what she experiencenced for 6 months prior to her death, i don't *ever* want to see anything like that like that again in my life.

if assistive suicide is legalized, ALL possible measures must be taken to ensure that only those individividuals for whom the treatment is designed for are the ones who actually receive treatment.
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I can understand what you are saying. My problem with Euthanasia is the slippery slope aspect of it. Whilst the idea of someone who is very near to death and in a lot of pain being given high doses of morthine to help with that pain, that is one incident where Euthanasia COULD ethnically be considered as the lesser of two evils.

BUT I see a danger in all this. Euthanasia is legal for sick pets. I've Euthanased a few pets including my first guide dog Bruce. It makes me feel bad but I consider it the lesser of two evil's in some extreme certcumstances.

But it does have an effect of cheapening life. I've known vets and owners euthanase animals without good reason. Like if their pet has hind leg paralises. Animals with Hind leg paralises can lead very good lives. You can get 'dog-on wheelchairs' for them to help them get about. Since they don't have to hunt their own food and are well cared for, these animals can lead good lives.

So I'd be very worried about legalising human authanasia incase it ever got to the level of animal euthanasia were it's used when their wasn't really a need.
 
dreama said:
I've heard of cases where people have been euthanised who were depressed and just so happened to have a severe disability too so in states where Euthanasia is legal that DOES happen.

If someone is VERY near to death. If they are in a lot of pain, then I think exceptions can be made in these cases if the patient wishes. However, this is just an exception I'd make for the most severe cases. I think that anyone who wants to kill themselves should just be given councilling and rehabilitation since that's what they NEED. Since that is what non disabled people would get. So why should disabled people be any differant.
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i think that's what alot of disabled people receive already. it's the people who are caught between the "high" and "lower" class who are really stuck in between a rock and a hard place.
 
Hear Again said:
i think that's what alot of disabled people receive already. it's the people who are caught between the "high" and "lower" class who are really stuck in between a rock and a hard place.
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I can well believe that. I only had councilling once after I was recovering from Anorexia. That's over 10 years ago now.

Since then I suffered from quite severe mental health problems where I went out into the park with Bruce in my night clothes and collapsed into the park. I had no councilling after that. I was just given drugs that didn't help much. I didn't have councilling after my problem with domestic violence or after mom died of cancer either.

I don't know how it goes in USA but here in England their seems a deffinate lack of councilling. I have mentioned about councilling to my social worker. She's still yet to get back to me about it.
 
dreama said:
I've heard of cases where people have been euthanised who were depressed and just so happened to have a severe disability too so in states where Euthanasia is legal that DOES happen.

If someone is VERY near to death. If they are in a lot of pain, then I think exceptions can be made in these cases if the patient wishes. However, this is just an exception I'd make for the most severe cases. I think that anyone who wants to kill themselves should just be given councilling and rehabilitation since that's what they NEED. Since that is what non disabled people would get. So why should disabled people be any differant.
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In exactly what state is euthanasia legal? I would love to see some links for those who were euthanized simply because they were depressed or had a disability. Please provide evidence of these claims.

Also, please keep in mind that euthanasia and PAS are two very different things. This thread is about PAS.

People with suicidal ideation are given counseling. PAS has absolutely nothing to do with suicidal ideation. You are attempting to link several different concepts together in one chain, and the links don't fit together.
 
dreama said:
I can well believe that. I only had councilling once after I was recovering from Anorexia. That's over 10 years ago now.

Since then I suffered from quite severe mental health problems where I went out into the park with Bruce in my night clothes and collapsed into the park. I had no councilling after that. I was just given drugs that didn't help much. I didn't have councilling after my problem with domestic violence or after mom died of cancer either.

I don't know how it goes in USA but here in England their seems a deffinate lack of councilling. I have mentioned about councilling to my social worker. She's still yet to get back to me about it.
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Why don't you look in the phone book to see if there are counselling services around??
 
dreama said:
I can well believe that. I only had councilling once after I was recovering from Anorexia. That's over 10 years ago now.

Since then I suffered from quite severe mental health problems where I went out into the park with Bruce in my night clothes and collapsed into the park. I had no councilling after that. I was just given drugs that didn't help much. I didn't have councilling after my problem with domestic violence or after mom died of cancer either.

I don't know how it goes in USA but here in England their seems a deffinate lack of councilling. I have mentioned about councilling to my social worker. She's still yet to get back to me about it.
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dreama,

i don't know what the NHS is like (i believe there is a long waiting list for services, no?), but what about patients who are actively suicidal? if i were you, i would contact that social worker again, tell her you are suicidal (even if you aren't) so you can receive counseling and possible meds. if meds didn't help you, there's a possibility that they could if you took them for longer than 3-4 weeks.
 
dreama said:
Unfortunately this isn't always the case. The severely disabled are not free from depression. I've gone through phases when I really wanted to kill myself.

I am now glad that I didn't do it because life is definately worth living.

This is a very real danger of legalizing assistive suicide. Why I am not for it.
Click to expand...

whoa whoa. Don't confuse this issue with people w/ severe depression. this programme is for terminally-illed patients.
 
deafdyke said:
It should be available BUT, it should be very strictly regulated, and only available to the worst cases. I dunno....I just feel kinda uncomfortable with the slippary slope in this case. Yes, I'm all that for people who are clearly obviously terminally ill.....but, what would prevent a couple who is devastated at the fact that their baby is disabled from "mercy killing" them?
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it is already strictly regulated. why make it stricter... to the point where the patients would succumbed to their excruciating painful illness before their legal status is approved.
 
Jiro said:
whoa whoa. Don't confuse this issue with people w/ severe depression. this programme is for terminally-illed patients.
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It isn't confusing the issue because people who are terminally ill are often depressed too. It DOES happen.
 
Jiro said:
it is already strictly regulated. why make it stricter... to the point where the patients would succumbed to their excruciating painful illness before their legal status is approved.
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This in not what I've been hearing from Disablilty groups such as Not dead yet.
 
Hear Again said:
dreama,

i don't know what the NHS is like (i believe there is a long waiting list for services, no?), but what about patients who are actively suicidal? if i were you, i would contact that social worker again, tell her you are suicidal (even if you aren't) so you can receive counseling and possible meds. if meds didn't help you, there's a possibility that they could if you took them for longer than 3-4 weeks.
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I wouldn't lie about something like this and what about if they said 'ok so how about a trip to switzerland' shudder.
 
dreama said:
This in not what I've been hearing from Disablilty groups such as Not dead yet.
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Disability is not a legal reason for PAS. Perhaps your Not Dead Yet group needs to educate themselves on the reality of PAS, instead of preying on people's paranoia with unfounded rumor.
 
dreama said:
It isn't confusing the issue because people who are terminally ill are often depressed too. It DOES happen.
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you are talking about 2 different type of people. People who are terminally illed and People who are severely depressed. now you're talking about terminally-illed patients with severe depression? make up your mind.
 
dreama said:
It isn't confusing the issue because people who are terminally ill are often depressed too. It DOES happen.
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dreama has a good point, after all it isn't as if the terminally ill people are usually happy go lucky. However, dreama, let me ask you something. If one were terminally ill and in severe pain and requested a PAS, but they were turned down because "s/he seems too depressed and therefore can cloud his/her mind"? That's cruelty to me. Are you saying only happy terminally ill people can do PAS?
 
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