Death with Dignity Laws or Legal Euthanasia

[Magnetic Poles]

Euthanasia was mentioned in another thread. Rather than hijack that one, let's talk about it here.

Washington and Oregon have Death with Dignity laws that allow a person to gain physician assistance in ending their suffering from a terminal and painful existence.

1. Do you see any instance, regardless of prognosis and intense pain & suffering, where you would support a person making this decision for themself?

2. We don't allow our pets to suffer, but we do ourselves and our loved ones. Is this right?

3. How is this different than withdrawing a patient from a respirator, and denying them nutrition and other means of keeping their bodies alive via machine?

Have at it!

 

[Bro. Curtis]

Maria Schriver was not given a choice. Here was a woman who sat up & smiled when her family came in to see her. She would frown when her husband came in. Her's was nothing short of state-sanctioned murder.

I might support it if there can be found a living will that states no effort to revive them is wished, but that is iffy, as well. My conviction is life is God's gift, suffering or not, and when to pull our plug is his decision.

If there is no brain activity, it is a completely different story. That is a family decision. Breathing & blood pumping machines are not the same as feeding tubes. I support pulling folks off life support. I do not support the killing of someone who has cancer, or in a coma, but can breathe on their own.

 

[OldRegular]

Posted by Magnetic Poles
Euthanasia was mentioned in another thread. Rather than hijack that one, let's talk about it here.

Washington and Oregon have Death with Dignity laws that allow a person to gain physician assistance in ending their suffering from a terminal and painful existence.

1. Do you see any instance, regardless of prognosis and intense pain & suffering, where you would support a person making this decision for themself?

2. We don't allow our pets to suffer, but we do ourselves and our loved ones. Is this right?

3. How is this different than withdrawing a patient from a respirator, and denying them nutrition and other means of keeping their bodies alive via machine?

Have at it!

First you need to define death with dignity.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

First you need to define death with dignity.

For the sake of the conversation, use the one in the OP:

Washington and Oregon have Death with Dignity laws that allow a person to gain physician assistance in ending their suffering from a terminal and painful existence.

Besides, the questions are detailed, and are not dependent upon a definition. They are self explanatory.

 

[LadyEagle]

Let me guess....you're all for euthanasia, right, MP?

 

[Magnetic Poles]

Let me guess....you're all for euthanasia, right, MP?

I will speak for myself. Can you answer the questions with your opinions?

 

[targus]

1. Do you see any instance, regardless of prognosis and intense pain & suffering, where you would support a person making this decision for themself?

I can see understand how someone may make such a decision but I would not support it under any circumstances as I believe suicide - assisted or otherwise to be a sin.

2. We don't allow our pets to suffer, but we do ourselves and our loved ones. Is this right?

Actually we don't just allow our loved ones to suffer. That implies that there is no pain management system being employed.

If you use suffering as the criteria then you leave it pretty much open to personal interpretation. One man's suffering is another man's inconvience - everyone does not suffer the same - there are higher and lower thresholds.

Are you also going to limit relief for suffering only to the physically ill? What about mental suffering?

Does the sufferer have to be terminal? What about suffering from a medical condition that is curable?

3. How is this different than withdrawing a patient from a respirator, and denying them nutrition and other means of keeping their bodies alive via machine?!

Pulling the plug is no different and should not be allowed.

Withholding nutrition is also no different and should not be allowed.

On a different note - is this going to part of the answer to health care costs? Kill the patient?

Also wondering why an advocate of assisted suicide would limit it to the ill? Why not the healthy but bored, or unemployed, or poor, or those left at the altar by their betrothed?

 

[matt wade]

If I have terminal cancer, am suffering every single day of my life, and have no quality of life, what right does any person have to stop me from stopping my misery? On the same note, what business is it of theirs?

 

[OldRegular]

If I have terminal cancer, am suffering every single day of my life, and have no quality of life, what right does any person have to stop me from stopping my misery? On the same note, what business is it of theirs?

If you choose suicide then do so but don't drag someone else in to give you whatever you are lacking to carry out the deed.

 

[matt wade]

If you choose suicide then do so but don't drag someone else in to give you whatever you are lacking to carry out the deed.

If a doctor willingly decides to give such aid, I don't think it is dragging them into it.

 

[OldRegular]

Originally Posted by OldRegular
First you need to define death with dignity.

Response Posted by Magnetic Poles
For the sake of the conversation, use the one in the OP:

The OP does not define death with dignity. As a supporter of abortion would you call that death with dignity?

 

[matt wade]

THE OP does define it and he even quoted it. Here it is again for you:

laws that allow a person to gain physician assistance in ending their suffering from a terminal and painful existence.

Why bring abortion into this? What does abortion have to do with it? All you are doing is your usual distraction and changing the topic methods.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

Thanks, Matt. I started this to not derail another. I thank everyone to stay on the topic and questions posed. This is NOT...I repeat NOT...an abortion thread. I see how some say they are related. That's fine. We get it. But it is not the topic here.

 

[OldRegular]

THE OP does define it and he even quoted it. Here it is again for you:

You are incorrect. The OP does not define death with dignity. Getting an assist for suicide is not a definition of death with dignity. Why would not blowing your brains out be just as dignified?

 

[targus]

...allow a person to gain physician assistance in ending their suffering from a terminal and painful existence.

What is the need for a physician?

Why not a friend or family member?

Or just hire someone else to do it?

 

[Magnetic Poles]

You are incorrect. The OP does not define death with dignity. Getting an assist for suicide is not a definition of death with dignity. Why would not blowing your brains out be just as dignified?

Again, stop your derail attempts. The name of the law has no bearing on the issues. The law is known as that. From Wikipedia:

Death with Dignity Act may refer to:

• Oregon Death with Dignity Act
• Initiative 1000, Washington's Death With Dignity Initiative

 

[OldRegular]

Thanks, Matt. I started this to not derail another. I thank everyone to stay on the topic and questions posed. This is NOT...I repeat NOT...an abortion thread. I see how some say they are related. That's fine. We get it. But it is not the topic here.

I am trying to get a definition of death with dignity. I thought that I might get some idea if I knew whether you considered abortion to be death with dignity.

So what is death with dignity? How does getting an assist with suicide translate to death with dignity?

 

[Magnetic Poles]

I am trying to get a definition of death with dignity. I thought that I might get some idea if I knew whether you considered abortion to be death with dignity.

So what is death with dignity? How does getting an assist with suicide translate to death with dignity?

For the third or fourth time...that is not the question in the OP. Stay on topic, or leave the thread and start your own.

 

[matt wade]

Ok OldRegular, here's my personal definition of death with dignity.

Allowing a person to gain physician assistance in ending their suffering from a terminal and painful existence.

You've said this isn't a definition of it already, well why not?! Because you said so? Come on OldRegular...try hard (I know it's hard for you) to stick to the topic. Either you agree with the topic or you don't. If you do agree, state why you agree. If you don't agree, state why you don't agree. Stop trying this "what about abortion!?" and "give me a definition" stuff. You know full well what the topic is...stick to it.

 

[targus]

I am trying to get a definition of death with dignity. I thought that I might get some idea if I knew whether you considered abortion to be death with dignity.

So what is death with dignity? How does getting an assist with suicide translate to death with dignity?

The laws are called "death with diginty" because it is so much softer to the ear than "killed by your own doctor".

I also wonder why it is not considered dignified for someone to live out the end days of their life with quite acceptance of their condition and limitations?