How do you feel about assisted suicides?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/12/27/168150886/americans-support-physician-assisted-suicide-for-terminally-ill

Mass recently put it to vote.

But where do you stand on it?

We have to very careful not to fit into God's shoes.....caution. However, if the voters of a state feel that ethical and consistent policies can assist people in their end of life decisions.....well I think it is a good process. However, I see people each month who are dealing with end of life decisions and absent the laws.....well simply put......it is not pretty, so I look forward to expanding discussions and intelligent legislature which helps families in those very difficult times.

2seaoat wrote:We have to very careful not to fit into God's shoes.....caution. However, if the voters of a state feel that ethical and consistent policies can assist people in their end of life decisions.....well I think it is a good process. However, I see people each month who are dealing with end of life decisions and absent the laws.....well simply put......it is not pretty, so I look forward to expanding discussions and intelligent legislature which helps families in those very difficult times.

Not quite sure what you mean by "intelligent legislature" which all too often is a bit of a contradiction, but I agree.

It's not pretty and families, in an ideal world, should be allowed to make an extremely painful and personal decision based on their loved one's desire.

Well if we are going to go down this road why restrict it to just the terminally ill? Anyone remember the first episode of Futurama? The Suicide booths! We need them on every corner, in the malls, check cashing places, McDonald's, Unemployment offices and it needs to be cheap, like a quarter or two. Hell put a couple thousand in DC and offer a cash back incentive just to lure them in, could have BOGO free, family packs!

In all seriousness I do not think you will ever see this happen. To much money to be made off of treating people who are dying. As a society we don't give a shit about life but we damn sure give a shit about making money.

It (assisted suicide) is legal here in Oregon. And has been for several years.
I am against it, and did not vote for it.
As far as I know, it is not used often, but then again, it probably doesn't make the news.

I am for it. I have witnessed too many people in my life suffer far beyond what they should have had to, not to mention against their wishes, because it has not been legal where I live. Everyone in my family has DNR's (most active after some period of up to a month) of active measures to bring each individual back to life without support mechanisms.

My mom has begged all of us to -- should she ever become a vegetable -- "take [her] up on the mountain and bean [her] in the head with a rock, or simply shoot [her] in the head" because of her intense desire to not "live" like that, and not burden us with that level of care when there is no hope of her state improving. That is a tough thing to ask of your children and she knows it, but she knows us well. It no doubt plays a role in why I hope that assisted suicide is more widely legalized in our state sometime in the near future.

That being said, we would no doubt need to be a little more creative in order to fulfill her wishes and avoid prosecution for murder. Again, that plays into my desire for a more broad legalization of assisted suicide here.

Just my feelings and opinion based on my experiences, and as always I respect others' points of views and beliefs on the matter.

riceme wrote:I am for it. I have witnessed too many people in my life suffer far beyond what they should have had to, not to mention against their wishes, because it has not been legal where I live. Everyone in my family has DNR's (most active after some period of up to a month) of active measures to bring each individual back to life without support mechanisms.

My mom has begged all of us to -- should she ever become a vegetable -- "take [her] up on the mountain and bean [her] in the head with a rock, or simply shoot [her] in the head" because of her intense desire to not "live" like that, and not burden us with that level of care when there is no hope of her state improving. That is a tough thing to ask of your children and she knows it, but she knows us well. It no doubt plays a role in why I hope that assisted suicide is more widely legalized in our state sometime in the near future.

That being said, we would no doubt need to be a little more creative in order to fulfill her wishes and avoid prosecution for murder. Again, that plays into my desire for a more broad legalization of assisted suicide here.

Just my feelings and opinion based on my experiences, and as always I respect others' points of views and beliefs on the matter.

I hate to hear your predictiment. I have mixed feelings on it. I'm still trying to sort them out to be honest. Thats why Id like to hear what ya'll have to say, gets me to thinking.

as far as your mother, and I pray to god for her well being and health. You know I love you to death and ive had to go through my mother passing since we all became a group. its hard. I wouldnt want to have to make that decision. and what i saw when she did pass away was very hard. Even her toes had started to turn black from lack of oxygen. im going to make myself cry now.

anyway, you could take your mom over to oregan to a home for a while if you seen that was coming up. you cant go in the mountains and take things into your own hands. right or wrong, i forbid it s your frriend because i dont want to see you spend your life in prison.

I think no---Ive had family who were in hospice ---most in hospice know they will die!----my friend she was so drugged up , They had her on all kinds of drugs they dont feel a thing ---I walked in the door and she looked up -said to my daughter katybug----hadnt seen her in a while--moments I shall cherish ! If she had given up the moments wouldnt have been there and my friend heck she was sitting up laughing --point is we have hospice where you get drugged but are aware of your family and your in no pain and then one day she just didnt wake up ---thats the way id like to go drugged and pain free.

stormwatch89 wrote:

2seaoat wrote:We have to very careful not to fit into God's shoes.....caution. However, if the voters of a state feel that ethical and consistent policies can assist people in their end of life decisions.....well I think it is a good process. However, I see people each month who are dealing with end of life decisions and absent the laws.....well simply put......it is not pretty, so I look forward to expanding discussions and intelligent legislature which helps families in those very difficult times.

Not quite sure what you mean by "intelligent legislature" which all too often is a bit of a contradiction, but I agree.

It's not pretty and families, in an ideal world, should be allowed to make an extremely painful and personal decision based on their loved one's desire.

I advocate assisted suicide in cases of the terminally ill and those suffering extreme pain from the illness. What I do not advocate is those that are not terminal and just want to end their psychological suffering.

Stormy you hit the nail on the head with what I highlighted. It should be left up to the dying person and him/her alone. Of course that would be having a living will in place. I already having a living will that prevents doctors from extending my life artificially and a DNR order, but if ever approved I would revise the will and add assisted suicide to it. I feel that assisted suicide allows those that are terminal to go out on their own terms.

We'll put a pet cat or dog down so it dosn't suffer, but in some states, we force terminally ill patients to suffer through unbearable pain and "die naturally".
I really have to wonder about the intelligence of the human species sometimes.

Euthanasia is a very tricky topic. It has to be a personal decision. I would think that it happens all of the time with the pain meds that get dispensed by docs on a daily basis.

Eskimos solved this..you set them out on an Ice flow and let the polar bears eatem...problem, what problem ?

thats the way id like to go drugged and pain free.


I have already made arrangements with hospice and I personally would not feel comfortable with assisted suicide, but I have had pain when they took out the left lung lobe which could not be knocked down with drugs.....real pain.......but I knew I would get better and heal.....so I was able to bear that pain. The idea that we will all have painless deaths......well I do not want to unnecessarily scare people......but that is not always the case, and as I wind down and my pain levels are beginning to increase, I realize that continued pain without relief is a hellish way to conclude one's life, but we can cherish every moment until the unbearable, and pray that we are the fortunate ones where certain pain medications can knock down the pain in our final journey, but understand this should be a personal decision shared by a family and in compliance with the law which hopefully has been ethically drafted..........I am dealing now with a 13 year old dog who is having serious end of life issues, and we delay the obvious resolution, yet we have no hesitation when the dog is suffering to end her life.....been there done that......yet when a loved one faces this same journey, we often have no options.

I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather, not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.

Yeah, that's an old one, but a goodie. :-)

I'd rather go to a hospice and get happy on drugs until I pass on.

It's two distinct issues to me.

One is whether or not to choose to make use of it if it is available. I have only one opinion about that. Which is it's one of, if not THE, most difficult decisons human beings can ever have to make. That goes for both the person committing suicide and that person's loved ones when the person him/herself is not capable of making the decision for him/herself. I have been in the position of the latter so I know what that's like. But I cannot even conceive of what that decision would be like for the person facing the choice of death. I have no idea what I myself would decide. I don't think I can know what that's like until I'm actually in that situation.

The second issue is whether or not the collective (government, laws, society or whatever you choose to call it) should have the authority to either permit or deny that decision to the person involved or his/her loved ones.
I totally and completely reject that. It's just flat none of the business of politicians or voters or pundits or preachers. Period.

I'd rather die on horseback with the bridle in my teeth pistols in both hands riding down on New world Order scum.....

TEOTWAWKI wrote:I'd rather die on horseback with the bridle in my teeth pistols in both hands riding down on New world Order scum.....

Getting shot full of burning holes... Teo, you da mayun!

Yomama wrote:

I'd rather go to a hospice and get happy on drugs until I pass on.

I watched my mother die in a hospice bed. She didn't die all at once. She was starved and dehydrated to death over a period which in her case lasted the final two weeks of her six week stay.
The drugs do help the suffering but don't stop it. Even though she was given massive doses of morphine for the last two weeks, she was still writhing in agony every time they had to move her in the bed which was done several times a day. Her existence during that period was to be either unconscious or barely conscious or writhing in pain when moved. That was the only semblance of being alive she had left.

If doctor assisted suicide had been available in Florida I honestly don't know what I would have done. I would have wanted to end her misery but I don't know if I could have mustered up the courage to do it.
I discussed it with her hospice nurse who I had gone to high school with. She was adamantly opposed to any form of suicide and that came entirely from her religious teaching.

I dont want my family to have to make this decision. I think it would be hard to live with.

I had a living will when I almost died, but that was a long time ago. I hate thinking about this stuff but I need to mak a directive so my loved ones are not facd with this aweful decision, to pull the plug if that ever happened.

Since I found out the end of the world isnt going to happen any time soon and I wont get to put on a leather outfit and pretend I am xena. Ill just have to accept my mortal fate and do my due diligence of making sure Ive made those hard decisions.

I dont want assisted suicide and I dont agree with it. I also dont agree with comparing animals to human suffering. I realize this makes me an ass, but whats new.

I should have this conversation with my loved ones as they already know I want to be cremated and they are against that already.

There is only one way that terrifies me to go, and thats drowning. whatever happens to me please god do not let me drown. And I have a terrible fear that because I feel so strongly about that, my luck is I will fucking drown.

Because of this terrible topic, i will be a little bit more prepared to prepare my family in case that happens. But you relly never know whos going to go, when.

In the last 7 years that I have been with you, I have lost my mother to cancer, my nephew to a heart attack, my neice blew her brains out and two brother in laws, one just barried thursday to liver and colon cancer. My dad is very old, my sister is amazingly obese and sickly.

I didnt bring this topic up to be an ass or hurt anyones feelings. i like all of you struggle with lifes hardships and yes, I do look to you all occasionally for guidance. As uch as I could punch some of you in the face sometimes, I have a strange love for you all. Its probaly because I am mentally ill though.

Chrissy wrote: Its probaly because I am mentally ill though.

I knew there was a reason I relate to you sometimes. I'm fully convinced I have undiagnosed mental illness. The only reason I don't get the confirmation of a diagnosis is I have such crappy health insurance. When I get on the government dole in a year and one month from now I may opt for that just for shits and giggles.

Bob wrote:

Yomama wrote:

I'd rather go to a hospice and get happy on drugs until I pass on.

I watched my mother die in a hospice bed. She didn't die all at once. She was starved and dehydrated to death over a period which in her case lasted the final two weeks of her six week stay.
The drugs do help the suffering but don't stop it. Even though she was given massive doses of morphine for the last two weeks, she was still writhing in agony every time they had to move her in the bed which was done several times a day. Her existence during that period was to be either unconscious or barely conscious or writhing in pain when moved. That was the only semblance of being alive she had left.

If doctor assisted suicide had been available in Florida I honestly don't know what I would have done. I would have wanted to end her misery but I don't know if I could have mustered up the courage to do it.
I discussed it with her hospice nurse who I had gone to high school with. She was adamantly opposed to any form of suicide and that came entirely from her religious teaching.

Bob, I was sitting on the hospice bed in my mothers living room alone with her when she took her last breath. I was telling her fishing stories and reliving the moments we had.

There was a large dosage of morphien in the refridge that hospice gave us. She had been get morpein those last few days. I thought about it. I htought about that large dosage of morphein to give her. I still think about it. I layed crying at her side as she litterally sufficated to death. And when I looked at her feet, her toes were black. I will always wonder why I did not give her that extra large dosage. I dont think she holds it against me.

I dont want to talk about this topic anymore. i hate myself for bringing it up.

Im sorry

Bob wrote:

Chrissy wrote: Its probaly because I am mentally ill though.

I knew there was a reason I relate to you sometimes. I'm fully convinced I have undiagnosed mental illness. The only reason I don't get the confirmation of a diagnosis is I have such crappy health insurance. When I get on the government dole in a year and one month from now I may opt for that just for shits and giggles.

lol

good luck. i have great health ins and these damn people still think im sane. They cant afford to loose me from the tax revenue cycle, im a perfect slave.

Before its over I am sure they will pump me full of every medication known to man to keep me in the slavery work force. Ill prolly have a large suitcase full of medicines that I carry around with me.

Thanks for making me laugh. You get a huggles.



Im off the topic now

Chrissy wrote:

I dont want to talk about this topic anymore. i hate myself for bringing it up.

Im sorry

Don't apologize. It's a topic worth talking about. But if it distresses you to keep talking about it I understand that too.
It's just a part of being human (reverse the words to human being if you prefer). Sometimes it's easy and fun to be one and other times it's not so easy and not so fun. But the key to coping with that is to realize that it has to include both to even make any sense. That's why we've conceived the concept of BOTH a heaven AND a hell. One without the other is nonsensical.
And both taken together mirror the reality of what human life is all about.

Sedition wrote:We'll put a pet cat or dog down so it dosn't suffer, but in some states, we force terminally ill patients to suffer through unbearable pain and "die naturally".
I really have to wonder about the intelligence of the human species sometimes.

It's about other people's religious beliefs when we allow terminally ill people to die naturally. It's inhumane and unacceptable. No one should ever be allowed to tell someone else how they should die.It's not about how you feel but rather the person dying.

Dreamsglore wrote:.It's not about how you feel but rather the person dying.

Well some of the time it is. But not in the case of my mother and I imagine her situation is not uncommon.
For the final part of her life she had no mental capacity to speak of. When that's the case the decision to provide those like her with "suicide" has to be made by someone else.

And I put that word in quotations because in those situations the term "suicide" may not even be valid. Because it's not the person him/herself who is making the choice to die. Someone else is making that choice for him or her. Then it becomes euthenasia.