euthanasia?

[frozensprouts]

a few weeks ago my mom and dad were up visiting and he was teling me about a friend of his who has Picts(sp.?) disease- a degenerative diease similar to alzheimers. It;s made him very sad to see how his friend has deteriorated.

This led into the conversation we had about euthanasia. He told me that if he's ever in a position where he feels he has no quality of life ( or that he knows for sure that will be his fate- e.g.- he's diagnosed with alzheimers, etc.0 then he wants to option to end his life via doctor assisted suicide. He told me that he doesn't want to make me feel sad, but he's getting older, so the chance that there could come a time when I have to make that decision for him ( if he can't) is increasing, and he wanted me to know his wishes.

 

Personally, i agree with his thoughts. I hope I never, ever have to decide that, but if I do, I will at least know what he wants ( I don't know if it will be legal or not though)

 

wondering how other people feel about assisted suicide/euthanasia...

[Feelin Frisky]

I'm very much in favor of it. I even feel that people who are not terminally ill or hopelessly demented by Alzheimer's, should be able to apply for and get a license to have themselves euthanized. We all die and it's a religion hang up that suicide is wrong. America needs to get that piece of church out of state--maybe even allow unhappy or mentally compromised people give organs. Many people have lives that are so sad and hard that they want to do this but are forced into thinking it's a sin. My nephew is warehoused in a half-way house--he was a twin and the way he was in the womb, cause pressure on his skull which would not let him develop a normal life. They call his condition Aspergers, but he is delusional, makes a nuisance of himself, is combative, and wants to die. He takes a dozen meds and costs the state a million a year to keep alive. Surely there are thousands if not millions like him. When does it become unsustainable to keep everyone alive who just wants control over their inevitable death?

[OhHey]

It sucks to have to think about such things,, but I agree with it.

 

I'd sign the papers tomorrow if I could. To have somone(or a few) help me pass when I became unaware of myself or anything...AKA major head trauma or a disease. I don't want to live wearing a bib and spoon fed, being in pain and not knowing the things around me or taking up someon's life with them being responsible for me 24/7.

 

It should be someone's choice...I mean it is reguardless, but having a clean and easier way to do it, would be great.... You're going to sleep now....it's all calm......god bless you. Family all in the room and you can see them as you exit your physical body.

It woul dbe so much easier on family to have a suicide this way rather than the traditional way.

 

That girl I spoke of last week(Christina Symanski) became a quadraplegic and decided after 6 years living in a lifeless body, she wanted to pass on. To avoid legal matters and all that and with the blessing of her family...She starved herself of food and medicine. nearly two months later she died at a Hospice place in pain at the end of it.

 

Would of been so much nicer for everyone if she could of had an assisted(yo uknow what) in a contolled, painless and soothing manner)

 

Criminals get it when they get the death sentence and I think it's BS that a good person cannot have iut as well. Pure effin BS.

[OhHey]

Many people have lives that are so sad and hard that they want to do this but are forced into thinking it's

 

 

I had a friend whos sister did "suicide by cop" just two years ago. She was so down and out that she took an unloaded pistol into a store and told the clerks to call the cops. The cops arrived and she walked out with the pistol pointed at them. She died within a few minutes. One of the officers took some time off after that to get his bearings....it wasn't easy for them either after they found out the real story and that the gun was empty.

[Feelin Frisky]

I had a friend whos sister did "suicide by cop" just two years ago. She was so down and out that she took an unloaded pistol into a store and told the clerks to call the cops. The cops arrived and she walked out with the pistol pointed at them. She died within a few minutes. One of the officers took some time off after that to get his bearings....it wasn't easy for them either after they found out the real story and that the gun was empty.

 

Aw, man that's terrible. And because there's no euthanasia for people det set on ending their own lives (no pun intended), that suicide by cop idea tragically forces other people into the mix who may themselves suffer psychological issues over having to shoot someone--a women being more likely to register on a man's conscience (assuming he's a man WITH a conscience) than another man.

[frozensprouts]

i know my father is still haunted by how his father and mother died.

 

His father had suffered from depression for years ( this was in the 1960's). My father and others tired to get him help, but nothing worked.

When my dad's mom got sick with a terminal disease, his father killed her and then himself ( I think it was with a gun...i don't know for sure, as my dad won't talk about it). My dad was the on who found them a few days later. There were newspaper articles, etc. written about it at the time.

He managed to get through the funeral, etc., but shortly after that, he had a breakdown.

The suicide note that was left indicated that his mom had been in terrible pain from her terminal disease (cancer) and had wanted to end things, but no one would help her. So she finally asked her husband to, and he did but couldn't live with the guilt and being alone.

 

My mom is a nurse, and she's told me that back then, there was doctor assisted suicide, but no one really talked about it, and it didn't happen often. When it did, it was usually a terminally ill person being given an "extra large" dose of morphine. I wish my ad's mom had been able to obtain something like that, as it would have ended her pain and her husband wouldn't have been in the position where he felt he had to act, and my dad wouldn't feel the guilt that he still does today.

 

for anyone who is interested, this is a link to a documentary that deal with assisted suicide. it's very thought provoking, sad, and yet hopeful too.

 

Right to Die, Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia [ part 1 / 5 ] - YouTube

[Ross MwcFan]

I'm totally in favor of it.

 

How cruel to not allow someone to die who is suffering so badly that they would rather be dead. This is just another evil of religion.

[Headrush199169]

I agree with it,

watching my grandad suffer with dementia was horrendous, he lost all dignity and pride towards the end, and its cruel.

 

i work in a care home, and its tough sometimes when you see people suffering, dying, and your powerless to do anything to help them.

 

you wouldn't let a family pet suffer like that, you'd have it put to sleep.

i don't see why a human should be any different.

if it was regulated, and controlled, why shouldn't someone have the right to say

"this is no life for me, please end it"

 

[carhill]

Morphine is the terminally ill person's gift. A combination of morphine and atropine, I noted, made my mother's last days peaceful and allowed me to spend some quiet time with her prior to her passing. We (yes, I had to authorize it) dx'd all meds except those two. Her inability to consistently swallow, combined with a 'no extraordinary measures' directive, allowed this course of action.

 

FWIW, before she became ill, she used to say 'If I get sick or become a burden, just take me out and shoot me' but, later, in the throws of the disease (dementia), clung to life with an iron grip. Interesting how that works. She trusted me to make the right choice if she was unable to, and I think I did. I did see people who made other choices to hang on to life until technology failed to sustain it and I respect those choices. Life is a very individual thing. If I was faced with such a decision flying in the face of statute, I'd consider the rewards versus the risks and act accordingly. I never let the law interfere with my perception of what's right and what's wrong. That's the anarchist in me, especially in the realm of personal issues like death. YMMV.

[UpwardForward]

I think drugs (used for treatment and pain), can make dying more prolonged & difficult.

 

Also I think when I go, it will be more peaceful if I don't fight it, with medications.

 

I wouldn't allow any of my loved ones to be assisted/hastened in their death, by a devil's assistant. Don't believe in it anymore than abortion.

Edited June 17, 2012 by UpwardForward

[Radu]

a few weeks ago my mom and dad were up visiting and he was teling me about a friend of his who has Picts(sp.?) disease- a degenerative diease similar to alzheimers. It;s made him very sad to see how his friend has deteriorated.

This led into the conversation we had about euthanasia. He told me that if he's ever in a position where he feels he has no quality of life ( or that he knows for sure that will be his fate- e.g.- he's diagnosed with alzheimers, etc.0 then he wants to option to end his life via doctor assisted suicide. He told me that he doesn't want to make me feel sad, but he's getting older, so the chance that there could come a time when I have to make that decision for him ( if he can't) is increasing, and he wanted me to know his wishes.

 

Personally, i agree with his thoughts. I hope I never, ever have to decide that, but if I do, I will at least know what he wants ( I don't know if it will be legal or not though)

 

wondering how other people feel about assisted suicide/euthanasia...

 

My grandparent who suffers from dementia. It's like their social filter has been removed, they have no constraint or long term memory.

I was talking with my mom recently, and she told me that if she ever gets in that situation [hereditary to some degree] she would consider euthanasia a good thing.

[BetheButterfly]

a few weeks ago my mom and dad were up visiting and he was teling me about a friend of his who has Picts(sp.?) disease- a degenerative diease similar to alzheimers. It;s made him very sad to see how his friend has deteriorated.

This led into the conversation we had about euthanasia. He told me that if he's ever in a position where he feels he has no quality of life ( or that he knows for sure that will be his fate- e.g.- he's diagnosed with alzheimers, etc.0 then he wants to option to end his life via doctor assisted suicide. He told me that he doesn't want to make me feel sad, but he's getting older, so the chance that there could come a time when I have to make that decision for him ( if he can't) is increasing, and he wanted me to know his wishes.

 

Personally, i agree with his thoughts. I hope I never, ever have to decide that, but if I do, I will at least know what he wants ( I don't know if it will be legal or not though)

 

wondering how other people feel about assisted suicide/euthanasia...

 

My Mamaw (Mom's Mom) was dying from cancer. She asked her family to kindly let her go. She strongly believed that there is an afterlife, that she will go to Heaven to be with God forever, and that she will no longer be in pain but rather experience complete health in a heavenly body.

 

So, the family respected her wishes and did not force her to accept more medical help. (She had been taking chemotherapy for years.) We did however go to a beautiful private resort and have a family union during the last month of her life. We spent as much time with her as we could and made sure she knew we love her. We celebrated her life while she was still here, with all her grandchildren and children around her, as well as many of her friends. It was hard to see her suffering, but her faith and strength of character, as well as her forever being a lovely lady, helped us.

 

We believe she is in Heaven now. My Mom has asked her daughters and family members that if she is ever in a position where she cannot take care of herself, to let her go. My Dad refuses (he believes in helping medically till there is no more options) but I understand my Mom's point of view. I agree with my Mom's point of view, and my husband doesn't. I think some people do very much want to do whatever it takes to bring a person back to good health, and I understand that too.

 

Whatever happens though, it's important for one's loved ones to feel loved and treasured while they are living, and to be there for each other, and support each other, and help each other!

[Feelin Frisky]

Disintegration booths anyone?

[Anela]

My Mamaw (Mom's Mom) was dying from cancer. She asked her family to kindly let her go. She strongly believed that there is an afterlife, that she will go to Heaven to be with God forever, and that she will no longer be in pain but rather experience complete health in a heavenly body.

 

So, the family respected her wishes and did not force her to accept more medical help. (She had been taking chemotherapy for years.) We did however go to a beautiful private resort and have a family union during the last month of her life. We spent as much time with her as we could and made sure she knew we love her. We celebrated her life while she was still here, with all her grandchildren and children around her, as well as many of her friends. It was hard to see her suffering, but her faith and strength of character, as well as her forever being a lovely lady, helped us.

 

We believe she is in Heaven now. My Mom has asked her daughters and family members that if she is ever in a position where she cannot take care of herself, to let her go. My Dad refuses (he believes in helping medically till there is no more options) but I understand my Mom's point of view. I agree with my Mom's point of view, and my husband doesn't. I think some people do very much want to do whatever it takes to bring a person back to good health, and I understand that too.

 

Whatever happens though, it's important for one's loved ones to feel loved and treasured while they are living, and to be there for each other, and support each other, and help each other!

 

This is both lovely and incredibly sad. I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother, and the losses of everyone here.

 

My Dad has told me that he doesn't want to get into such a state that he can't take care of himself. I don't even want to think about it, but I would respect his wishes.

 

My great Uncle Eric had a near-death experience in the 90's. He's been gone for some years now, but as far as I knew, he'd been an atheist up to that point, and yet when he died on the operating table, he said that he was floating somewhere and he felt totally at peace - he was angry that he had been brought back. I do believe that he was actually going somewhere; I don't believe that it was anything to do with the brain shutting down, and the god part of the brain, that I heard someone talking about on the radio, some years back.

[BetheButterfly]

This is both lovely and incredibly sad. I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother, and the losses of everyone here.

 

Thanks Anela.

 

My Grandmother was an awesome lady. I miss her a lot, but I do believe she is in a beautiful place with no more pain, and with lots of love!

 

 

My Dad has told me that he doesn't want to get into such a state that he can't take care of himself. I don't even want to think about it, but I would respect his wishes.

 

Understood. That's how my Mom feels, and yeah I don't want to think about that either.

 

My great Uncle Eric had a near-death experience in the 90's. He's been gone for some years now, but as far as I knew, he'd been an atheist up to that point, and yet when he died on the operating table, he said that he was floating somewhere and he felt totally at peace - he was angry that he had been brought back. I do believe that he was actually going somewhere; I don't believe that it was anything to do with the brain shutting down, and the god part of the brain, that I heard someone talking about on the radio, some years back.

 

Wow that's amazing!!!

 

Peace and God bless you

[pureinheart]

This is both lovely and incredibly sad. I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother, and the losses of everyone here.

 

My Dad has told me that he doesn't want to get into such a state that he can't take care of himself. I don't even want to think about it, but I would respect his wishes.

 

My great Uncle Eric had a near-death experience in the 90's. He's been gone for some years now, but as far as I knew, he'd been an atheist up to that point, and yet when he died on the operating table, he said that he was floating somewhere and he felt totally at peace - he was angry that he had been brought back. I do believe that he was actually going somewhere; I don't believe that it was anything to do with the brain shutting down, and the god part of the brain, that I heard someone talking about on the radio, some years back.

 

I hear and read about this a lot, especially the part about not wanting to come back. I agree with you that it's not any of the above mentioned or anything else except that it really did happen:)