Euthenasia - the forbidden subject

[aussiephil]

I want to open a can of worms & I think the mods will have to keep a close eye on this one.

Please read & contribute to this thread, but please ensure you respect the views of others & do not attack anyone for their personal beliefs.

Many of you who know me know that I am very liberal in my thinking . However, I was raised in the church & believe in God, the sanctity of life, as well as the right to life.

Following a discussion elswhere, it brought this to mind again.

Is euthenasia a viable treatment option for people? I asay treatment option because if we consider many who would be offered this know they are going to die anyway and can choose to do so before there is too much pain, while they still have some dignity.

Many people who are given the news of impending death (especially protracted & painful) will go into grief. There are 7 identifiable stages of grief. They are Shock & denial, Pain & guilt, Anger & Bargaining, Depression, the upward Turn, Reconstruction, & finally acceptance.

Given this, and we are only talking for identified terminal cases, when we see someone has gone through the stages, & they want to leave with dignity, should we assist them to do so? I believe we should because in reality, we have kept them alive longer than in the past, we have given QUANTITY of life, with little or no QUALITY. Let them call their family & friends together, have a party & say goodbye, and go in pease, with Gods blessing.

I look forward to your views.

Phil

[itku2er]

Well I am no fan of Euthenasia, But I do believe everyone should die with dignity and respect. I do not think I could assist anyone in taking their lifes. People have the right to die but i do not have the right to help them take it. I am in the life saving business not the life taking business.

[Timmy]

I support euthanasia. I to believe everyone should die with dignity with no pain or suffering. I also believe everyone has the right to die. I’ve seen the pain and suffering people go through before they pass. Having worked in High Care Aged Care and Palliative Care I feel there is no point to there life, if I got to that stage in my life I would want to die, the quality of life is not there.

[emtannie]

I have been thinking about my reply to this thread all evening.... and I am still not quite sure what I want to say...

I always thought I was against euthenasia, until I took care of my father as he was dying of cancer. The last three days of his life were a trip through hell that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. At that point, if there were anything I could have done to ease his way from this life I would have done it. I also think at that point, when someone has no chance of survival, is it not better to ease their pain and suffering, than to let them continue to suffer?

There is always a danger to euthenasia - who makes that decision? I think that if it is decided in advance at what stage euthenasia should be implemented, and the patient is the one making the decision, then it is not so much the hastening of death, but it is dying in comfort and dignity.

When someone asks "do you think that euthenasia is acceptable" my first instinct is always to say no... but when I really think about it, I do believe there are circumstances when it would provide comfort not only to the patient as they pass, but to the family to not see a loved one waste away in pain and suffering.

[aussiephil]

who makes that decision?

I believe the only person with that right is the patient.

I did neglect earlier to put in that in many cases & Annie alluded to it, it is not simply the patient who suffers, but the entire family as well, seeing a loved one suffer is never easy.

Don't we, as a society already have a form of euthenasia where families decide if Life Support should be continued or not?

Phil

[emtannie]

You are right Phil - the only one who can make that decision is the patient. Who are we do tell the patient whether their decision is right or not? We don't know what they are feeling... we don't know if they have made peace with their decision.. but I do think we should respect it.

We also tend to not take into account the well being of the caregiver. There no more helpless feeling than watching a family member struggle with life, and knowing there is nothing you can do to ease their struggle. There are scars associated with that which can never be healed.

You are also right in your comment "Don't we, as a society already have a form of euthenasia where families decide if Life Support should be continued or not?" I think we do. Families have to make that decision all the time... I can't imagine how hard it must be, especially when you don't know what the patient would have wanted. If people would make their wishes known ahead of time, and make those decisions when it isn't a stressful life or death situation, then when that situation actually happens, the family can follow those wishes, knowing that they are doing what the patient wanted.