Assisted Dying. For or against?

How does "my" wanting assisted dying for myself deny "you" your choice?

Nobody is suggesting that it becomes compulsory. Is that what you're afraid of?

highlanddreams

To anyone on this thread who doesn't want assisted dying, if you don't want it fine, don't you apply for it, simple as that. Please don't deny others their choices over their own lives & death if they DO want it. All you have to do is say no for yourself, just let others speak for themselves & make their own choices about their lives too.

works both ways of course.

If you do want it fine! please don't deny others who don't want it there choice.

My advance wish is that if I am not in sound mind I should not be given any life-prolonging medication or treatment, only pain medication, as I won't be able to choose Assisted Dying, even if it exists at that time.

I think it's high time this was organised Greeneyedgirl. I also believe we should be able to express our wishes in advance - in our living wills, with records kept by our GPs.

There's always a potential problem for doctors, who've taken the General Medical Council's 'good medical practice' principles to heart. To 'preserve life at all costs' is downright cruelty. We'd be prosecuted for treating our pets that way - and rightly so.

Having watched several people suffer, so unnecessarily, before they eventually die, I'd like reassurance that it doesn't have to happen to me.

Yes please.

If it's not for you, then ensure that you make your wishes known, but please please please do not deny others the choice.

Assisted Dying, as proposed, is to be only for those who are terminally ill and of sound mind who make clear, at the time, that they want it.

Good news for those who don't want it.
Less good news for those who fear dementia, or similar, where they will be unable to make the choice.

I am in favour of Assisted Dying for those who want it.

Well the 'yeses' are very trusting in their fellow man is all I can say. I am a Christian,too, and have heard of one or two coming to believe in the Lord right at the last minute. Even just one would be enough to think we are given this life and it is not for us or anyone else to end it. The person who does do that is actually murdering someone and I wouldn't want that for anyone on my behalf, medical person or not. I am not against pain relief of course and I realise that will often hasten death but there is a fine line between deliberately giving something to kill someone and trying to ease suffering.

Absolute yes from me.

Definite yes from me.

Pain relief during childbirth, absolutely GSM and even with it during my first, it was still awful!! Like you, I don't believe that being in favour of assisted dying is against my Christian faith.

As I have said I am a Christian but would welcome the opportunity of assisted dying. But for anyone who thinks it isn’t a Christian thing to do, what about accepting pain relief in childbirth when the Bible says ‘in pain will you bring forth children’? I was mightily grateful for pain relief, then for the emergency c-section!

To anyone on this thread who doesn't want assisted dying, if you don't want it fine, don't you apply for it, simple as that. Please don't deny others their choices over their own lives & death if they DO want it. All you have to do is say no for yourself, just let others speak for themselves & make their own choices about their lives too.

A resounding YES here

silverlining48

A good well explained post Jane.
It’s a choice made by themselves for themselves and I am in full agreement.
Holysox As for crying out to the lord, no offence but that definitely won’t happen.

Like you silverlining48, I'm with David Hume.

aeon.co/ideas/he-died-as-he-lived-david-hume-philosopher-and-infidel

I don't deny anybody their religious faith but many of them seem quite intent on denying me my freedom of choice.

Agree Holysox. Germanshepherdsmum, you are a Christian, so you know whatever you do, you’re under Grace. It’s non Christians who may be prevented from having the choice, that worries me. We all have a right to that choice, and some people might leave it to the very last minute, and then be too late.

DerbyshireLass

Yes.

If it's not for you, then ensure that you make your wishes known, but please please please do not deny others the choice.

This

DerbyshireLass

Yes.

If it's not for you, then ensure that you make your wishes known, but please please please do not deny others the choice.

I know where I am going when I die.

Sorry if my Christian beliefs aren't popular but Jesus taught us much about the next life and is depends on our choice in this life. From my point of view I don't think it is right to deny someone as much time as possible to decide if they want to be with the Lord or not.

No doubt I will now be told off as this isn't a 'religious' thread. But it is o.k. to spout humanist doctrine....

Yes, with strict safeguards. I don't fear dying but the way in which it might happen.

And I agree, DerbyshireLass If it's not for you, then ensure that you make your wishes known, but please please please do not deny others the choice.

Yes.

If it's not for you, then ensure that you make your wishes known, but please please please do not deny others the choice.

A good well explained post Jane.
It’s a choice made by themselves for themselves and I am in full agreement.
Holysox As for crying out to the lord, no offence but that definitely won’t happen.

I'm so for it, I've seen too many loved ones suffer for far too long before they died not to mention their loved ones who have to watch them, trying their best to give comfort, that's if they can, they're suffering too.
My ex-husbands gran had a massive stroke which paralysed her and she was in hospital for 2 years until she died, she didn't know who anyone was and was unable to speak or communicate. We visited every day and night which was drain on us all mentally and financially as the hospital was 30 miles away, but we always hoped she would come back to us so we kept going, kept holding her hand and talking to her,hoping she was getting some comfort from our presence,hoping she wasn't in pain & trying to bring her back to us as she was precious.
Going through that 40 years ago made me realise that I don't want to linger in pain being a burden on my family or the state for months or years I want to be able to choose to die peacefully on my terms.

I’m a Christian and believe death is not the end. I don’t fear death but I fear the manner in which I may die. I also fear becoming dependent on others for personal care. I don’t believe God would punish me for choosing to avoid suffering and degradation, nor someone who helped me to avoid those things if I needed assistance. I don’t believe that a loving God would turn His back on someone for choosing to hasten their death, nor someone who did them that kindness, as many of us have for beloved pets. A devout Catholic may think otherwise I know, but that’s not my chosen faith.

So sorry to read your post Whiff. I’m in complete agreement with you.

Why say no to the idea and deprive somebody whose life is an absolute misery of the opportunity of ending it just because of your own personal religious beliefs? They have the Medical Assistance In Dying system in Canada, there are very strict rules and if you want to take advantage of it you can apply. So those who want to end their life can apply and those who don’t for religious or other reasons don’t apply. We have two examples in our Canada family, one aunt in her nineties who had limited mobility, a lot of pain and she was nearly blind. She was previously a very active lady and could out walk us when we visited us. every night she prayed to die in the night so she applied for MAID. It had to be authorised and when it was granted she could choose when and where to end her life so she had time to see all her loved ones and say goodbye. My sister-in-law’s husband, also previously a very fit and active man had MND or ALS as it is called in Canada and although his final years were an absolute misery for him and his family he chose to die naturally, his choice but the point is he had the choice and so did our aunt, both made different decisions but at least they had the choice, we don’t and I wish we did,

HolySox

P.S. Kali2 - you might be a commited humanist now but on your death bed you might change your mind and cry out to the Lord. I hope you do.

Exactly ?

Another one for NO. Same reasons as above. There’s a big difference between keeping someone alive, who would otherwise naturally die, and giving them drugs to kill them, when they may have more time to make different decisions. I too, will be voting against.