Assisted Dying. For or against?

Yes, in certain instances. It is terrible to watch loved ones suffering from some of the dreadful illnesses knowing nothing can be done and having to linger on slowly getting worse and waiting and wishing for the end to come. It is cruel.

More and more countries seem to be moving towards assisted dying for people with terminal or life-limiting conditions. and I think it is bound to happen in the UK eventually. I don't think my children's generation will be as acquiescent to authority as my generation, and will insist on it. And having made that move I hope we can then have the courage to move further and let anyone over the age of 75 who wants their life to be ended, to have assistance. There are plenty of us who are not terminally ill who have simply had enough and are ready to go. At the moment we have to find our own way out which means we sometimes go sooner than necessary.

That is very sad foxie8.
Someone in your BiL's situation wouldn't be able to have assisted dying under the proposed law, even if he asked for it, as he was not terminally ill.

Last night we watched 'The English Patient' - somehow never watched it before. We borrowed ti as we wanted to see the scenes filmed in the part of Tuscany we go to every year (Val d'Orcia/Pienza). What a story, and so moving.

At the end of the film, the young nurse who cares for a very badly burnt pilot in a derelict house in the Tuscan countryside, and listens to his lifes story, night after night- and washes him, feeds him and administers daily morphine for pain - gets ready to give him his does, and with his badly burnt hand pushes all the morphine doses to her and tells her with his eyes that the time has come. She cries- but she knows, that this is the right thing to do- that he has suffered enough. The most wonderful act of pure love.

Yes, I cried too.

I am for assisted dying, I won't watch my dogs or horses suffer and I don't want to watch my loved ones suffer either. I'd also like to be able to say I've had enough although of course, I hope I'll go with a bang rather than a whimper. My BIL had a massive life changing stroke just before his 60th birthday. It changed him from a vibrant cheerful intelligent man to a mentally and physically challenged person who was doubly incontinent, unable to walk and completely devoid of his personality. Two weeks after his stroke my Sil was told he wouldn't survive once his life support was turned off. He did. He lived for over 20 years. I have huge respect for how my Sil coped, she was unfailingly upbeat and I never once heard her complain but she had the cushion of being able to afford a lot of help, changes to the home, holidays and was surrounded by good friends and supportive children. I often wondered what my Bil would have wanted if he'd had the choice and tbh I don't think he'd have wanted 20 years.

That’s good FarNorth, you hear such horror stories.

Blossoming the proposed law requires the person to be of sound mind and to request and consent to the procedure themselves.
No-one would able to decide on behalf of someone else.

SueDonim

I don’t know. I worry about the possibility of misuse.

Me too. I wonder sometimes what might have happened to me following my brain injury if someone else had decided my quality of life wouldn’t be good enough. They gave Mr. B a pretty dire predicted outcome, yet here I am. I understand that some people suffer horribly in the later stages of some conditions and it becomes unbearable. I don’t have the answer.

I do agree and when you look in to in Switzerland it can't be misused in the way of anyone jumping on board as you do have to be poorly. Not necessarily terminally ill but where you feel it is what you want and your condition prevents you having a quality of life with dignity and independence. As far as I can work out so long as your life insurance has been paid for more than a year, that pays out too.
I would not want to be a burden to my girls and washed and toileted by people dee to something but that should be my choice. As equally it's someone's choice to live.

3nanny6 I used to believe that medical staff always knew when death was about to happen.
Working in care of the elderly, though, I found out that they are often wrong.

It's absolutely fine for you to be against Assisted Dying for yourself, but I hope you don't think it should continue to be withheld from those who do want it.

My parents, over the years, have visited many of their friends in hospital in the last days, weeks and sometimes months of their life.

On several occasions it has looked very much like the heavily-drugged and supposedly unconscious friend was still in great discomfort, or go put it bluntly, pain.

If that were a pet, we would all do the kind thing and give it something to end its suffering. To do anything also would be unbelievably cruel.

I don't see why humans should have to suffer the cruelty of an often long, painful death if they would prefer not to, when we have the means to prevent it.

Definitely against it. When the end of life is near usually doctors/nurses are more than aware on average how long the person has got. I would not ask for any form to try and prolong life but would agree that pain relief medication can be given.
For me it is on religious grounds one either believes or they don't and neither one could change each other's minds.

FarNorth
I agree with your last comment

Surely the "Christian" position should also be to always refuse to have medication or treatment of any kind, since illnesses must be "God's will for you"?

Definitely yes.

Christians who have concerns about assisted dying may be interested in former Archbishop Desmond Tuto’s comments.

“In refusing dying people the right to die with dignity, we fail to demonstrate the compassion that lies at the heart of Christian values. Terminally ill people have control over their lives, so why should they be refused control over their deaths.

For those suffering unbearably and coming to the end of their lives, merely knowing that an assisted death is open to them can provide immeasurable comfort”.

Juicywords - he isn't known for any decision making!

I’m not surprised about Boris Johnson not looking at reform. He isn’t exactly know for good decision making.

Yes without a doubt

From today's Sunday Times editorial:
"It is reported that the prime minister, with the backing of the health secretary, has decided against supporting any change in the law. If so, that is a terrible mistake. This is not a matter to be decided by the equivalent of a presidential decree but an important issue to be debated calmly and sensibly by those who make our laws. Condemning the terminally ill to die in pain and deep distress when there is an alternative is wrong and inhumane. The government should think again."
Hear hear!

lemsip your fears are completely unfounded.

Assisted Dying requires the person to make the decision themselves, and to make it again on the day, clearly and without any outside cohersion.

You are in no danger.

Yes yes yes from me

lemsip

While fit and well you may at some time have said to your love ones 'don't keep me alive if I get forgetful/infirm' .. Think forward, when you are laying there longing to live on BUT they will remember what you said and want to follow your 'then' wishes......be careful what you wish for while fit and able.

But this has nothing to do with assisted dying- but with euthanasia. Totally different things. Assisted Dying requires the person to make the decision themselves, and to make it again on the day, clearly and without any outside cohersion.

They don't exist, I have no loved ones younger than myself, or likely to be around to make that decision for me.

People who set themselves up as arbiters of the right thing to do should remember that they have no idea of how other people live.

While fit and well you may at some time have said to your love ones 'don't keep me alive if I get forgetful/infirm' .. Think forward, when you are laying there longing to live on BUT they will remember what you said and want to follow your 'then' wishes......be careful what you wish for while fit and able.