Assisted Suicide

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   SheMisposted 14 years ago

   What is everyone's opinion on "assisted suicide"? Do people have the right to make that choice and should they be assisted by medical professionals?

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      RKHenryposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yes.  Great subject matter.  Great hub topic.  You might consider writing one for us.  Or have you already?  Just email it to me if so.  Don't post here.  You'll get sniped.

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         SheMisposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I most likely will write one on it since I am also a nurse and it's such a controversial issue. When I do I will forward it. TY!

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         Julie-Ann Amosposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I've already written one...

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      Drew Breezzyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      yes people should be able to decide what they want to do with themselves. but what about mentally  unstable people who may be able to work their issues out eventually?

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         SheMisposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Well that an entirely different thing since a persons mental capacity would have to be taken into account. If a person were considered to be "without capacity" I personallly think family should be involved regarding the desicion to help determine if the individual would make the same decision if they were in their right state of mind and if they didn't have family than it would have to be decided in the court system.

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      Davinagirl3posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think, if my parent or loved one, was suffering constantly with no hope of recovery, they should be able to choose to die.  My friend's grandmother spent her life saving money, so that her family would be taken care of, only to be bled dry by hospice.  She was nearly comatose at the end and suffered a horrible death.  I think that is more of an injustice than assisted suicide.

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      andromidaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I always love to speak for life.If and only if there is no cure for
      the illness,one should have the right to go for assisted suicide.I  can imagine how hard that kind of situation will be for the friends and relatives to let go their loved ones.

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   ledefensetechposted 14 years ago

   That's a tough one.  On the one hand, people should have the ability to decide what they want to do with their lives, including ending it if they so wish.  On the other hand, pain, whether psychological or physical, can make people do strange things.  Teenage angst that leads to suicide or someone dealing with terminal cancer being examples of the former and latter, respectively.
   
   If you allow it you'd have to make sure that people are in "their right mind", good luck defining that one.  Once you determine that, you'd have to have a way for someone to make their wish to end themselves known.  Then, what?  A waiting period or something? 
   
   As for the professionals, I'm not sure many doctors would do it.  They have a hard enough time finding doctors to pronounce people dead after state executions, much less finding those who will assist someone to die.  What would most likely happen is that "schools" that taught assisted suicide techniques would start up teaching people the "best practices" in helping people die.  Wow, this discussion has gotten pretty ghoulish. 
   
   Of course I wouldn't expect that particular field to go on for very long.  The AMA and doctors in general would scream bloody murder and force lawmakers to give them the ability and right to license "assisted suicide" personnel.  Then you'd never see a licensed professional and people would be forced to do the back alley abortion version of assisted suicide.  Actually that's not much different than today, come to think of it.

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   RKHenryposted 14 years ago

   I think a person has a right to chose whether to live or died, marry who they want, name their kids what they want, and be free to do with their  bodies what they want.  It's pretty black and white issue for me.  I won't tell you what to do with your own self.  Don't be telling me what to do with mine.

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   Colebabieposted 14 years ago

   Agreed RK. You can't tell someone what is right for them to do with their lives/body, especially when you've never been there. I worked in Hospice. Enough said.

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   ledefensetechposted 14 years ago

   Yeah, but I worked with the mentally ill.  Attempted suicide was pretty common.  When you have someone thank you for helping them through that time and get better, you start to take a bit of a different view on things.  Hospice, of course, is different, but it's not "'nuff said".  There's more to it than that.

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      RKHenryposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The topic is about assisted suicide.  Your suicide reference is a whole other element. But still, if someone wants to die.  They'll find a way sooner or later.
      
      Assisted.  If I live to the ripe old age of 90, but have spent the last twenty or less in terrific, unimaginable pain and I've made peace with myself....,  damn straight I would.  If I'm incapable of doing it myself, I will find away.  It should be MY right to choose and nobody else's.  My body.  My right.  My unbearable pain.  My life.  My nose hairs and eye boogers.  Mine.  Black and white for me.

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   Colebabieposted 14 years ago

   Yes I totally agree with that. I guess it is just important to know the difference. Mental health and physical health can be different. The suffering can be different. What I meant by "enough said" is that I my experience in Hospice gave me a different perspective about euthanasia.

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   ledefensetechposted 14 years ago

   Yet you still have to answer the question, do they know what they're doing.  Psychological pain can be just as debilitating as physical pain.  It's also much harder to diagnose.  When you talk about assisted suicide, you can't talk about one without the other.  Not everyone who opts for assisted suicide will be 90 and failing, some may be in their 20's or teens and just want to end it all for one reason or another.  If this is to ever be a viable open option, there has to be a discussion about physical vs psychological.

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      SheMisposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      In some cases I think there would have to be legal involvement and the utilization of a hospitals ethics and risk committees. I would also think that a psych evaluation would be required on every individual to determine their capacity. However, in most cases where a person was psychologically debilitated I can only imagine that they would be determined to not have capacity at what point I think the family or courts would have to become involved.

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         ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Ah, but now we get into a gray area.  Is there a diagnostic test, something physical like a blood test, where you can test someone's mental state?  Not a psychological test, because really the psychology isn't a science, at least not in the way biology or physics is.  Next you talk about some sort of board that will evaluate this.  People bring all sorts of personal convictions to these sorts of things and they really aren't as objective as we'd like them to be.  Imagine the problems you would encounter when you have one board with a member who is opposed to any sort of assisted suicide and another board whose members are OK with it.  Lots of potential for inconsistency there.  In that respect it's like law.  For each and every judicial finding, there is an equal and opposite finding.  Soon enough the system would be riddled with inconsistencies and pretty much unworkable. 
         
         You can't take a private matter and have it adjudicated by the public at large.

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            SheMisposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            The question still remains about it's legalization. There are many issues that have gray areas and bring about debate, but that does not stop laws from being made or from them being enforced.

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   kmackey32posted 14 years ago

   I think it should be my choice!!!!!

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   earnestshubposted 14 years ago

   For those who are older and very ill, I think the decision is easier to make.The final decision should be made by the individual if that is possible.

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    Randy Godwinposted 14 years ago

    I find the idea of someone else deciding my life, as well as my death, unacceptable.

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    getpaidtopostposted 14 years ago

    The decision to end your own life goes against the morals of humanity also its against the law in most countries. however I believe that a sane person can make their own decisions and law enforcement and governments should step aside.

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    someonewhoknowsposted 14 years ago

    People are dying everyday,they are being assisted by the food manufactures ,the drug companies,not all of the drugs are bad of course.Their family doctors who are encouraged to prescribe unnecessary drugs,some with side effects that can contribute to death in some people.The poisons that are sprayed on our foods ,many of which are imported from countries that allow toxins to be sprayed on food in their own country ,and then are allowed to export into ours.Should I go on?
    
    Chemotherapy will either cure or kill it's a crap shoot
    Some people die from everyday immunization shots
    thousands of chemicals in our water supplies
    Poison peanuts
    ecoli in our spinnach
    and strawbwerries
    Arsenic in some broiler chickens
    
    slow suicide is still suicide,mabe not conscious suicide.Maybe no suicide at all.Maybe we can sue them on account of their not on our side.From what I hear swine flu was created by our our science labs,and is being shipped around the country by mexican truckers who haven't been told what it is their hauling

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    Beth100posted 14 years ago

    This is a hot topic in Canada as Bill C-384 is being proposed.  Personally, I haven't formed a firm stand yet.  There are always pros and cons to these issues.  The questions really lie on ethics, morality, personal freedom and one's charter of rights.  Perhaps, if we could answer these for ourselves, we would have an answer...

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    Pete Maidaposted 14 years ago

    My sister-in-law died of ALS.  She lived with us so I saw how it slowly took her each day.  In a way she was lucky that it attacked some her vital muscles first.  She only showed acute symptoms for three or four months.  In that time she could not hold up her head.  She could no longer read the mystery novels she loved.  She could no longer do her knitting.  The muscles in her throat were so weak that she became exhausted trying to eat the softest food.  If she would have to exist like that for years and wanted out I see no reason why her wishes could not have been fulfilled.

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       ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Sorry to hear that man.  I love life, but if it were a choice between wasting away and assisted suicide, I think I'd pick the easy way out.  I'd hate to linger like that, especially if it took a long time.

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          myra636posted 14 years agoin reply to this

          I agree with you both and am sorry to hear about you sister. I lost my brother but it was fast he was a grown man and was hit on his bike so it was fast him. My uncle on other hand has been suffering for years the last time i saw him he was bed ridden and would cry like a baby when he know what was going on, my aunt stays with him 24/7 it has been about 3 years like that he has Alzheimer. It is horrible  to watch them both suffer like that.

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    someonewhoknowsposted 14 years ago

    There is a lot hypocracy out there concerning assisted suicide
    
    we are being assisted without our knowledge or consent all the time.There have been human testing of drugs as well as radioactive subtances on the American population earlier last century by government paid scientists without our consent.
    Why is that ok,but when you try to do it to yourself or have someone assist you it's illegal?

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    annvansposted 14 years ago

    No because....when you kill yourself, you are commiting a crime.

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    annvansposted 14 years ago

    If someone else kills you, it is not a crime.  When you say "ok, put that medicine in me to kill me", you are assisting your own death which in turn is a crime.

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    Randy Godwinposted 14 years ago

    Mental illnesses aside, who, besides the individual, should make the decision to end one's life?  There are too many government regulations regarding our lives already.  Look what happened in the Terri Shivo (not sure about the correct spelling) case where she was brain dead for many years, yet there were still those who railed against the decision her husband made.  Religious reps made him out to be a murderer when he tried to do the right thing.

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    B.Z. Alixandreposted 14 years ago

    Well, I just posted a hub earlier today on the subject of DNR/DNI's which is closely related.  It is a kind of assisted suicide, it is an order to not intervene when medical intervention is available.  It's kind of a non-committal response to the issue.  What is relevant to this discussion though is the way a DNR/DNI is issued.  Not everyone can get it.  I can't.  Not right now.  My friend who has early stages of B Cell Lymphoma can not get it because she is not "ill enough" yet.  You have to meet certain criteria, usually the degree of terminality of your illness (I know that's not a word).  A diabetic is likely to die of their disease, but can not get one because they are diabetic, only if they are suffering multiple system failure or other imminent extreme illness. 
    
    As for suicide being condemned by humanity, most cultures besides Judeo-Christian cultures do not frown on suicide when there is honorable intent behind it, such as recovering from shame, dieing for beliefs, sacrificing yourself because your loved on is gone.  I don't agree with these lines of thought (undoubtedly because I grew up in a Judeo-Christian culture), but really can't see how a consenting adult is going against anything besides Judeo-Christian beliefs when committing suicide.  I don't want to see people killing themselves, and it certainly hurts everyone around them, but it is not anthropologically inherent to oppose suicide.  To assume that it is is to ignore cultures and histories that make up the world.
    
    I know that I do not want to linger in the state that I see many hospice patients.  I have seen patients attempt to end their lives only to be "rescued" and live an even more horrible life.  One patient could only move the digits on one hand and was "saved" after gouging out his eye in a suicide attempt.  Is this actually life?  Is this being saved or rescued?  Is there anyone who truly believes this is better?  I can't imagine it.  I state in my post that I don't have concrete beliefs on the subject, but I suppose I do.  If it were me, I would want to be released.
    
    http://hubpages.com/hub/Adventures-in-EMS-Slowly-Dying

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