Chip

Never really thought about this much myself til recently. Father in law is gravely ill with Bone cancer and is in constant pain even though he is on morphine and cannot eat or drink.

He has actually said he wants to go and that if he was an animal he would be treated with more compassion to stop his suffering.

The only help my mother in law gets is from voluntary Macmillan nurses who have been absolutely superb. so things have been really hard for her as well playing the waiting game which just seems to drag on and on as he is given Complan type drinks to keep him going.

Which brings me to my point. What's the general feeling towards voluntary euthanasia as I know it's legal in some countries but not here for some reason.

Chip.

Jamie

Right.

Chris L

Having watched my Grandmother die very slowly from Alzheimer's disease (and in considerable pain towards the end) and seeing the effect it had on my Mum and Uncle, I know where my vote would be. We don't let animals suffer, so why we do we feel it is right for humans to suffer?

tiggers

Chip,

It's a difficult one to answer not in specific cases such as that of your father in law, but in terms of where would the limit be. For instance if someone was so ill they were judged incapable of making the decision themselves should we let their next of kin decide and what sort of pressures does that place them under.

However, in the case of your father in law who has clearly had enough it would seem only fair that in a time where we have the medical know-how to do it in a humane way he should be granted his wish.

Regardless of the euthanasia debate I hope he doesn't have to suffer for too much longer Chip,

All the best,

tiggers.

wwp8

i did this in school
it was RE
and it was a debate lesson
i was in the "for" team,
gee we had a right argument

ajm

Personally I support it all the way. What is the point of dragging out the suffering of someone who no longer wants to live?

The only reasons I can think of for it to be illegal are:-

1) It is a throwback to the premise that is illegal to intentionally kill someone
2) The person may not be of sound mind
3) To stop people disguising murder as euthanasia

All of these should be easily surmountable by forming some procedures and changing some laws.....

but unfortunately the government is more concerned with changing "more important" laws such as the laws on fox hunting and rewiring your house.

Doc

Right as long as there are adequate safeguards to ensure no abuse of the system.
I was asked multiple times as a junior doctor if there was something I could do to hasten death in terminally ill patients. Its hard enough as a doctor to say all I can do is try to make you as comfortable as possible let alone to hear it when you are suffering in pain with no dignity left. You wouldn't let a dog suffer like that.

richiewong

If that person has absolutely no quality of life then you could argue the point but, for example, if that person had no quality of life, could not express their desires or give informed consent, then its a massive can of worms.

I mean suicide is illegal, what you're gonna do to them

stevem2k

Definately right *provided* all the safeguards are in place.

It's the last act of dignity.

richiewong

Damn right, the first placement I had as a student nurse was oncology where the terminally ill had syringe drivers with daimorph and a handy override button

Freak

as long as you are of sound mind, or were of sound mind when you made that decision, and its witnessed then whats the problem....

Tiggs

Bill Hicks had the right idea...Chuck Norris movies.

Markus

I know for certain that if somone I loved was dying and suffering i would happily "help the process" regardless of the consequnces, and I'd want somone to do the same for me if I was the one suffering.

Yes, there do need to be safeguards to prevent murders being disguised as euthanasia, that goes without saying.

Buckrogers

Right, as long as they still have the ability to make that decision.

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

Difficult, difficult, difficult........... but wrong for individual docs to decide.

Which leaves it up to the courts....maybe we need a special law division to deal with this ?? one which can act in days and not years / months.

andypugh2000

I think its totally the right thing to do, agonising death?? no thanks!!

beemerboy

can we use pslewis as a guinea pig???

BB

Jamie

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4054023.stm

Leslie

Too many traps if it was officially allowed. Its a much shorter step from there to non voluntary euthanasia as well and with the way government is going these days, I can forsee "Logan's Run" etc coming true.

I believe it would be a dangerous change to go from prolonging life to officially ending it.

Les

D.K.1

That is exactly what my grandmother went through and she said the same thing about *if she was an animal he would be treated with more compassion to stop his suffering.*

It's awful watching someone go through it, and terrible for the person suffering.

Although it's hard losing someone, if you're going to lose them anyway and that's what they want, while they still have a bit of dignaty left, I think it should be done, I know you lose them sooner, but at least they don't have to endure the months of constant pain and suffering, before they actually pass away

I agree about the Macmillan nurses, they do a great job

davegtt

not only is it cruel to let a suffering person who has no hope of recovering living on until the disease wins but its also cruel to the family who have to watch a loved 1 suffer to long periods of time constantly, it takes away memories of how you knew them replaced by the awful memories of watching them suffer.

echo alot of posts agreeing from me here.

D.K.1

I couldn't have said that beter myself !!

Mu mum stayed with my grandmother until she passed away, she was with her when she went, but the only time she ever saw my baby, was about 3 weeks before she passed away, after that time I saw her, my mum told me not to go because she really went down hill, I felt awful not being able to see her, but at least I remember her happy and smiling and cuddling the baby It was my mum that watched her suffer more than anyone and she was begging my mum over and over to help her go because she was suffering so much, I think it should be right in the right circumstances to help someone take their own life, before they have to suffer more

jasey

The Wife's Grandmother (What a great Lady She was) Once had a conversation with us before she went through the last painful year of her life. She Said (roughly)


"I've seen everything I wanted to see and I've done everything I wanted to do - Even if I wanted to do something else I wouldn't be able to manage anymore. Why wont they just let me go ?"

I'll take this to My Grave and make sure I tell anyone that will listen.

RIGHT.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I dont see why its such a problem, with the right procedures in place it could be done properly.

Its way too much of a taboo though, for healthy people anyway, those in extreme pain tend to have an opinion, Diane Pretty and Reginald Crew (Both very brave people) seemed fairly keen, what I think they were saying is, F*ck it, I am knackered, make it stop please, pure and simple, I think we tend to be over optimistic as a nation or just prefer to not face facts and then just lie to sick people.

I have heard cases of people diagnosed with various unpleasant conditions topping themselves beacuse they know what they have in store, so while they can still take matters into their own hands they do, because they cannot face the future knowing there is no way to call time on their own suffering.