Euthanasia

[TheLionPrince]

(Did you really need to create a new thread about this? You could have just revived the one you already stated.)

Concerning the topic, I'm so sorry to hear about the girl! Rest in peace! However, I doubt this will change my viewpoint.

Euthanasia is like all other forms of murders. It's intentional. Some methods of passive euthanasia are just cruel and inhumane; one such as the withdrawal of food and water needed to survive. Access to food and water is a human neccesity, and is declared a natural right. What gives a person the right to let a person dye from hunger and dehydration? Exactly, none. The same goes with the withholding of treatment.

About the oath, I'm sorry, but that's just how society works! Every elected president in the United States, all the cabinet secretaries, the judges on the Supreme Court, and several hundred lawmakers had to take an oath. There's even an oath to be taken for incoming immigrants to become U.S. citizens. Workers have to write their names in allegiance to their particular companies. To sum things up, I find the Hippocratic Oath fully justificable.

Above all, I am split on this issue. It all depends on what you consider moral and immoral. A person has the right to do whatever they want with their lives, but I do not feel assisted suicides are always the answer.

[DGFone]

The biggest problem with Euthanasia:

You can't say "Actually, I didn't want it" after it was performed on you.

[TheBlackCatCrossing]

^Plus, what if the person was not exactly in the right state of mind?

You cannot return it.

[Regulus]

Some methods of passive euthanasia are just cruel and inhumane; one such as the withdrawal of food and water needed to survive.

That isn't euthanasia. At least, that's not what the commonly accepted idea is.

The biggest problem with Euthanasia:

You can't say "Actually, I didn't want it" after it was performed on you.

Implying that, if it were legalized, it would be legal for anything less than already life threatening, incurable conditions.

^Plus, what if the person was not exactly in the right state of mind?

You cannot return it.

If the consent of the person and their family is required, that would eliminate this problem.

The very definition speaks for itself:

Euthanasia: the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma.

It must be painless (not torture), and it must only be used as a last resort for a severe condition (and is therefore not murder).

[TheLionPrince]

Some methods of passive euthanasia are just cruel and inhumane; one such as the withdrawal of food and water needed to survive.

That isn't euthanasia. At least, that's not what the commonly accepted idea is.

Keep in mind, I said "some methods". I learned of that method from this website. If I am not mistaken, the most used euthanasia method is a lethal injection.

[DGFone]

Do be honest, I view euthanasia as a big red "I give up" button. One thing I am eyeing with interest to replace it is cryogenics. Sure, right now it's only affordable to the very rich, and we can't figure out how to thaw out the people already inside, but think about it: you have a what is now considered a deadly disease. You get frozen, and get thawed when humans figure out how to reverse cryo, as well as a cure for your problem is discovered. Plus, like all technology, crgyo is only available for the rich now, but with a healthy dose of investing and competition, I can see it getting cheap enough to get affordable by the middle class. (Adding laws preventing a failing cry company to pull the plug on its patients added of course)

In any right state of mind, no living creature, us humans included, want to die. It's the most basic of instinct. When people say "I am ready to die, so kill me now", their not exactly ready. But they see either no better option, or are so fed up with a broken body that they want to give up. To repeat: no one ever wants to die. But sometimes, death is the best option.

So my opinion is just let people get euthanasia if they (doctor and family approved) want, get the fuss over with, and start looking for ways not to require it in the first place.

[Azdgari]

If you want to have a productive conversation, you must be open to the other opinion of the other side. That way, the exchange of ideas go both ways and all of those talking can formulate new, deeper stances on issues. Why post if you're not looking to accept, not hear, but accept, the opinions that oppose your own?


That being said, Woeler, you seem to take the stance that those who oppose abortion oppose it because they think that it's immoral.But like DG showed, many oppose it for pragmatic reasons. Yes, people suffer terribly. However, try this angle and tell me what you think: The nonexistance of euthanasia saves lives. Suffering, terminal patients can turn around. It is rare, but does happen. Are you content to have these lost lives on your conscience? Those people will die because medicine was unable to predict their turnaround, and their lives will be (I believe) thrown away.



Yes, I do support and did vote in favor of euthanasia.

[Arani]

There are quite simple ways to bypass religion and such though. When my grandma was in the hospital and in a lot of pain, we decided that the best thing for her would to give her the least painful death we could. And we knew that the doctor she had was against such things and wouldn't allow it, so my grandpa asked for another doctor who was not religious, and my grandma was able to pass without pain. If people believe in it, then they do. If they don't, then they don't. It's not our job to say that their beliefs and religions about it are BS. Yes I agree that it's the in-pain person's/families choice, but if it's against another's religion you can't change that. Just go find someone who you can agree with instead of fighting the one you can't agree with. =/

[DGFone]

While not a person who is against euthanasia per say, I can say from personal experience, that I am not one hundred percent for it as well.

For the past 9 years, I suffered from an incurable disease. No matter what I or my family tried, we never even managed to get it under control. Ever. Even now, after I was forced to undergo several surgeries that I wanted to avoid like the plague, I still suffer both direct and indirect symptoms of the disease, and not all of them are physical. But despite that, I never considered suicide or any such escape route.

Sure, my disease was not technically a lethal one, but it still got me to the hospital in the end of 2009 with qualifications for death, but that's not the main thing I want to say. What I mean is that no matter how much I suffered (and believe me, it was a lot), I never ever thought that death was a better alternative. Not even the phrase "after this, you'll get better" stopped having any meaning. I was already in the act of committing social suicide (for those of you who knew already that I never had any girlfriends, this here is the reason why), and I was committing "suicide" with many other aspects of my life as well. But I never looked at death as a key out of my misery.

Which is what I think I should say here: Even if you might think that there are no other options left, you might try to still hold on for a bit longer...