the Right to Die

[skygazer]

How do you feel about the right of an individual to die with dignity?

Some folks have it tattooed on their chest. "Do not resuscitate".
Some have a legal document in place, a "Living Will", that tells how they wish treatment decisions be made should the time come when they can not speak for themselves.

In the case of a terminal illness or prolonged comma would you agree that 'pulling the plug' is the ethical thing for your family to agree to?
What about in the case of physical disabilities that grow more complicated and painful as one ages?

As of 2015 Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg have legal euthanasia in place.
Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, Albania, Colombia, Japan and in the US states of Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico and Montana.

[Visitor]

Hello skygazer.
This is an ethical debate that has a very long history.
There are numerous reasons, and circumstances, for and against, the right to die.
I believe in each case, in real time, certain things need to be addressed.

In my opinion, it depends on both the individual, and the circumstances that the individual is in.

Originally Posted by skygazer

How do you feel about the right of an individual to die with dignity?

Human dignity covers a lot of aspects. When relying on outside respect, it can become difficult to feel respected about dying.
I believe that self-dignity/respect is what is important, and that is up to the individual who is dying.
The best we can do is be loving towards the person who is dying.

Originally Posted by skygazer

...Some folks have it tattooed on their chest. "Do not resuscitate".
Some have a legal document in place, a "Living Will", that tells how they wish treatment decisions be made should the time come when they can not speak for themselves.

This is another difficult one. At first it may seem simple to follow the message. Regardless of local laws, such messages of the past needs to be confirmed.
The dying person may have changed their mind since the message was posted. They may have confided their change of mind just beforehand.

Originally Posted by skygazer

...In the case of a terminal illness or prolonged comma would you agree that 'pulling the plug' is the ethical thing for your family to agree to?

There is always the question of waiting for 'coming out of a coma', or for a cure/treatment, and/or spiritual beliefs of the individual.
Other outside issues tend to play a role here as well, such as affordability (costs) as harsh as that may sound.

Originally Posted by skygazer

... What about in the case of physical disabilities that grow more complicated and painful as one ages?

This too can be difficult due to pain, and spiritual beliefs.
For instance, the person under pain wishes to die, but as soon as the pain is relieved, they change their mind.
Overall, the person may find that it is not worth going on, and request termination.
This request, depending on laws, needs to comply to all the prerequisites to cover anything missed. Such as updated treatment/drugs availability that could alter the person's decision.
In many cases, the dying person reaches a point where the painkillers no longer work without reaching the point of overdose, which many actually die from.
On a spiritual note. The dying person may be able to cope and find peace of mind through spiritual counsel that the dying person has not yet been offered.

Originally Posted by skygazer

... As of 2015 Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg have legal euthanasia in place.
Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, Albania, Colombia, Japan and in the US states of Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico and Montana.

All countries that have legal suicide and/or legal euthanasia in place have certain criteria to follow, and they are not foolproof. Ethical issues will always arise that will challenge the criteria chosen.

[Tobi]

A very sane post Visitor. I'm inclined to agree with everything you wrote.

Before reading what you wrote, my knee-jerk reaction was definitely "We must have the right to die."

[revolver]

Yes I am completely for the right to die, anything else is cruelty.

[ajay00]

Originally Posted by revolver

Yes I am completely for the right to die, anything else is cruelty.

Issue is , some can misuse this right to die for simple issues like depression and loss of wealth or face , due to mental weakness.

I would say that euthanasia is correct only for those who are bedridden due to extreme senility or an incurable disease or paralysis.

Here are some of my posts which I had posted in this subject in the Buddhism forum.

http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...5&postcount=84


http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...3&postcount=83

http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...6&postcount=78

[skygazer]

Yes, Visitor, in the case of coma there is always the possibility of coming out of it. I understand it is more common for doctors (in North America) these days to inform family if there is brain death, which would mean no possible chance at 'waking up' from coma. The suggestion is then to consider organ donation.

ajay, the bottom line is that each case should be looked at individually so that as you say, a person's judgement was/is presumed sound, after careful assessment. Even so, as Visitor mentioned, there will likely be ethical issues that come up.

I have some concerns when it comes to old age, specifically, Alzheimer's or any such type of dementia and having to remain alive under such conditions in a nursing home where there is so much abuse of the elderly. I think I would rather have a choice to die with dignity at the onset of such a disease, than to be shelved away in that environment where quality of life is non existent.

[Visitor]

Originally Posted by skygazer

... I have some concerns when it comes to old age, specifically, Alzheimer's or any such type of dementia and having to remain alive under such conditions in a nursing home where there is so much abuse of the elderly. I think I would rather have a choice to die with dignity at the onset of such a disease, than to be shelved away in that environment where quality of life is non existent.

Hello skygazer.
I hear what you are saying, it is sad to see/learn about such things.
But it's not always that way.

Here is an extract I took from: http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Office....aspx?id=12644

"While cognitive function is devastated, the centers of emotion in the brain remain largely unaffected until late in the disease.
This is the "good news" about Alzheimer's disease: the capacity to feel and to relate on the emotional level remains intact and can be used to activate a vibrant, engaged quality of life.
Here is where the potential for mutually fulfilling interaction can be found."

In a nutshell, a good carer, or understanding significant others, can connect with their love.
By doing so, the Alzheimer's patient can still hold onto their dignity.

[revolver]

Originally Posted by ajay00

Issue is , some can misuse this right to die for simple issues like depression and loss of wealth or face , due to mental weakness.

I would say that euthanasia is correct only for those who are bedridden due to extreme senility or an incurable disease or paralysis.

Here are some of my posts which I had posted in this subject in the Buddhism forum.

http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...5&postcount=84


http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...3&postcount=83

http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...6&postcount=78

Yes I agree, when you see someone dying in front of you, struggling to breath and chocking to death, or the death rattle as its known, you then have a whole knew perception on the debate, how dare anyone let someone suffer like that, and take away their right to die in dignity.

[Tobi]

My brother and I chose the right to die for my mother in 2009. In England that was not a euthanasia drug but a cessation of all treatment and methods to prolong life, with the exception of pain relief. That was it. Pain relief only, no fluids, no force feeding, nothing else.
She had all manner of physical illness, and each one was terminal. She also had end-stage dementia to the point where she could no longer swallow. At this point the dementia was affecting essential parts of her brain.

The consultant told us she would be put on what they called the "end of life pathway." And we agreed. He told us she would probably go on only 24 hours more at the most. We thought this was the most humane solution.

One week later she was still alive. It tore us in pieces. She'd had no fluids for one whole week. Yet she was still alive. I cannot describe what this felt like from our paltry point of view. I have no idea what she was going through. She might have been out of her body. I hope that she was.

An I.V. Morphine overdose would have been so much kinder.

They shoot horses, don't they? They put our dear dogs to sleep.....

[Nature Grows]

I don't see nothing wrong with helping people pass over, I think the only reason its not aloud is because certain people would lose money.