The right to die

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**Frazzled**

dogma wrote:
Frazzled wrote:
Agreed, but who does the euthanasia?

A cat, everyone likes cats.

In the absence of a cat, an anesthesiologist.

What if no one A wants to, and Doctor Death is not around?

**dogma**

Frazzled wrote:
What if no one A wants to, and Doctor Death is not around?

I think it would be wrong to make someone do it, but I also think you could find enough people willing to do it.

Just make it an issue of certification. In essence, such and such is certified to push the red button. It doesn't necessarily have to be a doctor, but clearly a doctor would be required to administer the killing dose. Perhaps a centralized system would work, kits being prepared off site and sent to individual hospitals as needed.

**Frazzled**

dogma wrote:
Frazzled wrote:
What if no one A wants to, and Doctor Death is not around?

I think it would be wrong to make someone do it, but I also think you could find enough people willing to do it.

Just make it an issue of certification. In essence, such and such is certified to push the red button. It doesn't necessarily have to be a doctor, but clearly a doctor would be required to administer the killing dose. Perhaps a centralized system would work, kits being prepared off site and sent to individual hospitals as needed.

Where's a good box of Quietus when you need it?

**Blackskullandy**

Frazzled wrote:
Blackskullandy wrote:I think this should work like the DNR (do not resuscitate) orders some folk put in their medical files. Something like 'In the event of serious injury or illness resulting in my complete dependance, please cancel my subscription to life. Death would be preferable to continued suffering.' should work. Get it witnessed by a lawyer/solicitor and specify the conditions which would trigger the euthanasia, somewhat like a will but sort of backwards.

Agreed, but who does the euthanasia?

I was thinking that the automated 'Suicide booth' someone suggested might work quite well. It could be set up so that the diagnosis of total dependance would generate the code to operate the 'U-thenizor-O-matic'

Or the cat... A shadowy cat of doom to usher you into the next life

**Orlanth**

mattyrm wrote: I have never met a person who isn't Religiously motivated who is dead set against assisted death. Sure some people involved in hospice and palliative care feel strongly about it, but they have nothing like the gusto of my pals in Churches. The will to utterly impose a law against you so you can never be master of your own destiny.

My mother rotted to death with cancer, she turned yellow, lost about 5 stone, and basically looked like gak for about 6 months, she looked even worse than I did after I drank two litres of whisky for a bet and woke up in a Dumpster at the back of a bowling alley.

If a person wants to die, the only person that should have a say in the matter is the fething person who is going to be doing the dying, and their partner, and possibly the kids if they are old enough.

No fether else.

It was probably this one subject that got me so pissed off with militant Religious dickheads trying to impose their will upon me that I got so angry with Theists in the first place.
.

Actually its the BMA who are dragging their heels. The churches are more concerned with abortions, and only the Catholics with denying abortions to rape victims.

**Poppabear**

Castiel wrote:
Poppabear wrote:Doesent matter how I go. As long as I go out to "Aint no grave gunna hold my body down" I'll be happy

You're a Crooked Still fan then? Good band.

I'm not sure where I stand on this one. I would like to allow people dignity in dying, but I can also see how making assisted suicide legal could cause other problems, such as people feeling pressured into it so as not to be a burden to their families. Its a tough call.

Well the one sung by Johnny Cash.

**Doctadeth**

I'd say both yes and no. Yes, I can see what Euthanasia (differing from suicide BTW) means. Having been involved with a trial in Australia involving Euthanasia really interested me. At what point is an assisted murder, not an assisted murder? per se, I would say that direct evidence from the Euthanised person as to their wish to depart this world would constitute a let-off.

However, its not a decision that you can reverse very easily, being dead is being dead, and it will affect other people, even if you are very dependent. In this case, there might be a chance of recovery, but if the said person dies, that cannot happen.

so essentially it is up to the person, but what if that person was not of sound mind or his disability affected his decision making (parkinsons, dementia etc). It really is a very hard thing to witness.

My dad has Parkinson's, which unfortunately has hit him hard at the moment. The ironic thing, he's a Pallative care doctor!

**Albatross**

Frazzled wrote:
Blackskullandy wrote:I think this should work like the DNR (do not resuscitate) orders some folk put in their medical files. Something like 'In the event of serious injury or illness resulting in my complete dependance, please cancel my subscription to life. Death would be preferable to continued suffering.' should work. Get it witnessed by a lawyer/solicitor and specify the conditions which would trigger the euthanasia, somewhat like a will but sort of backwards.

Agreed, but who does the euthanasia?

I'd do it. I think it'd probably be a satisfying well-paid job.

**Blackskullandy**

Albatross wrote:
Frazzled wrote:
Blackskullandy wrote:I think this should work like the DNR (do not resuscitate) orders some folk put in their medical files. Something like 'In the event of serious injury or illness resulting in my complete dependance, please cancel my subscription to life. Death would be preferable to continued suffering.' should work. Get it witnessed by a lawyer/solicitor and specify the conditions which would trigger the euthanasia, somewhat like a will but sort of backwards.

Agreed, but who does the euthanasia?

I'd do it. I think it'd probably be a satisfying well-paid job.

Albatross - Dakka's very own Albert Pierrepoint.

**Albatross**

I'm not saying I'd love to kill people for money, and that that would be my prime motivation. I would see it as a valuable service, and the delicate nature of the job would probably cause it to be well-paid, is all.

Plus, Pierrepoint was an executioner. I'd probably do that job too, to be fair.

**mattyrm**

Hey I've got dibs on executioner!

Ill undercut you and do it with a hammer. Save the tax payers a fortune in bullets and lethal injections!

**Blackskullandy**

How about plastic-bag-over-the-head? Keep your hammer nice and clean... You'd be doing your bit for recycling too

**Sonophos**

Albatross wrote:Please note that the gentleman in question is legally allowed to take his own life, it's others assisting him that is the legal issue. A couple of people didn't seem to be getting that.

It's my personal view that suicide should be legally available on the NHS for anyone who wants it. That's not a view held by many, but it makes perfect sense to me.

Look something we agree on.

If a person who is unable to act expresses a wish to end their life in front of a number of IMPARTIAL witnesses (they don't need to agree with it just see that the expression is there) then any person aiding them should be free from prosecution.

**Albatross**

I think any person, healthy or sick, should be able to go their nearest NHS hospital and request a lethal injection. I mean, why not?

**Sonophos**

Maybe some couceling first just to make sure.

**Cannerus_The_Unbearable**

It must be done by someone wearing a convincing grim reaper costume, after the patient has been unknowingly slipped a few hits of acid.

**Sonophos**

Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote:It must be done by someone wearing a convincing grim reaper costume.

but what am I going to wear when I go and see my gran in the home then?

**mattyrm**

Albatross wrote:I think any person, healthy or sick, should be able to go their nearest NHS hospital and request a lethal injection. I mean, why not?

fething quality...

Imagine that?

"Hello doctor, its been a gak week.. I didnt have a single winner at Cheltnham.. feth it. Put me down"

"Jolly good.. wont be a tick old boy"

**Sonophos**

mattyrm wrote:
Albatross wrote:I think any person, healthy or sick, should be able to go their nearest NHS hospital and request a lethal injection. I mean, why not?

fething quality...

Imagine that?

"Hello doctor, its been a gak week.. I didnt have a single winner at Cheltnham.. feth it. Put me down"

"Jolly good.. wont be a tick old boy"

You forgot the prescription charge.

**Frazzled**

Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote:It must be done by someone wearing a convincing grim reaper costume, after the patient has been unknowingly slipped a few hits of acid.

This is not a humorous topic. If you believe it is, we can take it offline and amaze you with the string of profanities I can link together.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Sonophos wrote:
Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote:It must be done by someone wearing a convincing grim reaper costume.

but what am I going to wear when I go and see my gran in the home then?

Back off that. Too many of us have been in this position.

**Maelstrom808**

Lost my father last August to cancer after he fought it for 9 years. He spent the last three days unable to speak, eat, or drink and I had to give him hourly doses of liquid morphine via an eyedropper. Considering the vast history of various cancers and diseases in my family, I'm pretty sure I'm screwed in the next 20 years or so. I pretty much have the same plan as Fraz.

There needs to be a system in place to allow for people having the choice to end their suffering without putting a burden on their families to assist them, or have to clean up afterwards (guns are messy and the services to have it done aren't cheap). The people that are against it need to spend a few years doing in-home hospice care and see if they still feel the same way.

**Castiel**

Sonophos wrote:but what am I going to wear when I go and see my gran in the home then?

You have no idea how unamusing I found this.

**Sonophos**

Castiel wrote:
Sonophos wrote:but what am I going to wear when I go and see my gran in the home then?

You have no idea how unamusing I found this.

Sincere Apologies.