pathtohome wrote: » In the case of a paralyzed person (i.e. locked-in syndrome) waning to die by way of assisted suicide, allowing them to do so should absolutely not be permissible by law. Such a person is suffering due to psychological reasons. If they should be permitted to die via assisted suicide, why not individuals who suffer from other mental illnesses such as suicidal depression?
pathtohome wrote: » In the case of a person suffering tremendously from biological pain due to an incurable illness, whether they should legally be allowed choose to die should be up for debate. In the case of a paralyzed person (i.e. locked-in syndrome) waning to die by way of assisted suicide, allowing them to do so should absolutely not be permissible by law. Such a person is suffering due to psychological reasons. If they should be permitted to die via assisted suicide, why not individuals who suffer from other mental illnesses such as suicidal depression?
cymbaline wrote: » The video footage of a heartbroken Tony Nicklinson being told that he had lost his case is one of the most harrowing things I have seen in quite a while. It genuinely rattled me and is still haunting me. I think any person who thinks that life should be sustained at all costs should be sat down in front of a screen and shown the utter desolation on that man's face.
christmas2012 wrote: » Ive done work in nursing homes as a student,and recently as a paid staff member as a nurses aide,i have to say its one of the most depressing jobs to have,feeding people who dont remember their own name,sometimes lash out when you try to dress them,and sometimes spit their food out,not to mention changing their nappies..its not a way to live your final months/days/hours - its completely unnatural,and only prolongs the misery,not to mention the cost to family and the state. i heard of one story off a nurse who told me there was one elderly lady who was chucked out after all the payment after selling her house was gone,when she couldnt pay anymore they chucked her out onto a hospital bed,then she eventually became homeless her family had to take her back in and look after her.. things like this still happen in ireland
GastroBoy wrote: » What a complete contradiction. Please re-read your post and try to see just how ridiculous that sounds. Whats the difference from any other mental illness you ask? A great bloody deal different actually. A person suffering from depression can make a cup of tea, go for a walk, pick up the phone, change a channel on the tv, TALK for crying out loud! A person with locked in syndrome can not do anything, absolutely nothing. I suggest you try to sit completely still in your chair for an hour and see just how blindingly frustrating it is, now try to imagine that for remaining years of your life.
EnterNow wrote: » So psychological suffering is less valid than biological suffering?
1210m5g wrote: » I honestly believe that any person even if they are in perfect health should be abel to exercise their free will and decide how and when they want to die.
pathtohome wrote: » Yes because it is not real, it only exists within the subjective imagination of the individual. We have been conditioned to believe that what brings us happiness in life is to have a constant ever-changing flow of mental stimulation coming from the external world. Life's true purpose is to find stability within the inner dimension of awareness, everything else is a sensory illusion anyway.
raftni wrote: » There's too much grey area surrounding the topic. If this was brought in it would completely change healthcare in Ireland. By what accounts do you determine the merits/disadvantages of legalising this, by what arbiter do you measure the rights and wrongs? I would evaluate it under the ethical system of principlism. Let's just look briefly at this under the heading of justice, if I may. In terms of justice, we look at the social benefits and burdens associated with euthanasia. This has become known as the ‘Slippery Slope’ argument. Although particular acts of active killing are sometimes morally justified, the social consequences of sanctioning practices of killing would involve serious risk of abuse, and on balance, would cause more harm than benefit. These negative consequences would not occur immediately, but would grow incrementally over time. Society might start by carefully restricting the patients who can qualify for assisted suicide, but these restrictions would be revised and expanded over time, with ever increasing possibilities in the system for unjustified killing. Unscrupulous persons would learn how to abuse the system, just as they do with methods of tax evasion that operate on the margins of the system of legitimate tax avoidance. Particular acts of assisted suicide may in particular circumstances be humane, compassionate and in everyone’s best interest, but a social policy that authorizes such acts would weaken moral restraints that we cannot easily replace, threatening practices that provide a basis of trust between patients and health care professionals. Source: My thesis for undergraduate was on health law and ethics, and I had a chapter on this.
pathtohome wrote: » GastroBoy wrote: » What a complete contradiction. Please re-read your post and try to see just how ridiculous that sounds. Whats the difference from any other mental illness you ask? A great bloody deal different actually. A person suffering from depression can make a cup of tea, go for a walk, pick up the phone, change a channel on the tv, TALK for crying out loud! A person with locked in syndrome can not do anything, absolutely nothing. I suggest you try to sit completely still in your chair for an hour and see just how blindingly frustrating it is, now try to imagine that for remaining years of your life. I never asked what's the fundamental difference between the two as it's obvious. I asked in principle what's the difference between granting a paralyzed person's wish to die and granting a non-paralyzed depressed person's wish to die. Within this context their scenarios aren't that different; they're both plagued with a negative mental interpretation of their life situation. A paralyzed person has the choice to either accept their situation or be tormented for the rest of their life about it. Life is not about the quality of experience, but the overall experience itself regardless of it's content.To think that death would be better is a false perception interpreted by the imagination of the individual. Many monks live similarly to paralytics and are the happiest people on earth. Also, many paralytics would choose to die rather than being a burden on their families/the state or it might heavily influence their decisions, this is a false perception also.
