is euthanasia acceptable to you?

bmah · Sep 25, 2008 6:01 AM

i.e. "assisted suicide"

What do you think of euthanizing an animal or perhaps a person who became a vegetable? Do you think it's right to put another person or animal out of possible misery that they may be suffering? And what if they can't communicate their thoughts to you on whether they should be euthanized, even if it clearly looks like they're physically and/or mentally ill? Should it still be done?
But if that person wants to be killed as opposed to stay alive through suffering, would you accept that person's request?

edit again: my bad, but apparently there's a slight difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide. Euthanasia is what I've first described, as in, killing someone based on the fact that they look like they're in relentless pain or suffering. Assisted suicide is killing someone, given the victim's consent.

Fletch_Talon · Sep 25, 2008 6:43 AM

if someone has reached the end of their life span and all that lies ahead of them is pain (drugs will only work for so long before your body adjusts)

and if someone's brain is so badly damaged that they have no awareness of what's around them, and have lost all ability to do anything

why should they not be put out of their misery, if they cant communicate then what is the point of them carrying on living, obviously someone in a coma is different, they generally have a chance to wake up, but when someone is brain damagedso that all they do is sit there eyes open and drooling out the side of their mouth, i can pretty much guarantee you theyd rather be dead

alternatively, people should be required after the age of 18 to state what they want done in such events, kinda like how people work out in advance whether they are going to be an organ donor or not

as for the religious perspective on this, it works on the belief (and a cmmon religious one at that) that human life is somehow different to animal life, i assume they dont think animals have a soul or something, either that or they believe that only god has the right to choose when we die, in which case i say leave it to god when he actually does something, there's either a kind and fair god or a *bleep* of a god who sits back and watches people in pain only to punish us if we do something to help them

cruel or kind you cant have it both ways

Lanara · Sep 25, 2008 6:44 AM

Absolutely not! People still have the option to live. I believe its inhuman for someone to decide weather or not this person or animal will live or die. I'v seen many physically/mentally ill people still living life. Suicide is suicide, sure, killing yourself is wrong, but its the individuals decision. But honestly, having someone else decide your death for you is far worse than suicide in general.

Fletch_Talon · Sep 25, 2008 6:54 AM

Lanara wrote:

Absolutely not! People still have the option to live. I believe its inhuman for someone to decide weather or not this person or animal will live or die. I'v seen many physically/mentally ill people still living life. Suicide is suicide, sure, killing yourself is wrong, but its the individuals decision. But honestly, having someone else decide your death for you is far worse than suicide in general.

i havnt heard of assisted suicide for the mentally ill so to speak, its generally reserved for those who are completely incapable of doing anything for themselves, they cant walk/talk/eat/control bowels or bladders and to best our knowledge they cant think, so why should someone be made to endure life as what is essentially a houseplant (you look after it but it doesnt respond in any way)

as for those who are physically ill, they are generally able to decide for themselves and communicate that they wish to be put to sleep

nobody is saying we should go around and murder people with autism or cancer, euthanasia is, as i understand it, reserved only for the worst case scenario

bmah · Sep 25, 2008 7:00 AM

Mhmm. I guess the bigger issue is if the person in question that's suffering gives his/her consent for you to do it, especially if he/she considers that a favor. If that person wants to be killed as opposed to stay alive through suffering, would you accept that person's request? It's something that frequents the news on this kind of issue - someone is claimed to be the murderer of a person who actually would prefer to die, and the "victim" gave permission to do so. Do you think that the accused have taken appropriate action by returning the "victim's" favor, or do you think that the law rightfully overrules this kind of decision?

edit: added a question I've made in this post to the main post - something that I should've said in the first place.

Fletch_Talon · Sep 25, 2008 7:04 AM

well you do have to be careful, suicide is thought of by people who dont have it as hard as they seem to think, emotional issues can be resolved but if youre going to die in a couple of months and the entirety of that time is going to be excrutiatingly painful then you have every right to ask for it to end, and i dont think anyone should be condemned for helping

bmah · Sep 25, 2008 7:16 AM

You've kinda reminded me of something when you brought up suicide - about a person's mental state (and can communicate). Is it possible that a person who gives you permission to kill him or her is in a mentally safe state of mind? (i.e. would they actually ask for death if they had 100% mental faculty?) It's something that's kinda hard to determine, and I'm not sure whether you should be the judge to assume that the person is thinking right in the first place.

Lanara · Sep 25, 2008 7:32 AM

Yah, I was debating against that possibility as well. But if they are in a mental state, and still able to communicate, wouldn't that make them still capable of living? As for Fletch's statement, this tweaks my opinion a bit. If the person is basically a houseplant then euthanasia could be your only option I'm sad to say.

Paranoia · Sep 25, 2008 9:29 PM

bmah wrote:

You've kinda reminded me of something when you brought up suicide - about a person's mental state (and can communicate). Is it possible that a person who gives you permission to kill him or her is in a mentally safe state of mind? (i.e. would they actually ask for death if they had 100% mental faculty?) It's something that's kinda hard to determine, and I'm not sure whether you should be the judge to assume that the person is thinking right in the first place.

Well are you talking about if this person was in extreme pain or something? I think that only the person should have the right to choose for themselves. It wouldn't be fair to kill the person who is mentally handicapped, because you have no idea if that is what they wanted.

But answering the topic, I don't think that euthanasia is a good thing. Sorry to bring religion into this, but I think you should accept when God wants it to happen. I do think though, that people should be able to choose if they want to do it or not.

A Guy · Sep 25, 2008 9:43 PM

Well, if I was suffering, then I'd want someone to put me out of my misery.

Fletch_Talon · Sep 26, 2008 1:17 AM

DDR_Maniac wrote:

It wouldn't be fair to kill the person who is mentally handicapped, because you have no idea if that is what they wanted.

its not so much about mentally handicapped people (though its probably not unheard of) i think we're talking amore about people in a full on vegetative state, people who cant think, feel or want anything, i spose from a spiritual standpoint, a "vegetable" could be like someone who has no soul, or whose soul is imprisoned, they are nothing apart from a physical thing that is barely alive, i would say that an animal is more alive than someone who is completely brain dead, at least animals are aware of their surroundings, if not of themselves as an individual

Kamineko · Sep 26, 2008 2:41 AM

I've dealt with dogs being euthanize before and honestly I wouldn't try to stop it if I could. It gets to the point where there is no hope and all they'll be doing is living a life of constant pain which nobody really wants.

And as for human vegetables, I think they should be kept alive for just a little while, for the family's sake, but after that I mean really they're not doing anything ever. They can't think or anything like that. There's no reason to keep them alive.

#1 Sep 25, 2008 6:01 AM

is euthanasia acceptable to you?

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