Euthenasia and Suicide - Difference?

[XBloodyNailPolishX]

When we have a pet that is suffering horrible pain, we put them down, even though there COULD be a chance they may get better with surgery, etc.
When we have a human being that is suffering horrible pain, we don't allow them to die because there COULD be a chance they may get better with therapy, etc.
I haven't been suicidal in quite some time, but this always crossed my mind when I was. We put down suffering animals to be fair and kind. If a person wants the same, why not?

[xexon]

In Oregon, there is an assisted suicide law. Only one in the US.

Terminally ill people can have their doctors end their life before the suffering overcomes them. The Catholic church put up a huge fight over this, but the will of the people (it was voted on) had the last say.



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[Okiefreak]

When we have a pet that is suffering horrible pain, we put them down, even though there COULD be a chance they may get better with surgery, etc.
When we have a human being that is suffering horrible pain, we don't allow them to die because there COULD be a chance they may get better with therapy, etc.
I haven't been suicidal in quite some time, but this always crossed my mind when I was. We put down suffering animals to be fair and kind. If a person wants the same, why not?The answer is obvious: religious belief, legislated, based on the idea that humans are different from the "lower" animals in having souls, a higher purpose, and a different place in God's scheme of things. Lucky us!

[WanderingSoul]

I agree with it if it's what the dying person wants.

[BraveSirRubin]

It's completely ridiculous to not allow a human to be able to take his own life away. Other than religious beliefs, as mentioned... society just doesn't want you to go out, you cannot contribute to the economy if you're dead!

It's disgusting... but oh well. The whole pulling a plug on a person in a coma thing is kinda iffy though... who knows, they may never wake up... but maybe they're enjoying the best and longest dream in the world. :)

[Moon_Beam]

How can you be sure that the person who is ill and therefore wants to end his life, actually wants to? It could so easily be a way for 'murder' to take place with the excuse that he/she told me she really couln't bear life anymore.

[Moon_Beam]

Is it better to just let people do whatever they want, given the risk of unlawful killing? It's like saying - yeah just let end their life - without thinking of what can be done. It is completely different to suicide.

[WanderingSoul]

Think of the situation like this:

You've been in the hospital for months. You have cancer. It's already been hard on you, the morphine doesn't help and you're maxing out your bank account. The financial responsibilities are then passed on to your relatives. You don't even look, or act like you once did. You're barely there when they visit because of the drugs and the pain and just the fact that most of your body has been ravaged by the cancer, the surgery, the chemotherapy. You're happy to see them but most of the time you don't even have the energy to enjoy the visit. There's nothing any doctor can do. You have a few months left to "live" but can you really call it living when you're lying in a bed just waiting for death to save you?
Then your doctor gives you an option: he says there is a lethal cocktail of drugs that he can give you which will let you die within a few hours, practically painlessly. What would you do? Is it really worth it to go on when you know you're just going to die anyway, but under a more awful set of circumstances?

If my doctor told me one day that I was going to die soon, (before the situation got as bad as the one above), I would inform my friends and family that I was not long for this world. Then, I would party it up. I would invite everyone I loved and cared about. They would have the chance to say goodbye and see me just as I had always been, instead of ravaged and barely there. Some time later, depending on how bad my illness was and how soon it would be before I would have to make that final admission to the hospital, I would take my own combo of pills and end my life on my own terms. I could die with dignity. I would much rather do that than die suffering in a hospital. That's how my Paw Paw died. He was such an active, beautiful person before he died. Even at 81 years old he would jog every day. The nicest, neatest person you would ever meet. It was a shame he had to die that way.

I don't believe euthanasia should be forced, but it should be available to those that want it. There are many other practical reasons for it that I'm not going to list, but should be obvious.

Pulling the plug on a coma patient... depends on the situation in my eyes. You need to give that person time to wake up. They may just be resting from their horrible accident (or whatever caused the coma). However, if somebody doesn't wake up after a year, they probably aren't going to. Furthermore, if they wake up after 10 or more years, they are not going to be the same. Some end up needing constant care and could be mentally impaired. Would they really want to live like that? Again, quality of life is the question here.
Hopefully that person would have made their wishes known beforehand. If not, it really is up to the people that are left with the responsibility of caring for that person. Do they even have the time, the energy, or the funds to make that person's life the best it can be?
Someone should never be pressured to pull the plug on a loved one by a doctor or anyone else, but if the situation really is hopeless, they should have the option.

[Waking Life]

When we have a pet that is suffering horrible pain, we put them down, even though there COULD be a chance they may get better with surgery, etc.
When we have a human being that is suffering horrible pain, we don't allow them to die because there COULD be a chance they may get better with therapy, etc.
I haven't been suicidal in quite some time, but this always crossed my mind when I was. We put down suffering animals to be fair and kind. If a person wants the same, why not?Apparently the answer is not as obvious as some might think. The economic view of a person as a producer, or the religious view of a person as a higher being than animals may play some role in the debate, but they do not suffice to answer the question.

"All men are created equal", and eliminating life equates to murder. Allowing it in any circumstance leads on onto a very slippery slope. Once we have determined that the quality of life of a cancer patient is less than that of a healthy person, we have allowed an exception to the rule that all people are inherently equal. The exact same argumentation that allows for euthanasia may allow for termination of any other form of life that is deemed of lesser quality. We may completely obliterate the notion of equality of mankind altogether, for if there are lesser quality lives then there are greater quality lives.

Are we prepared to go down that road?