M.K
Level 55
http://www.assistedsuicide.org/
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/us/23suicide.html
-In Oregon, over the past year, 401 patients commited suicide in assitance with these laws.
Questions/Discussions of Interest:
-Is the practice of euthanasia or assisted suicide ethical and/or applicable to the human race?
-Does the will to live and the decision to allow such "death sentences" lie with the government or the "victim"?
-Do terminally ill patients have the right to take their own life?
-Do parents of terminally ill children have the right to decide on whether or not the child will undergo one of these?
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In my opinion, the option of Assisted Suicide is absolutely applicable to terminally ill patients, however, it should not even be available to those who have curable or non-terminable diseases. Euthanasia should only be applicable with the consent of the patient, and if the patient is unresponsive, then the option is tossed out unless the parents, legal guardians, or closest living relatives can provide video or written proof that the patient condones and wishes to be killed under such circumstances.
This discussion entails whether or not this practice is ethical, practical, and/or applicable to the human race. Recently, the state of Washington in the United States legalized Assisted Suicide, and the first woman has taken her own life as a result:Assisted suicide is the process by which an individual, who may otherwise be incapable, is provided with the means (drugs or equipment) to commit suicide. In some cases, the terms aid in dying or death with dignity are preferred.These terms are often used to draw a distinction from suicide; in some legal jurisdictions, "suicide" (whether assisted or not) remains illegal, while "aid in dying" is permitted.
The term euthanasia refers to an act that ends a life in a painless manner, performed by someone other than the patient. This may include witholding common treatments resulting in death, removal of the patient from life support, or the use of lethal substances or forces to end the life of the patient.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/us/23suicide.html
woman with pancreatic cancer has become the first person to die under a law passed last year allowing doctor-assisted suicide in Washington, according to an advocacy group that pushed for the law.
The woman, Linda Fleming, 66, of Sequim, Wash., died Thursday evening after taking lethal medication prescribed by a doctor under the law, according to a news release by the group, Compassion and Choices of Washington. The release said Ms. Fleming received a diagnosis of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer a month ago, and “she was told she was actively dying.”
Ms. Fleming was quoted in the release as saying: “I am a very spiritual person, and it was very important to me to be conscious, clear-minded and alert at the time of my death. The powerful pain medications were making it difficult to maintain the state of mind I wanted to have at my death.”
In November, voters approved the Death with Dignity Act, 58 percent to 42 percent, making Washington the second state — after Oregon — to allow assisted suicide. The laws in both states have been deeply controversial, particularly among religious groups. Washington passed its law after the United States Supreme Court in 2006 rejected an effort by the Justice Department to block Oregon’s law, which took effect in 1998.
-In Oregon, over the past year, 401 patients commited suicide in assitance with these laws.
Questions/Discussions of Interest:
-Is the practice of euthanasia or assisted suicide ethical and/or applicable to the human race?
-Does the will to live and the decision to allow such "death sentences" lie with the government or the "victim"?
-Do terminally ill patients have the right to take their own life?
-Do parents of terminally ill children have the right to decide on whether or not the child will undergo one of these?
~~~
In my opinion, the option of Assisted Suicide is absolutely applicable to terminally ill patients, however, it should not even be available to those who have curable or non-terminable diseases. Euthanasia should only be applicable with the consent of the patient, and if the patient is unresponsive, then the option is tossed out unless the parents, legal guardians, or closest living relatives can provide video or written proof that the patient condones and wishes to be killed under such circumstances.