Do you support physician-assisted suicide?

[DC Al Fine]

No right is more inherent than to do what they want with their body, including taking their own life.

Here's a RL situation for you: One of the recently elected Liberal MLA's in NS was abandoned by his parents at age 8. The parents took him and his siblings to the mall, told them to wait while they got something from the car. The parents never came back.

Are the parents' actions morally acceptable? If they aren't acceptable, how would it be any different if they blew their brains out instead of taking off?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

No right is more inherent than to do what they want with their body, including taking their own life.

Here's a RL situation for you: One of the recently elected Liberal MLA's in NS was abandoned by his parents at age 8. The parents took him and his siblings to the mall, told them to wait while they got something from the car. The parents never came back.

Are the parents' actions morally acceptable? If they aren't acceptable, how would it be any different if they blew their brains out instead of taking off?

I'd think that if those parents were suicidal and really wanted to take their own lives, they'd find a way to do it whether a doctor was involved or not.

(For the record, I don't think physician-assisted suicide should be available to anyone for any reason, but it's a preferable alternative to blowing your brains out and having your loved ones find you, or suffering from an incurable disease and dying that way.  Ultimately, people are going to kill themselves if they really want to and you can't really pass a law saying they can't.)

[Goldwater]

Am I really the only Republican who voted yes? I guess I was wrong about gay marriage, abortion, and marijuana being the main things that separate me from the rest of the Republican Party.

[DC Al Fine]

No right is more inherent than to do what they want with their body, including taking their own life.

Here's a RL situation for you: One of the recently elected Liberal MLA's in NS was abandoned by his parents at age 8. The parents took him and his siblings to the mall, told them to wait while they got something from the car. The parents never came back.

Are the parents' actions morally acceptable? If they aren't acceptable, how would it be any different if they blew their brains out instead of taking off?

I'd think that if those parents were suicidal and really wanted to take their own lives, they'd find a way to do it whether a doctor was involved or not.

I agree. My point is grappling with the right "to do what they want with their body"

[Oldiesfreak1854]

No (R).

[Cory]

Here's a RL situation for you: One of the recently elected Liberal MLA's in NS was abandoned by his parents at age 8. The parents took him and his siblings to the mall, told them to wait while they got something from the car. The parents never came back.

Are the parents' actions morally acceptable? If they aren't acceptable, how would it be any different if they blew their brains out instead of taking off?

Red Herring detected. That's not what we are talking about. We are talking about people with terminal illness who are in serious pain and are beyond recovery.

[TNF]

ITT Awful, selfish people who have never had old relatives in extreme pain

[DC Al Fine]

Here's a RL situation for you: One of the recently elected Liberal MLA's in NS was abandoned by his parents at age 8. The parents took him and his siblings to the mall, told them to wait while they got something from the car. The parents never came back.

Are the parents' actions morally acceptable? If they aren't acceptable, how would it be any different if they blew their brains out instead of taking off?

Red Herring detected. That's not what we are talking about. We are talking about people with terminal illness who are in serious pain and are beyond recovery.

No, my comment was directed at this:

No right is more inherent than to do what they want with their body, including taking their own life.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

All I'll say for now is that defining 'selfish' the way certain people in this thread seem to be is an interesting idea.

[Person Man]

No, but I would be willing to have some form of assisted suicide that does not involve physicians.

Why?

Whose life is it?  The person's or the government's?   I believe the former, therefore as a general rule I see no justification for the state to place impediments on someone seeking assistance on ending their life.  However, physicians are supposed to preserve and enhance life.  For a physician to actively assist someone in ending their life (by which I do not mean the removal of life support equipment or the like) is to me a betrayal of the role of a physician.  Really, the only reason to have physicians involved now is that the methods for committing suicide in a painless and mess-free manner generally involve the use of controlled substances we allow physicians to use in non-lethal quantities for specific medical uses.  But there is no reason we could not allow thanatosians access to those substances.

You bring up a lot of good points and it seems like Hypocrates and his struggle on abortion. I am guessing the thanatosians would operate out of a hospice?

[Hatman 🍁]

No right is more inherent than to do what they want with their body, including taking their own life.

Here's a RL situation for you: One of the recently elected Liberal MLA's in NS was abandoned by his parents at age 8. The parents took him and his siblings to the mall, told them to wait while they got something from the car. The parents never came back.

Are the parents' actions morally acceptable? If they aren't acceptable, how would it be any different if they blew their brains out instead of taking off?

Who said anything about morals? Just because someone has the right to do something doesn't make it moral.

[Person Man]

No right is more inherent than to do what they want with their body, including taking their own life.

Here's a RL situation for you: One of the recently elected Liberal MLA's in NS was abandoned by his parents at age 8. The parents took him and his siblings to the mall, told them to wait while they got something from the car. The parents never came back.

Are the parents' actions morally acceptable? If they aren't acceptable, how would it be any different if they blew their brains out instead of taking off?

Who said anything about morals? Just because someone has the right to do something doesn't make it moral.

The Huckabees, Bloombergs and Tipper Gores of the world simply don't understand that it isn't a crime to be a jackass. Indeed, how can there be any nice people if there are no dickheads? 

[windjammer]

No (D)

[Hifly]

No (D)

[Oakvale]

Yes (not evil).

ITT Awful, selfish people who have never had old relatives in extreme pain

^

[Ban my account ffs!]

ITT Awful, selfish people who have never had old relatives in extreme pain

Or mothers in their early 50s in extreme, constant pain.

[Incipimus iterum]

I personally oppose it but it depends on the family members and the person in that condition to make that decision

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

My uncle Robert was an amazing man who lived life to its fullest even in the face of adversity. He was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 18, but remained mostly resistant to it through the rest of his life, continuing to pursue his passion as an artist and designer. He was diagnosed with colon cancer, and owing to its late discovery his survival was never very likely. He died just over three years ago.

None of that was necessary. Though he was kept alive through the support of family and friends, retaining his humorous and laidback personality to the end, he spent the vast majority of his final months in constant pain and discomfort, which hurt both him and us to know what he was going through. My mother, who spent more time with him at the end than anyone else, knows that both he and we would have ultimately been happier had he had the opportunity to allow the inevitable to happen softly rather than waiting through constant torment for death's arrival.

This is a personal issue for me. No person should be forced to spend day and night in constant pain, knowing they are in their death bed but powerless to hasten their release from agony. To not allow the option of a humane end in these circumstances is simply barbaric, and goes to show how little regard "social conservatives" actually have for human life.

[Del Tachi]

No right is more inherent than to do what they want with their body, including taking their own life.

This is absolutely correct.  However, the decision to end one's life should not involve a medical professional.  People may and must act to kill themselves through their own devices. 

[DC Al Fine]

My uncle Robert was an amazing man who lived life to its fullest even in the face of adversity. He was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 18, but remained mostly resistant to it through the rest of his life, continuing to pursue his passion as an artist and designer. He was diagnosed with colon cancer, and owing to its late discovery his survival was never very likely. He died just over three years ago.

None of that was necessary. Though he was kept alive through the support of family and friends, retaining his humorous and laidback personality to the end, he spent the vast majority of his final months in constant pain and discomfort, which hurt both him and us to know what he was going through. My mother, who spent more time with him at the end than anyone else, knows that both he and we would have ultimately been happier had he had the opportunity to allow the inevitable to happen softly rather than waiting through constant torment for death's arrival.

This is a personal issue for me. No person should be forced to spend day and night in constant pain, knowing they are in their death bed but powerless to hasten their release from agony. To not allow the option of a humane end in these circumstances is simply barbaric, and goes to show how little regard "social conservatives" actually have for human life.

Strong words coming from a communist.

[Person Man]

My uncle Robert was an amazing man who lived life to its fullest even in the face of adversity. He was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 18, but remained mostly resistant to it through the rest of his life, continuing to pursue his passion as an artist and designer. He was diagnosed with colon cancer, and owing to its late discovery his survival was never very likely. He died just over three years ago.

None of that was necessary. Though he was kept alive through the support of family and friends, retaining his humorous and laidback personality to the end, he spent the vast majority of his final months in constant pain and discomfort, which hurt both him and us to know what he was going through. My mother, who spent more time with him at the end than anyone else, knows that both he and we would have ultimately been happier had he had the opportunity to allow the inevitable to happen softly rather than waiting through constant torment for death's arrival.

This is a personal issue for me. No person should be forced to spend day and night in constant pain, knowing they are in their death bed but powerless to hasten their release from agony. To not allow the option of a humane end in these circumstances is simply barbaric, and goes to show how little regard "social conservatives" actually have for human life.

Strong words coming from a communist.

Feisty little one, aren't you?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

No right is more inherent than to do what they want with their body, including taking their own life.

This is absolutely correct.  However, the decision to end one's life should not involve a medical professional.  People may and must act to kill themselves through their own devices. 

Yeah, let the poor bastards blow their brains out on the living room walls or hang themselves from ceiling fans, because physicians letting people go clean and with their dignity is just plain wrong.

[Hatman 🍁]

No right is more inherent than to do what they want with their body, including taking their own life.

This is absolutely correct.  However, the decision to end one's life should not involve a medical professional.  People may and must act to kill themselves through their own devices. 

Why not use a physician as one of those devices?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

No right is more inherent than to do what they want with their body, including taking their own life.

This is absolutely correct.  However, the decision to end one's life should not involve a medical professional.  People may and must act to kill themselves through their own devices. 

Why not use a physician as one of those devices?

Why must physicians be the ones to provide dignified means of death?

[Hatman 🍁]

No right is more inherent than to do what they want with their body, including taking their own life.

This is absolutely correct.  However, the decision to end one's life should not involve a medical professional.  People may and must act to kill themselves through their own devices. 

Why not use a physician as one of those devices?

Why must physicians be the ones to provide dignified means of death?

Why not? In the US, where you pay your doctor anyways, why shouldn't you have the option to pay your doctor to kill you?