Alright, what are your views on euthanasia (a.k.a. assisted suicide). Its purpose is to put people with terminal illnesses and in pain out of their misery. They would die anyway. Their pain is relieved this way. However, I am against it. In Oregon, it is legal. However, in a study with 100 people who chose euthanasia, only one reported to have used it because of pain. Most involved the patients not wanting to become disabled, or lose their dignity. Already there is a pattern. People will not take this seriously enough. It is one thing if the person will die and is in pain. It's another if they will live but will be disabled. Most, as you can see, take advantage of the privaledge to die. Also, the term "terminal illness" can be interpreted loosely. Old age can be considered terminal. An illness of which the patient may or may not die could also be considered terminal. The elderly who do not want to be a burden to their family. The poor who want an option they can afford. The manically depressed. These people would die because hospitals allow them to. We must also take into consideration hospitals. Some already kill patients through negligence because they cannot afford health care. These places would actually promote euthanasia. They could convince the retarded and the senile to sign the consent forms when they really have no idea what is going on.
The hypocratic oath requires doctors to do everything they can to save patients, not to give up on them and let them die. On another lagal note, both murder and suicide is illegal. This is a mix of both in my opinion.
Another problem that could come up is abusive parents whose child has a potentially terminal illness but may live. The parents don't want to pay for health care, they sign the forms to have the child injected. This could happen eventually.
This is getting long, so my final point has to do with Holland. Euthanasia has been around for a while there, and the conditions for its use have spread to anyone who thinks their life is meaningless. Hang yourself, or have a doctor do it? One should never have this choice. Also, many fear going to a hospital because involuntary euthanasia is quite common. You could go to sleep in a Dutch hospital and not wake up because the doctors thought it was proper for you to die.
But what does everyone else think?

i have no problem with it, i remember that whole Terry Shiavo case and i felt she should've been allowed euthanasia


o **** it, i was trying to find the exact line that Immortal Technique said about Terry Shiavo cuz it was funny but i can't...
it was something like.."I'll make your bitch my hoe, she won't take the pipe out her mouth like Terry Shiavo" lol

Wanting to live and die with dignity is a very good reason to want assisted suicide. If I were dying of a painful terminal illness I'd much prefer to choose how and when I die rather than watch my dignity disappear while I slowly waste away. I don't however think it should be legal for children. There is too much possibility for abuse there and no way to be sure what the child wants and whether they have the cognitive faculties to make that choice.

I kind of hoped this thread would die after I decided I was probably wrong.

I agree with your original opinion. It's not our decision to decide when to give up on someone.

You are absolutely right AJ. It's the individual person's decision for when they are ready to die. No one should tell them otherwise or force them into continuing on when they don't want to do so.

That's not exactly what I meant. I don't think there should be any euthanasia. It shouldn't be the patient, family, or doctor's decision when the sick person should die. I say they should fight the disease by all means until the patient recovers or dies naturally.

I know what you meant but I chose to take your statement literally. If I held your beliefs I would probably agree with you. Since I don't think anyone created us, I have no issues with allowing a person to take their own life (with stipulations and tests to be sure they are of sound mind)

I think they already do that (make sure the person is sane). But it shouldn't be a family decision but a personal one if you have a terminal illness and are in pain.

I am currently watching my mother's sister(my aunt) on full life support with medical professionals indicatiing that there is no hope for her if the life support is removed.
She made no provisions to address what would be done if she ever was faced with this, so it has to be handled by her loved ones.
It's a very emotional and stressful situation regardless of whether one believes in a creator or not.

I predict that Jack Kevorkian will be remembered as a pioneer for his stance on assisted death at some point in history.