Euthanasia

[Magnum]

Hey guys. I thought it was time for another good topic that may have some relevance in the future.

I made the poll so those who do not wish to wrsh to write anything could do it easier. But It would be great if you could give the reason why you believe thiat way.

I'll put in my 2 cents later on as to not influence anyone's feelings.

[vernarial]

Cool, Magnum. A couple of good subjects here. 

I voted for all. I'm not quite sure what the "double effect" is. I figure it is a persons right to live and/or die as they wish. I think these days people try to hard to live forever and end up bedridden and they can't take care of themselves and such. There is a point I think when the quality of life is so bad that it might be better to just let a person die a natural death, instead of trying so hard to prolong a miserable existence. People get to where the body just can't sustain itself without help from machines or other people. Also the medical/pharmaceutical industry tries so hard to keep customers(not patients) alive so they can make money without actually improving the quality of life that much. Dying is part of living(life). People shouldn't be so afraid of it. Also I believe in an afterlife. I won't go into that because I'll have to move this thread to the religion section. As far as people in a coma or a vegetable, I just don't know. Well a vegetable will most likely never be able to have a decent life, but a person in a coma could wake up at any time and live a reasonably normal existence.

[Magnum]

Yes, I'd certainly agree with you on that. If you are allowed to put your dog, who could be your best friend, out of it's misery, than why shouldn't you be able to put your father or mother out of their misery? I suppose alot of it is because of alterier motives like money.

BTW the "double effect" is the taking of pain releieving medication (such as morphine) to numb the pain, even though the level of dosage may terminate you.

[Dr. Avery]

If a person chooses to die, even if they are helped by another, that is an act of suicide.  Whether this is right or wrong, I believe should be for the individual to decide.  "Keep you laws off my pulse", and all that.  The thing I'm driving at, is that suicide is marked by a person's will.  Should a person preemptively elect to die (via living will, or a DNR) before the fact, it is still an act of suicide by individual will.  For purposes of clarification; A medical professional allowing or assisting a person who is clinically and persistently brain dead in their passing is neither euthanasia nor suicide -- the patient is already dead.

You didn't ask about suicide.  You asked about euthanasia.

This is purely semantics, and I'm going to be accused of demagoguery here, but in my experience, "euthanasia" is generally a solution which is decided by someone other than the one to die;  It is a conclusion (if you'll excuse the pun) that is imposed on the subject.  That's why the word is used in association with the vetrinary profession.  When an animal is euthanised, it is ultimately someone else's decision (not the animal's). 

Human euthanasia is quite frequently carried out for reasons less noble than those applied to scheduling the demise of a wounded pet.  The extermination of people based on illness, disability, percieved inferiority, or plain old-fashioned hatred is a common theme throughout history.  All too often, the "noble" justifications of euthanasia have been a cover for a more sinister agenda. 

There might be individual cases where it would be right to "put someone down", but I don't feel qualified to try to define them, and I would never be comfortable with having them defined for me.  A well defined law is easily abused. 

I can only hope that my involvement with the issue never extends beyond academic conjecture.