To be very anxious about the assisted dying bill?

If I want to have the freedom to end my own life at a time of my choosing my own decision is paramount as far as I'm concerned.

Can you not see how this becoming law has an impact on everyone? Regardless of their feelings about it?

Agree. Wasn’t it 500 excess deaths a week the last time it was reported by the media? Why isn’t everyone anxious about this? Why aren’t people demanding we have a system which stops these unnecessary deaths?

Absolutely 💯 agree. I made that point on another thread. An example of health inequality.

With two children who are resident doctors there are many things about the health service which make me anxious. What may happen in the future if we go down this slippery slope is not one of them.

Wow you really are jumping the shark.

I'd be happy to see an amendment where it had to be requested.

I hope you're right. However we should be able to do it in this country, without the expense of travelling to Switzerland. In my opinion it should be available and affordable.

You don’t have to utilise the bill if you don’t want, OP. But you don’t get to dictate what other people do with their bodies and their lives, it’s simply none of your business. HTH. @bipbopdo

Yes, this.
Again comparing it to abortion - we don’t offer one to every single woman who goes for her first scan or midwife appointment! But women who need access to it know that it’s there if it’s needed.

There was an amendment that would mean that AD couldn't be offered, only requested. The amendment was rejected.
This bill absolutely allows medical professionals to suggest AD.

I think you can if mental capacity is demonstrated. Obviously it’d have to be very early in the diagnosis. Making it horribly hard but still., preferable to the unavoidable alternative.

https://www.mydeath-mydecision.org.uk/2017/01/22/dementia-sufferers-ending-lives-switzerland/

I'm not talking about people being offered it. I don't think it should be suggested to people. I'm talking about people choosing it.

I feel this way too, unfortunately it’s not cheap - last time I checked it was somewhere around £15k I think.
It will be cheaper to jump off a cliff but unfortunately that means dragging others into it and causing distress🥺

I feel similarly about the assisted dying bill as I do about a woman’s right to termination.

Invoking either scenario is never going to be under happy circumstances but in many circumstances, it is the least worst option and is down to the individual seeking it to decide for themselves.

We allow a woman a right to a termination, even though there will be some cases where she is forced in to it by a partner or family member. Those circumstances are terrible of course but it is not a good enough reason to outlaw terminations completely and if we tried, there would be a huge uproar.

@ilovesooty I'm very sorry your mum suffered like that - horrible for her and those around her. I think every scenario is so varied; and lots of grey shades rather than a black and white case.

I was making the point that not everyone with dementia would want their life to end.

My father in law has motor neurone disease. Anyone who has watched someone they love go through such a cruel and horrific thing, and had to see the effect it has on both themselves and their loved ones understands how important this bill is.

We don’t let animals suffer like this.

Even if that quality of life is insufficient because of failings in society?
Should the homeless be offered AD? Those who are struggling financially? Those with autism?

Many many people would say that their quality of life is not sufficient, surely the answer is help and support, not death.

Unfortunately I think if you've received a diagnosis you won't be able to do that.

If someone doesn't feel that they have sufficient quality of life any more I think they should be allowed to choose to die, even without a terminal diagnosis.

If I’m ever diagnosed with dementia, I’ll be off on a plane to Zurich in no time. I wouldn’t want my family to have to look after ‘me’ 24hrs a day at the expense of their own lives. I feel sad for people that can’t afford that choice. Although theoretically maybe they could put it all on credit card, they wouldn’t have to pay it back after all.

No need to worry, it won’t be mandatory assisted dying so you will never need to choose it for yourself if you don’t want to.