Why do we put animals out of their misery but let humans suffer?

That's their assertion, not a fact. It doesnt take into account the views of the many disabled people who are campaigning for assisted dying. Those who pass through the doors of Dignitas are almost all disabled (disease will do that to you) but I've never seen any evidence presented that to show coercion plays a part in that.

I wouldn't want to have or be involved in assisted dying due to religious beliefs, but there is a middle ground where people just aren't actively treated and are instead made comfortable. There is no way it's acceptable to be fitting PEGs to frail, bedbound elderly people who have had strokes.

It takes careful nursing and significant effort to force someone to remain alive. I believe, in many cases, this shouldn't be done and nature should be allowed to take its course. I've explained why they don't though and I can't see it changing anytime soon.

Advance Decisions can be made and attached to your medical records. Whether these are fully respected, I don't know. Doctors would rather actively treat than get into trouble for not treating and the person dying. Same goes for the ambulance service. I have an Advance Decision, although I'm not old or particularly sick. I hope I can conceal any illness and just get on with it quickly at home, but that's not always possible with things like strokes.

Yes. Medically assisted dying in humans also can be problematic and not always peaceful..Vomiting, prolonged (up to 7 hours) period of dying, seizures, and regaining consciousness are all reported. https://academic.oup.com/bmb/article/142/1/15/6580517

The vast majority of disability charities and medical organisations are opposed to assisted dying. It puts vulnerable and mentally ill people at too much risk.

Having witnessed the vet sweating and panicking while repeatedly missing the barbiturate OD and the cat was still conscious despite two benzo shots. He ended up going into her neck. It was horrific and not remotely dignified.

A friend of my SiL had an assisted death in California so perhaps it depends on the state?

I’ve been nursing 37 years and definitely believe we should have a choice.

someone related to my SIL recently organised her end of life, ( she had Parkinsons & was suffering. She knew there was no recovery possible).
This is In The USA. I believe it was legal.
basically announcing she would be ending her life by starvation from X date, the estimation was 10 days.
I am honestly aghast that this was esteemed ethical, where some kind if self administered drug is not

I worked in Palliative/ End of Life care and believe we should have a choice.

So thousands in the UK should die painful degrading deaths because you dont agree with the system in Canada? Switzerland seem to have found an assisted dying programme that works, why can't we emulate that?

You remind me of those who argued that allowing abortion would open the door to the legal killing of babies. They were wrong too.

It is cruel and as u say u wouldn’t let a dog suffer like that. Why do we let humans suffer like this.

'Human beings are not comparable to humans'- i disagree.
I work with animals and euthanasia is part of my job , i am not suggesting animals are more important -though some wouldn't agree !
but as sentient beings humans have a moral duty to prevent animals from suffering.
The action of euthanasia in my experience is not taken lightly and is not abused, it is a privilege to be able to let something pass painlessly in peace surrounded by those that love them the most.
I certainly hope that the time comes when we can do the same thing in a similar way to a consenting human being, having someone tell you that in a very short while they are going to take your horrendous pain away and you will slip away peacefully.
I am a realist and know that there are gray areas surrounding human euthanasia but after being present with a loved one during their final days , watching them in truly horrific pain i absolutely know that euthanasia should be a right.

This is what my thoughts are

Also to add. She was physically incapable of moving to end her own life

My mum finished her life in hospital after 55 years if being handicapped with MS. She was 90% blind, deaf, bed bound,, permanent catheter & nappies, couldnt swallow, was fed with a plastic spoon which made her choke. Occasionally whispered something lucid, like “please let me go”
but most of the time looked into the distance crying. Things went slowly downhill, then Drs wanted an intervention to investigate a potential cancer…
(I am not joking.)
She died of organ failure & pneumonia
I will kill myself before I am forced to die like this

@AmberTigerEyes do you live outside the U.K.?

Suicide is illegal in the U.K. and if you attempt it but are unsuccessful you can be legally restrained to prevent you from trying again. This is regardless of how much the person is suffering or what their reasons are.

If is also illegal to supply or attempt to procure most of the drugs that would lead to a peaceful end of life.

A combination of the fact that those deciding can afford very good end of life care. And for some religion.
The idea end of life care can suddenly improve and be marvellous for all is living in cloud cuckoo land.
But those making the decisions don’t live in the world of the majority. So have no clue.

I totally agree. I watched my husband die for a week, in the grand age of 34. It's traumatic and no one could do anything. He was dying either way, he just had to suffer through the last days until his last breath. If the death certificate said an earlier date, it wouldn't change the outcome. He was gone, the calendar date just changed and his suffering was prolonged. Utterly stupid!

I totally believe in 'one day earlier is better than one day too late'. Doctors can make decisions on not providing further care as there's no point to it, so why can't they help people die. They are already doing it by actively opting out from caring further.

I agree, when my beloved cats were put to sleep, it was peaceful and dignified and painless, with the person who loved them most by their side. Everything id want for myself. The difficulty for me is other people would have to be willing to do it. And that’s too much of a burden to put on someone.

The service offered at Dignatas isn’t always the peaceful end we imagine.

I do agree that people should have more choice over the level of awareness they want to have at the end of life and be sedated if that’s what they want.

Watched my dad die, and one of my best friends. We met through our dogs and as I took her dog to visit her in the care home (at 57) every day I often thought if this was her dog, we would have put him out of his misery weeks prior.

I fundamentally disagree with this.

i was 12 when my great grandmother died aged 98.
she had been in a vegetative state pretty for all my sisters and i can remember. Not even remembering her only daughter (but feeling comfortable with her IYSWIM), and her grandchildren.

This woman divorced in 1914, taking her baby with her. Leaving money, diamonds, position. She left because he was a drunk and a gambler, who threatened to throw the baby down the stairs one night.

she was supported by her brother, her mum disowned her, she worked all her life. Then my grand mother married had 4 kids (my mum is the last all within 12 months of each others) then widowed when my mum was 18 months old.
she had to go to work while my great grandmother looked after the kids.
my grandmother quickly became vile and poisonous, but clearly traumatised as being a widow so young with 4 kids, plus who knows the internalised shit she went through as a baby?

so great grandmother was everything. A brave courageous woman who defied society’s norm, who raised her child while working and then raised 4 more.

she spend her old life being a vegetable. I can tell you. We ALL agree she would have hated it. We knew she was my grandmothers crutch and was being kept alive only for her. Not that we have assisted dying in france, but we felt she didnt let herself die.

i do believe it is selfish to keep someone alive for personal gain being emotional or financial. I have already told my family that I choosing to be unplugged or to die whichever state i am in. But i will not suffer nor will i be a vegetable

There was a recent post on the Elderly Parents board from an OP whose relative had a catastrophic stroke and was now bed-ridden, unable to communicate, doubly incontinent, unable to swallow and having hallucinations. The nurses were peg-feeding the relative. The post was about being charged for their care but it made me curious about available options in those circumstances.

I found information about using an 'Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment' declaration which could legally include refusing tube feeding, refusing resuscitation and refusing antibiotics.

Even the very proscriptive version of assisted dying approved by the House of Commons has been talked out by opponents in the House of Lords (which I believe to be unconstitutional). The vast majority of obections came from religious members of the HOL. No safeguards would ever be enough for these people.

The scaremongering about sick and disabled people being coerced into requesting assisted dying by their relatives out of pure self interest because they want the inheritance or don't want to care for their relative is ridiculous. I'm sure these people do exist but their motives would become clear during the vetting process. The decision to prolong the agony of terminally ill people, who have less than six months to live and who genuinely want to end their lives due to excessive pain and suffering, because of anecdotal evidence that this will be massively abused by abusive relations is unacceptable.

My OH was set against the recent assisted dying bill in the Scottish parliament.
Last week we had to have our lovely old cat PTS as he'd lost the use of his legs and become incontinent.
I asked OH his thoughts regarding assisted dying for a relative who was in the same position.
I'm still waiting for his answer.

Whilst I agree i would like people to have access to a dignified pain free death, Im not sure comparisons with animals is quite right.

Whilst we might look and think we give pets a dignified end, we dont really need to safeguard animals in the same way, we arent about to inherit from them, we dont get thier consent about anything really, we dont have to worry that they are doing it under coercion or because they think they are a burden. They dont know that many people balance the cost of treating them/quality of life/ success in quite a different way. We also allow healthy animals to be slaughtered for meat.

I know we would put safeguards in place but getting those right is a tricky subject and its important to be able to discuss them and point out issues.