Assisted Dying Bill tomorrow.

[TooBigForMyBoots]

I really hope this goes ahead.

I'm from a family who die from cancer. It's a genetic thing. Over the years I've watched numerous loved ones die from this cruel and ravaging disease. It has taken a massive toll on us. From PTSD to immense guilt, complicated grief and fear of the future.

Not all of my family would have accessed Assisted Dying, but I know some did want it and requested it in the weeks / days leading to their death. They should have had the option of shortening their suffering. Having witnessed what they went through, I want that option for myself.

I want it for my mother. For the past 20 years she has told me when she wants out and how I will have to help her achieve it. I don't want to. She apologises for putting it on me. She shouldn't have to.

No one will be saved if this Bill is stopped, but fear and suffering will be reduced.

Absolutely agree. Some lives are considered more valuable than others! Gosport, anyone?

In principle I agree with assisted dying but first off,they need to absolutely prioritise hospice care.

I hope it passes, those that are suffering and in pain should be able to die in peace and importantly with dignity. Watching my mum die of cancer was terrifying and she didn't have a good death. There needs to be better care but people should also have the choice to end their life when they choose when they're suffering.

I agree. Sorry about your mum.I lost my dad to bowel cancer. I do worry about it being open to abuse and people feeling under pressure to end their lives early. It needs to be so watertight :/

I hope it passes. Watching my late mum's final days was awful; so much suffering and very little the paliative care team could do. Many of my friends relatives have had similar experiences. We need better end of life care as well as the right to end our lives when suffering becomes too much.

Do you not think some lives are more 'valuable' (for want of a better word) than others?
Do you really think a 90 year old with end stage cancer life is of equal value and equality worth 'saving' than say, a 15 year old kid's life? So if they were both drowning and you could only save one, what would you do? Who would you save?
Genuine question.

The question is unrelated really to assisted dying, but it is the sort of ethical question that comes up in medicine. And 'all lives are of equal value' imo, simply isn't true. Above scenario, no question for me, I'd save the kid.

The person still suffers when they’re in a medically induced coma!
You’ve obviously never, been affected by this.
What are the relatives supposed to do, leave their loved ones to die on their own.
Not every terminally ill person, last month’s are in a hospice or hospital, some die at home, so their family can give them the palliative care and dignity they need.

I had to have my very much loved dog put to sleep. It was heart breaking but calm peaceful and pain free.
My mother on the other hand who was very much a quality not quantity type of person was ill with a terminal illness had a fit and we were told she would have another fit more serious and pass away that night. She lasted an agonising 3 months. Her condition got worse and worse, she had signed a dnr when first diagnosed . All she could do at the end for herself was breathe. She was obviously in pain as she kept wincing but was unable to tell us where or what hurt . Given the choice she would absolutely have taken the assisted death option.

But this is what some people don't understand. Assisted dying can result in a drawn out, painful death. It can take days to die. And sometimes it fails, you then die from your terminal illness with added complications from the medication taken to end your life. Assisted dying does not always mean a calm, comfortable death, especially in countries that will opt for the most cost effective way.

I hope it goes through, but I doubt it will, the minority of people against it have been so vocal in scaremongering disabled people. The concern over palliative care will also probably disappear. Nothing changes and the most vulnerable of all are left to suffer indefinitely.

Watching it live now. Listening to Kim speak, I have tears in my eyes. As she recolatez, how people have died, including one guy who literally vomited five hours of fecess. It's making me very upset i cant , really can't understand up. Want people to die like this

I agree with it but can’t see it ever working in Britain which is why I have my own plan in place. I have no intention of ever being in a care home/ oap home/ hospice.

The point was very much related, as it was quoting my post about my dad. His life was treated as lesser, due to disability and he also had DNR added to his notes without his consent.

We are looking at this bill, within the context of a failing NHS and a dire social care system that already uses hateful language, such as Bed blockers.

Really cannot for the life of me see why anyone is against this bill.
They’re not making it compulsory! only as an option for those that are already terminally ill and want it. What about the human rights of those who don't want to be in pain suffering an undignified agonising last few months.
Hope it is passed and implemented as soon as possible.

The system would be too open to abuse. I believe patients would be pushed into the decision to end their life either by family or health professionals. We can see how badly patients are currently being treated, whether it be getting an appointment, accessing A&E etc. Having heard personally how people were nearly tricked into signing DNR during covid for elderly relatives and how forceful hospitals were, I would not trust them to make this decision. The relatives of the patient mentioned, had to fight and refused to sign, the patient recovered and is still alive.

I think this bill is terrible and it has not had proper research and vetting. We are setting ourselves up to follow in the footsteps of Canada which has mangled assisted suicide. People will be coerced and pressurised into AS, it will be extended to mental illness, it will be used to save money for the NHS, i.e. suicide instead of expensive treatment.
this is not progressive.

My mum did not receive assistance to die; the cancer took her.

I'm sorry, I understand that. I just mean assisted death doesn't necessarily take that pain away.

How would you know of the two drowning people which had end stage cancer? Seems to me your assessment is wholly based on ageism.

You’ve obviously never been in a coma. There is no suffering while you are in a coma.

people who are living with a terminal illness, are well aware of this.

That's OK.

I don't think the general public discussing this are aware. That is why on these threads you see so many comments about people who have seen loved ones suffer in their final moments and hope the bill goes through 'to remove this suffering'. It doesn't always do this. It can, I believe with costly drugs like at dignitas. But this bill doesn't give enough detail to show that it will.

No.

It is the slippery slope to eugenics.

I haven’t read the whole thread, but on all the other threads we already have posters saying things like “baby steps,” and “hopefully by the time I’m older the law will be extended to cover….”

People already don’t understand how the proposals are set out, there are actually very few people who will benefit from it which is why it is inevitable that it will be extended, and extended, and extended, and in a country where DNR orders were signed for the disabled and the elderly during COVID there is 0 chance this won’t be abused. you only have to look at other countries to see how far the bill extends.

Switzerland, where the disabled, the mentally ill can choose to die, for an astronomical cost of £30k - quite lucrative business I imagine.

The Netherlands where couples are allowed to choose to die together where coercion is rife from especially men who are convincing their wives that they should want to die with them.

In Belgium where dementia patients who asked for assisted dying while they had capacity are held down and restrained so they can be killed at a time when their level of confusion means they don’t know what’s going on any more. (That IMO is murder)

And then we have Canada, where the elderly, the homeless, the mentally ill, and the disabled are recommended to consider assisted dying rather than help from the state.

At last an end to the cruel status quo, but do our MPs have the balls to do it.