'Assisted Dying'? Yes or No?

[WifeOfMacbeth]

Am thinking about this one at the moment.
Are you in favour? Against? Not sure?
I'm also wondering whether views change as we get older....

Everyone should watch this video. It lays bare the facts of MAID.
I don’t think we would do it any different from Canada. Not with the toxic ableist and ageist rhetoric from cabinet ministers.

I am against it. Everyone has a right to die. It’s called suicide. We don’t need extra laws that will assembly line push the most vulnerable into death. A death by poison that isn’t painless or dignified.

You don't even have to go as far as MPs. Look how many mnetters were lining up to tell those with chronic illnesses that they should be booted to the back of the NHS queue during covid.

This is my thinking.

For the people who say we should improve palliative care, quite frankly, you can have the best care in the world, but some of us don't want our lives extended for another 6 months, when that "life" consists of lying on a bed or chair, being tube fed, dribbling, not able to chat to people, and needing someone to wipe our backsides for us.
I have no problem with people choosing that life, but I do get cross when people want to remove my autonomy, and my choice.

Yes. I can't say yes enough. It's naive to think money, staffing or drugs will give you a good death. Please give me the choice to die well

Yes, I agree. There is a nasty streak of get rid of those useless scroungers on benefits (which by an large means the disabled and pensioners) all through Britain right now. The Labour government is taking active steps to push more and more of these demographics into absolute poverty while simultaneously prioritising the young & in work for NHS rationed services. Free up those millions of unpaid carers to (re)join the workforce and add to the economy.

Sending hugs. I did this and will never be the same again. I'm angry at people who are so naive they don't understand what they are condemning people to suffer

Yes from me.

It affects me personally and so choice is positive

Absolutely yes. Many people here are saying they’re against it because good palliative care would solve the problem of ‘ bad deaths ‘, but there’s so much more to it. Spiritual and emotional pain can’t be treated with drugs, and often is the worst aspect of dying.
People at the end of their lives may have endured years of horrible treatments, and may be utterly emotionally spent. I worked for over thirty years as a palliative care nurse, and often it’s the family who try to keep their loved one alive despite their suffering.

Yes

Ive worked in palliative care and I believe that people should have the choice to hasten things along

This.

I wonder if people who advocate for better palliative care actually stop and think what it can do.
It is literally about making people comfortable- my nan with MND was in no physical pain, palliative care did nothing for her. It couldn’t allow her to talk to say goodbye, it couldn’t allow her to raise her arms to give grandad a last hug.

Yes this. For every person that some of you fear will feel obliged to choose to die unwillingly, there is already some poor sod being kept alive because some wanker in the family can't bear to be without them or feels their quality of life is good enough when it isn't.
Money for care is a useless argument too. We could already keep everyone alive for ever if we wanted to fund it, but we choose not to, because it would be mad.

Yes. Having watched someone die riddled with cancer is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. My mother was fantastically well cared for by the hospice she was in, but watching her decline as various organs packed up was horrific. I believe they 'helped' her on her way with ever increasing doses of morphine, but it took days. We don't let our pets suffer like that.

I’m against.

I'm in favour. The country I live in has it and it's done responsibly I have a life threatening illness. If life becomes unbearable I would definitely want it.

Yes from me.

Yes

What about those who no longer have the ability to commit suicide? It's illegal to assist them in any way, leaving families to make desperate decisions.

Also, it's not fair that people should have to end their lives way before they are truly ready, because they don't dare take the risk of being unable to commit suicide when they are ready.

The current law in Parliament won’t help these people.
It is only for self ingestion of poison- as in the person must be capable of consenting to die, have a firm and considered wish to die and be capable of getting poison pills to their mouths unassisted and swallowing them.

The only difference between the U.K. assisted dying bill vs DIY suicide by overdose is that the person will be provided the handfuls of pills to swallow legally by a health practitioner (doesn’t have to be a doctor or nurse).

Having medicine that can be supplied that is guaranteed to be lethal helps the situation enormously.

I've had family members commit suicide. They didn't have a good death.

No. Too many countries have took the piss.

In the UK we pump every conceivable drug into a human to stop them dying, no matter how ill they are or how terrible their quality of life. People live for years in an awful state, begging and pleading for the end.
I am all for assisted dying. Everyone deserves a choice . Sadly, it’s going to be so full of red tape it’s not going to happen for anyone, (if it’s for those with 6 months to live and courts are backed up well past this) so the debate is futile.

I am pro and always have been. People shouldn't have to die in pain if they don't want to.

But I don't know how you handle the issue of people feeling pressured to make that decision, either because family members are pressuring them or they don't want to feel like a burden.

No