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Original poster

To wonder why no party supports assisted dying?

56 replies

WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid · 01/06/2017 12:42

It seems that there is a lot of support for an assisted dying bill in this country. There have been attempts to pass an assisted dying bill but MPs have rejected it.

This is something I feel strongly about. I would vote for almost any party that campaigned to pass an assisted dying bill.

Why is there no party willing to press this issue? My gut says it's something the Lib Dems should support but I can't see Tim Farron going for it.

OP posts:
Alconleigh · 01/06/2017 12:45

I hate to be cynical, but it'll come in once we are flat broke from Brexit and the reality of trying to care for the vast number of boomers hits even more......

Otherpeoplesteens · 01/06/2017 12:53

My gut also says it's something the LibDems could seriously think about, but I too have little faith in Tim Farron.

It's actually really disappointing that assisted dying isn't being seriously discussed as part of the question of long term social care costs. Lots of people seem happy to face the prospect of sitting around demented, with zero quality of life, for decades without having the slightest idea what's going on around them as long as someone else picks up the bill.

We all know that's not sustainable. I'd rather my family took me to Switzerland and extinction than become such a massive financial as well as emotional burden to them.

waitforitfdear · 01/06/2017 12:55

Tim f is an evangelical Christian who opposes abortion so why on earth you think he would support sssisted dying is beyond me.

waitforitfdear · 01/06/2017 12:57

I see your points but as a nurse never underestimate how wicked some relatives can be she needs they sniff an inheritance.

IrregularCommentary · 01/06/2017 12:59

waitforit literally everyone has said they can't see Tim F supporting the idea.

My Mum and I were having this conversation the other day. We have a long history of dementia combined with long life in our family and she has said she would much rather be able to just be let go rather than merely existing in a home, and I feel the same.

Chattymummyhere · 01/06/2017 13:02

I think it should be allowed. Maybe something like a donor register. You can tick which reasons/illness you would rather die than live before it may reach a time where you are unable to communicate that it is your wish. So no family members pressuring for it only if the person has opted in

KungFuEric · 01/06/2017 13:03

It's too devisive an issue to hang your hook on as a political party.

RedStripeIassie · 01/06/2017 13:03

Is it expensive to fund? Not sure how I feel about it and if it would be abused by grabby relatives.

That said my Dad says he wants us to kill him if he suffers a slow decline.

Roystonv · 01/06/2017 13:05

Very keen on this, not only so I am not a burden to my family and can leave something to them but also because the UK already cannot cope with the problem of everyone living longer and God only knows how they will in the future. We should all be able to 'retire' gracefully for the benefit of all.

babybarrister · 01/06/2017 13:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Collidascope · 01/06/2017 13:05

Me too, OP. I think it's a hangover from Christianity - all life is sacred, yada yada. The amount of money that must be spent keeping someone alive when they are in awful pain is crazy. We treat our pets with more respect than that. I've made my partner promise to take me to Switzerland if I'm ever terminally ill and want to end it painlessly.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 01/06/2017 13:06

The Tories support it. In fact they actively encourage it with their proposed "dementia tax"

Chattymummyhere · 01/06/2017 13:06

red

My mum say she to me and my brother she wants us to kill her if she gets to the point of not being able enough to do things for herself no. No inheritance from my side for that to even be a concern.

Wouldn't it be cheaper really to let people die than to pay for years of care? I know it's different but with dogs at my vets it's £250 because they open a new jar of whatever they injection regardless of type or size of dog. I would presume it wouldn't be much more than that for the actual drug used.

RedStripeIassie · 01/06/2017 13:12

I think it would be loads cheaper for the families but I wonder if it would work out as an expense for the government. My mum has friends who are carers to their really old parents and it just sounds miserable for everyone.

I'd hate to have to smother my Dad with a pillow so I'm in favour Grin

Original poster
WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid · 01/06/2017 13:14

Tim f is an evangelical Christian who opposes abortion so why on earth you think he would support sssisted dying is beyond me

As I said in my op "I can't see Farron going for it"

as a nurse never underestimate how wicked some relatives can be she needs they sniff an inheritance

Assisted dying is legal in a number of countries. Are there a lot of cases of relatives euthanising unwilling elders?
Abuse of the elderly is an issue but I feel that's an arguement for better regulation and safeguards. There a a lot of people who would like to have to right to be assisted to die.

OP posts:
Heratnumber7 · 01/06/2017 13:16

I think assisted dying is a legal minefield, and totally contrary to the Hippocratic oath.

I'm all for it, but don't think it would be simple to legalise, which is probably why no party is advocating it.

specialsubject · 01/06/2017 13:18

Farron and may are both religious believers and so human suffering is what must happen.

Don't know about corbyn.

The80sweregreat · 01/06/2017 13:18

I agree that its a good idea - not everyone can afford a trip to Switzerland and it seems to work quite well over there.
I suppose there is so much opposition as not everyone is genuine. Too many people would see it as a way of getting rid of their parents or grandparents in order to gain financially, plus who would administer the drugs. if someone has dementia and cant consent and not completed a living will, then who will have the final say that its okay? so many questions around it, although i think its actually a good idea if it were law and ways around the problems it might throw up. Maybe the government should consult with Switzerland and see how they do things.

womaninatightspot · 01/06/2017 13:28

I would support assisted dying but it's a minefield on how to support the rights of the individual who wants to die. On the other side there are those who may be pressured into doing something against their wishes so as not to become a burden to family or state.

I'm very much in the just send me off to sleep when my time comes; I suspect what we need as a country is a bit of dutch pragmatism. Being alive is not the same thing as living.

AnnaFiveTowns · 01/06/2017 13:31

I always think this. It would be very popular with the electorate and cost nothing.

I feel very strongly about it too and it would certainly influence who I voted for.

Joffmognum · 01/06/2017 13:35

My grandma was suicidal when she was terminal, and offered my mum all the inheritance if she took her to dignitas! It was sort of funny at the same time as being horrible.

My mum ignored that and she died months later, blind and in pain.

Original poster
WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid · 01/06/2017 13:36

Too many people would see it as a way of getting rid of their parents or grandparents in order to gain financially

But does this happen? Is there any evidence of this from places like Switzerland?

plus who would administer the drugs

Not really my place to say but not all Drs and nurses. In the same way not all Drs perform abortions (it's pretty specialist).

if someone has dementia and cant consent and not completed a living will, then who will have the final say that its okay

Then they can't be assisted to die. You would have to have the capacity to choose to die (when your quality of life had dropped below a pre specified level).
No living will and no capacity to consent means no assisted dying.

OP posts:
Awwlookatmybabyspider · 01/06/2017 13:38

I've always been for it. If a dog is in pain. Its humanly PTS. Yet its okay to leave a person here with no quality of life. I don't understand.
Plus its unfair on the family members in a selfish way. They've got their own lives to lead. Harsh but true. People have mortgages and bills to pay. I couldn't give up work to care for a sick relative for a measley what £62 PW. That's not being selfish. That's just plain old life.

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 01/06/2017 13:39

People can't live forever.

NewspaperTaxis · 01/06/2017 13:48

Sorry to piss on anyone's chips, but the question is better asked whether assisted dying is going on already. I'm afraid the whole 'ooh, we can't let this go legal because the angry mob will shop off their granny to save money' appears a bit of misdirection. It's the usual 'you can't trust the angry mob/riff raff' ruse employed by public bodies to maintain control.

You will find that in any care home scandal, it is always a concerned relative behind its exposure, and never ever a hospital consultant, care home GP (generally in the pay of the care home and on a retainer) and certainly not Social Services (your cash-strapped local Council saves a fortune from deathtrap care homes, so letting them be head of Safeguarding is putting the fox in charge of the hen house.) You can get damaged elderly residents pitching up at hospital and never making it out, and it won't be any of those organisations raising red flags, except to each other.

Dehydration is well-noted as a 'problem' in care homes. Er, except - it's not a problem for the care home. The legal bar is set very high on this one and you won't be able to prove anything, unlike say, with pressure sores and so on.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it does appear that every public body is behind this one.