To think we should have the right to die

[sirlee66]

If my dog was, God forbid, hit by a car or became terminal and there was no way she would get better, She'd get out down. It would be the kindest thing for her

I recently lost my Grandad. He had dementia and developed some other complications. We weren't close but it was still sad to see someone I once knew as so strong become so very frail. It was incredibly hard on my poor Mum.

Towards the end he was very ill. I wouldn't let my dog suffer in the way he did.

I don't know. I have very mixed emotions about it at the minute. I don't know what to think.

Is it unreasonable to want 'dieing with dignity' to be legal in the UK?

I agree. The principles of the Mental Capacity Act appear to agree.

The trouble is, even if we do legalise assisted suicide then people with dementia won't be able to do it because they won't have capacity. Unless they do it very soon after being diagnosed and I doubt many would.

Dignitas has very strict rules - you have to have full capacity, and the ability to administer the drug yourself. The people in the most wretched situations aren't eligible.

You can make a living will stating no active treatment (eg. Antibiotics ) if you don't have capacity. This would mean that it's likely an infection would kill you, especially as you get older and more susceptible.

The problem with euthanasia is finding the balance between establishing consent and access. If the tests for consent aren't stringent enough then it could lead to lawful murders. But equally a very high bench mark for co sent could prevent access to those with very severe conditions, fast progressing conditions or those dependant on some medications to manage their conditions/pain. In principle I support the right to die but I wouldn't support all proposed laws to enact it.

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. If you get diagnosed with something terminal, then there should be a discussion around at which point you would like medical intervention to e

We literally had this conversation tofay. I had to do some palliative care when i worked as a care worker & it destroyed me. We had a lady who had had a stroke who was constantly in pain...she couldn't talk but it was obvious. She was nil by mouth for five days before she died, including fluids. She basically passed starving & dehydrated, i found it vile. If i did that to my dog i'd be up on cruelty charges!!

Posted too soon, sorry - to expedite the end. I have watched someone I loved dearly die of terminal cancer, and it was not peaceful, it was not painless, and it was not humane.

This would mean that it's likely an infection would kill you, especially as you get older and more susceptible.

My DM was a tough old gal, and managed to fight off an infection sans antibiotics just to go on a few more weeks .

It was all the more upsetting as when she was "with us" she'd often comment that "they should allow euthanasia" ...

Cheery start to the weekend

. She was nil by mouth for five days before she died, including fluids. She basically passed starving & dehydrated, i found it vile.

This. So much this.

Yes as a person living with MS if my quality of life diminished to such a degree that I would be permanently confined to bed and in further pain, I wouldn't want to put my DH and DS’ through that.

Having watched relatives decline with cancer and linger, it is barbaric and can taint happy memories of the loved one.

Choice should be available in certain circumstances I totally agree.

I agree. I think even aside from the pain and dignity aspects, we are far too focused on prolonging life whatever the cost. I know a very elderly lady who has been slowly declining for around five years. She is admitted to hospital for one reason or another at least three or four times a year. She stays in for a few days, or a couple of weeks, and is then discharged. And every time it takes her a little bit longer to get better, and "better" isn't quite as good as it was before, and the period before she is next admitted is slightly shorter. She won't accept any outside care, and looking after her is bringing her family to their knees as they all either have young children or are starting to feel their own age. It looks from the outside as though her quality of life is fairly limited- she's in pain, her mobility is restricted, she's lonely a lot of the time- but this could carry on for another five years with increasingly frequent medical intervention and a growing catalogue of tablets. It sounds hideously callous, but it's hard to see it as a good thing.

We absolutely should have the right to die - obviously only if strict criteria are met. Other Countries manage it without everyone trying to bump granny off for her inheritance.

It's actually on the front page of the British Medical Journal this week, as apparently the majority of Doctors are now in favour of assisted dying.

I have a chronic illness I want the choice. My cousin is in a care home and is bed bound. She has no quality of life and hasn’t done for a long time. She is in and out of hospital regularly and we can see she is suffering and there is nothing we can do. She is Do not Resuscitate and on an end of life care plan. She no longer recognises us, is fed through her stomach and it is hell for her. She is loved and she matters, there is nothing to gain from forcing her to suffer like this. None of us wants to lose her but neither do we want her to keep suffering.

It is time to address this.

Totally agree. I've saved enough money that at the first sign of dementia I'm off to Dignitas in Switzerland.

Apologies for the poor autocorrect and lack of paragraphs in my OP (stupid app!)

Do you think it's something that could ever be legalised in the UK?

I agree. I'm a huge advocate for the right to die (or rather the right for a human being to choose the timing of their death). I absolutely hate and fear the idea that I might die after a long, lingering illness, in pain, distressed, possibly demented. I would far rather go years earlier, at a time of my choosing and without any of the above. I think this is particularly relevant for anyone facing a long-term illness that guarantees loss of mental faculties, or loss of the ability to communicate, eat, even breathe. We allow our pets far more dignity than we grant our fellow human beings.

Absolutely agree, my mother has made it clear she doesn't want to live should she end up like her own mother did. I know so many people watching their parents suffer right now. I'm a vet nurse, did a home visit euthanasia today for a lovely old dog who was clearly ready to go (lost mobility completely and doubly incontinent). It was such a peaceful dignified end for him, over in a few seconds. People always say it must be the hardest part of my job but it's really not, it's a privilege to relieve suffering. It astounds me every day that many animals receive better health care in life and death than humans in the UK.

Totally agree op.

YANBU.

It has often struck me that we are more humane in managing our pets' end of life care than our own.

I would fear ageing and death SO much less if I knew I could call it a day at the time of my choosing.

Totally agree

As someone who spends most of my working life with people reaching the end of their lives Dignity in dying is something we should be pushing for within this country. As a country who considers itself civilised we allow people to die with no dignity. We allow people to make decisions for the rest of their life and withdraw that option when they may need it most.
Assisting someone to end their life would not reduce the number of people of dying but provide dignity for those who would have died anyway.

On that note please can i encourage everyone to write a living will which details the circumstances they would like to refuse treatment and what kind of treatment they will accept. Also get a power of attorney in before you need it.

Yes, I think we should have the right to die.

But a lot of the situations mentioned on this thread refer to euthanasia, which is ending people's lives without their express consent - which I find problematic.

If a person is living in unbearable pain with nonpossible cure, and is able to unambiguously commuicate their wish to die, then I believe they should be assisted.

But, a person with dementia, or in a vegetative state, is unable to communicate anything reliable and I think it would be wrong to make such a big decision on their behalf.

So, assisted suicide, yes. Euthanasia, no.

I really hope it becomes legal, OP. I don't think people will agree to kill themselves because they are worried about being a burden. If that was the case, surely we would have had reports of this from the countries that do allow it.

There have been a number of cases brought about assisted dying and I think that the public has a lot of sympathy for those in that situation. Therefore, I would hope that there would be a lot of support for a change in the law. It's whether any politicians have the balls to introduce it. The church would no doubt be up in arms too. But it's a reality that we need to face with an increasingly ageing population.

If we have true autonomy and life is truly sacred, we must have the right to decide when to end it too.

@TabbyMack my cousin has downes she would have no idea what euthanasia means. So on that basis she has no right to a dignified death? She is suffering and it is heartbreaking. Every time she goes back in hospital we think this is the end for her and it is a painful mix of relief and guilt for wishing it to be over for her. She is deeply loved by us all, but if you could actually see what she is going through you may just rethink.

Unfortunately nothing is so black and white. I have always believed in our right to a dignified end and now I too have a chronic degenerative illness and I absolutely do not want my life to become the same as my cousins and I do not want my family to watch me suffer. There comes a point where you are not living but existing and to me that is cruel.

Agree 100%
After watching my mother die from motor neurone disease, no one should ever be made to suffer that much.