To think euthanasia should be legal in the UK

[ThereWillBeAdequateFood]

Just that really. Many countries have legalised euthanasia for terminally ill adults. I think it’s about time the U.K. did the same?

It’s not right that it’s only an option for those with the money to go abroad to have this as an option.

Cherrypavlova the relatives gave permission for pegs to be fitted after the doctor asked the patient and the patient gave the 'wrong answer'. The patient, having no one to advocate for them was fitted with the peg. The relative was happy, the doctor was off the hook and the patient in no fit state to seek legal assistance.

Neither the relatives nor the patients are aware of the full implications of having a peg fitted, unless they have specialist knowledge, which virtually none of them have.

If the doctors of this country lack the moral fibre to respect their patient's wishes then we can hardly hope for assisted dying to be legalised any time soon. Even if it is legalised, how many doctors will be comfortable assisting someone to die? Women are already experiencing difficulties with accessing TOP and care following TOP due to doctors religious beliefs. Also, pharmacists who refuse to provide the MAP.

The law, as it stands, scares me. My (adult) DD and I have never been ones to shy away from the inevitable. She is quite clear what my wishes would be if I'm unable to make my own decisions, and I'm clear on hers.

The thing that scares me is that I know she would risk breaking the current laws to help me if I needed her to and I don't want her to do that.

All the current laws does I s to encourage those with.a terminal illness, but who are now able and have agency, to take their own lives prematurely, to save their loved ones having to do it for them at a later date.

It's so so sad and I really resent the fact that other people's religious beliefs seem to trump my desire to live and die how I choose

To be fair, not all opponents of assisted suicide are motivated by religious belief. It does make me angry that the moralists’ views are allowed to trump my wishes about my own life.

My sister had an advanced directive in place after her diagnosis of a grade 4 glioblastoma brain tumour. She lived for 11 months.
So, no CPR, no feeding tube, no antibiotics, no treatment that would prolong her life.
She put it in place to quietly and dignifiedly leave this world and ease her death for her 29 year old son and us all. She cared about us. She had no partner.
Until the last 24 hours it was a dreadful death.
In the last three days she couldn't manage her chest and throat secretions so was making terrible heaving and choking and bubbling sounds. She was moving in a distressed and frantic manner but unable to communicate. I am sure she had a pneumonia which added to this. She was incontenent. She had stopped drinking over 72 hours beforehand.
We pleaded with the Drs to end this. We had no idea what distress she might have been in or how she was struggling with her breathing and ability to cough.
It's not as though the Drs could have somehow given her some quality of life, she was at the end, it was all about not being the one to administer the amount of drugs that would see her peacefully and gently out of this world. We saw three different Drs over that weekend and eventually the last one agreed to up her meds to the point that she died without pain and in a deep sleep 12 hours later.
The last thing I wanted was to see my nephew and his lovely girlfriend see my sister struggling at the end. We knew she was going to die, but it could have happened a good couple of days earlier if the management of her could have been better.
She adminstered and signed the advance directive in the hope of a dignified and quiet death. But I don't think it goes far enough. When death is imminent I think our hard working doctors should be allowed the discrection to see what they have before them in terms of distress and pain and administer what they think will bring not only comfort to the patient, but also to the family who have lived the whole journey of the illness and know what the patient/relative would want.
Love you N. Always my big sis.

@lovestea, so sorry your sister had to go through that. What an eloquent case for assisted suicide you’ve made. 💐

I'm so sorry, loves and Taken. Your sister and uncle were robbed. That's just so wrong.

Well, I could imagine it turning that way for disabled and seriously ill people. How dare they use nhs resources and cost the tax payer money when they could end it all? How dare they continue to live when it's costing the government money?

Quite. My meds cost the NHS over a grand a month, my hospital admittances this decade likely well into six figures. My QoL is shit.

Anyone who has witnessed a loved one die from Cancer - and I mean been there for the last days - will understand the call for euthanasia. Ethically doctors know these patients are in distress and pain. As pp said we would not allow our pets to suffer such agonising and drawn out deaths; so why do we make those we love suffer through it?

We have a society that is top heavy with elderly taking up beds and no social care funding. Quality of life as we age and our burden of health getting increasingly complicated and expensive is a moral dilemma only for those who want, selfishly IMO, to keep people alive for the sake of it. I certainly don't want to be wheeled about for years if I get dementia, costing the public thousands whilst hurting family by not recognising them. I don't want to get multiple health issues and be bed-bound for months in pain and unable to have morphine until it gets to a certain point. Managing your own death should be a human right.

Agree. DH has primary progressive MS which dropped off the cliff when his appendix burst. His greatest fear is being trapped in his body, helpless, reliant on others and in constant pain. He, rightly, wants to choose the time of his death.

I think what the last few posts have shown is that we need excellent palliative and end of life care, which can be patchy. In my experience, certain charities have more experience and freedom in providing these services than the actual NHS.

Well, I could imagine it turning that way for disabled and seriously ill people. How dare they use nhs resources and cost the tax payer money when they could end it all? How dare they continue to live when it's costing the government money?

That is exactly my concern, and I don't know how we can put controls in place to protect vulnerable people once we open the stable door on this.

I bet the majority of people in UK are pro euthanasia

We live in a representative democracy. The majority of people are not experts in the field and making such decisions is not black and white, yes and no. The majority of people would probably be in favour of all sorts of ridiculous and impossible things. Government is not about glibly putting in place "the will of the people".

This is a difficult one. In theory yes but so worried about abuse on this if went through. Needs alot of control. Saying that my gran had horrible death for several days till the several medical professials agreed to let her have something for the pain that would reduce her life length. She had cancer had days to live anyway. She died the next day pain free. Widh they given this pain relief a week before. We might have had my grandad for longer if so as he was fit with no problems byt died next day after caring for her. So yes but with strict controls.

Government is not about glibly putting in place the will of the people I think you’ll find it’s exactly that. I refer you to Brexit.

If 90% of the population wants the law to change to allow for assisted dying - and it did at the last count - it’s incumbent on government to at least look at it seriously. There will be no choice in 20 years as my generation hits its 80s and 90s because there’ll be no resources to keep us all alive and dependent on 24 hour care.

We live in a representative democracy. The majority of people are not experts in the field and making such decisions is not black and white, yes and no. The majority of people would probably be in favour of all sorts of ridiculous and impossible things. Government is not about glibly putting in place "the will of the people

Sorry WHAT!? Euthanasia is not some complex economics issue. It’s something the vast majority of us are able to understand.

Yes there are risks of it being abused but the alternative - what is happening right now - is worse imo

I completely agree @Hithere12.

I hope people realise that due to the demonising of the Liverpool Care Pathway and its subsequent abolition, doctors are avoiding prescribing of adequate pain control via syringe driver now. This is why people are dying in pain and distress. No doubt, in time, syringe drivers will be abolished and we'll be giving micro doses of pain relief by injection.

The public convinced itself that doctors are out to kill their relatives, so they've got what they wanted, but it is causing untold suffering.

As a vet, I have over the last 30 years euthanised hundreds of pets, mostly dogs, of which about 98% have been peaceful and dignified deaths, with their families present, at a well- chosen moment when their quality of life was about to or had steeply declined. I’d estimate that about a third of the time the people present, many of whom I’d never met before, have turned to me afterwards while still crying and said how much they wish their mum or husband or sister or friend could have had a similar death. It seems to me that there would be far less suffering with well controlled legal euthanasia than without, even though any system at all inevitably will have instances of bad practice or misconduct. It could be an opt in system with ample safeguards, and overall I am sure much distress and pain would be prevented.

moredogs the squeamishness comes from the judeo-christian belief that teaches that Man is somehow special and that God is the only one who can give and take life. People will describe human life as being 'sacred' and that we are fundamentally different from animals. Our lives have intrinsically a greater value. Unfortunately, most people don't now believe this and consider themselves to be biological entities who feel pain and suffer just as our animal friends do. Also, the christian teaching that suffering is worthwhile because it beings us closer to God if we suffer in the same way that jesus suffered. These beliefs persist because generations before us had them ingrained into their psyche. Ultimately damaging, and clouding our judgement now. Those in power were brought up with these beliefs at their public schools, whereas the public have largely rejected them.

@ineedaknittedhat, I’m very sorry but that’s bigoted bollocks. Are you seriously implying that Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium aren’t Christian countries?

The last time parliament voted on this MPs were given a free vote. I actually know someone who voted against it. Despite being an atheist, she voted against because she’d just lost her mum and thought she might have opted for an assisted death to benefit her family. That’s the real problem, that people project and are unable to be objective.

I find it odd that the Government sanctions abortion up to the ninth month for a down syndrome child but in the case of the elderly won’t allow for euthanasia.

Despite being an atheist, she voted against because she’d just lost her mum and thought she might have opted for an assisted death to benefit her family. That’s the real problem, that people project and are unable to be objective.

Is it a problem? To understand that there a lot of people who would worry about becoming 'being a burden', or their estate being used for care fees, and would opt for death despite potentially having a good quality of life. Or worse, those who would be convinced by others, directly or indirectly, that they should die to avoid being a burden. These are real concerns.

be bed-bound for months in pain and unable to have morphine until it gets to a certain point. Managing your own death should be a human right.
I didn’t know that people were denied morphine if they were dying in pain. What is the certain point when they are given it?
That’s terrifying.
I totally agree with you that people should be able to manage their own deaths.