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.

@isabellerossignol they already do. It's known most end of life care where the patient is in extreme pain that they die from the pain relief not from the illness.

My Nan died in agony in a hospice. We knew the team were just upping it continuously to make her passing easier.

My other Nan died screaming alone at the age of 94 at 4 in the morning, from cdif, in a side quarantine room and the staff had refused to give her pain relief throughout the night.

I know which way I'd rather die.

Completely and wholeheartedly agree with it being legal. I do worry about loopholes and ethical go arounds but on the whole I believe we should all be given the dignity to die how we choose.

Sad state of affairs when animals are treated with more compassion than humans

Biggest load of fucking bullocks I've ever read...... There is no humane knife that slits their throat. Your pet dog maybe but not the billions that are slaughtered every day.

In theory yes. But it would be a completely impractical and legal quagmire to implement.

Where do you draw the line?

they already do. It's known most end of life care where the patient is in extreme pain that they die from the pain relief not from the illness.

I'm very sorry for you losses, but this is not true. There is something known as the 'doctrine of dual effect', where medicines can be given at the end of life if needed for comfort even if they might affect breathing etc. But it is absolutely untrue to say that most patients die from the medications.

My grandad was in a semi-vegetative state for 12 years following a massive stroke. Sometimes he would speak, sometimes he would go days without saying a word. He was completely bed bound and eventually ended up in the foetal position, covered in bed sores. It was a terrible terrible existence, and when I looked at him sometimes he had tears in his eyes. My heart broke for him. 6 months after his stroke, the doctors took away all his medication and placed him on palliative care...but he just didn't die. As awful as it sounds, I wished he had, as I knew my grandad as a proud man, not someone who had to rely on other people to wash him and change his pads for 8 years. Thank goodness for the DNR, because without that, when he had the heart attack which did finally kill him, they would have tried to bring him back and endure more suffering. I'm a big supporter of euthanasia if you are certain it's in the patients best interests, and in our case, as a family, we would have made this decision.

I'd rather be strung up by the feet and have my throat slit with the cows than endure the full horror of a slow death endured by members of my family.

Here in the Netherlands euthanasia is legal. It was extremely confronting to say goodbye to a friend of the family knowing that her death was to happen on Tuesday at 4pm. The next time I saw her she was laid out in a coffin in the family home.

It made me realise that objections to euthanasia mostly come from the people around the person, as if a lingering painful death should be the price of keeping your relatives happy.

I'm very glad she had the power to decide for herself when it was time.

Actually, I have no idea how you kill a cow. That seems a lot less plausible method now I've written it down

I have mixed feelings about this. I can absolutely see why someone with a terminal illness would want to end their life, however I do believe that this is absolutely open to pressure from family, and there’s no way to prove it once the person is dead.

Also, once it becomes law there is the likelihood that there will be an expectation that people should want to end their lives even if they don’t.

A dr in the Netherlands is currently being prosecuted for euthanising a woman with dementia who made the decision while she was still of sound mind. Once the time came she no longer was, but the dr entered the home she was in and attempted to euthanise her while she was asleep. She woke up frightened and struggled, and she was restrained while he injected her. As she no longer had capacity his argument was that she couldn’t change her mind.

It was this story which has made me rethink.

If you support this then read this
humanism.org.uk/about/our-people/patrons/paul-lamb/
However, as the parent of a severely learning disabled person, I can't support it at the moment. Who is to say that someone like my DS or someone with dementia has no quality of life or isn't happy when given the right support?

Euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands and Belgium, and assisted suicide in Switzerland, home of Dignitas. It can be done with strict regulations on what is and isn't permitted.

I agree I think there should be a panel of Drs who should assess each case and agree and also be in place to stop unlawful. There has to be a way forward with this.

It depends on how the law is drafted-quite frankly I have limited confidence in British legislators after having studied law here. Otherwise you risk people being murdered rather than euthanised. The chronic underfunding of the NHS also makes me wary-I don’t think it has the resources to adequately deal with euthanasia (although rather cynically I suppose it would save funds in the long run).

Yes, i think for certain terminal illnesses or lifelong debilitating conditions the option should be available. However the safeguarding would be a minefield, checks and balances required and i do not trust any institution to be rogorous enough to ensure this was not abused.

I agree also Op (with appropriate safeguards to ensure abuse doesn't take place).

Lets not confuse the issue with the issue that everyone should have some choice and discussion wrt the level and type of intervention required if/when needed rather than a blanket they are suffering ergo euthanasia ...

And if treatment is unavailable or too expensive or you don’t have the right postcode for NICE ... do you just give up?

I agree. I go further and think access to suicide drugs such as pentobarbital should be legal across the board.

@teyen pretty sure a bolt gun is the standard. Or it was a while ago anyway.

I'm uneasy about having it enshrined in law. But I would like the law to turn a blind eye in some cases...

I think I understand where you're coming from here but I think this approach would be open to abuse. Well thought out law would hopefully protect against abuse and ensure that euthanasia was an option available to all but only taken up by those that wanted it.

YABU because of the slippery slope, I can't support legalised euthanasia. The young person in I think the Netherlands recently who was suffering from mental illness and euthanized is an excellent example. I don't think it is possible to legalise euthanasia while protecting vulnerable people (those with mental illness, learning disabilities or dementia).

I think people underestimate the primal human urge to live when they assume vulnerable adults could be persuaded into suicide.

Anyone who was being pressurised would have to lie persistently and consistently to several health professionals over a period of time without raising any suspicions of coercion.

YABU

YABVVVVVU

&

I’d still rather a bolt gun than suffer for years. My dm has said ever since I can remember if she ever gets to the stage where she’s basically a vegetable getting her bum wiped to shoot her and put her out of her misery and if we don’t she will haunt the shit out of myself and my siblings. Love my mum

Am I the only one who thinks it's totally crass to reduce this serious subject to a clickly poll on AIBU?