To think people with terminal illnesses should be allowed to choose assisted death?

[ByPoisedOliveMoose]

If someone is suffering with no hope of recovery, shouldn’t they have the right to end their life on their own terms? AIBU to think assisted dying should be a legal option for those with terminal illnesses?

Yes, so let's properly fund palliative care, then maybe talk about assisted suicide.

So because someone is terminal, they should just die straight away? Have I missed something? Is someone suggesting compulsory euthanasia for the terminally ill?
How about actually providing quality end of life care? Can't we do both? Indeed, if we weren't keeping people a;ive against their will, we might have an easier job providing care for the rest.

Assisted dying is the road to eugenics.

At the moment people say “you wouldn’t put a dog through that,” once terminal illness becomes legal it will be “you wouldn’t put a cancer patient through that,”. Then they’ll fight for mental illness, (there are already people on other threads who say things like “when assisted dying for mental illness becomes legal,” and then it will be disability.

Anyone who thinks it won’t be open to coercion is naive.

And really, why do you need the state to end your life? Everyone has the ability to commit suicide don’t they?

From what I gather, the bill is going to make it possible to have the drugs, but you’re going to have to be able to take them independently. So why not just take an overdose of something rather than put that burden on the state?

Because you may no longer be physically able.I knew a man who ended his life as soon as he had his cancer diagnosis. a fine man, of great value in the community. If assisted dying were available, he would not have felt the need to die so soon.

This seems to come up every other day now. Are we to be harangued into agreement and told we are mean and should kindly ignore the shit show in Canada until the third reading?

So why not just take an overdose of something rather than put that burden on the state? Because it's difficult to obtain those drugs. Quite recently a woman had to suffer a police search and confiscation of the drugs she had ordered online.

Remember you only hear about successful suicides. You don't hear so often about the unsuccessful ones.

And I'm pretty disgusted that people think they should have the right to have someone else kill them.

Yes, so let's properly fund palliative care, then maybe talk about assisted suicide. And how are you going to maintain quality of life for someone with dementia? Someone whose life has revolved around their intellect and their ability to help others?

I'm against it simply because one day the Tories will get in again and I don't trust them to be ethical

Of course.

I don’t think that’s what the OP is suggesting is it?

If a person is dying they should have the right to do so at a time of their choosing with control, peace, and dignity.

No. I don't agree with killing people.

I think every palliative care home should have a room where people can "check out early" if it gets too much.

Let people have the choice in their final days.

Do you not follow the news OP? This is going through Parliament. Huge amount of debate and material out there for you to get your teeth into without starting a thread in AIBU. Google Esther Rantzen for a start.

https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3774

I agree. Nobody should be forced to live a life in pain.

I agree with you OP but some mumsnetters seem to think that assisted dying means mandatory dying. It’s really odd.
The individual should be given the choice IMO.

I feel very comforted by the idea that this will hopefully be available in my lifetime. I would like the choice.
I see this similar to abortion - if you don’t agree with assisted dying then don’t choose it for yourself.

I am sure there are some very sad cases of women being pressured in to terminating pregnancies. That doesn’t mean the option should be taken away completely.

I believe you should be able to end it from the point of diagnosis if you wish, yes. Because it's your life, your body, and your autonomy.

I don't agree that it's a blanket statement of "that's a life not worth living" - it's an individual and personal statement of "this life is not worth living for me".

It's the same as abortion - some women are very happy to be pregnant, and some are not, and it is not usually argued that having an abortion means you must believe that having babies is a generally undesirable act, just that it is not something that would be positive in your own life at that particular time, for whatever personal reason it may be.

Where each person draws the line is different for them - some would want to attempt curative treatments at all costs, some would want palliative care and some would want to take an early opt out. All of those should be available to them, and they should be able to change their minds and switch between treatment options as well if they wish - because this is all part of having autonomy over our own bodies.

We do need to put sufficient safeguards in to minimise risks of people being coerced when it's not their own genuine desire, but I do think that is possible.

And it has already been proposed that medical staff will not be obliged to take part if they are ethically opposed, so anyone who chooses to participate in this kind of care would be someone who sees the value in it, as many people do.

For many years I wanted the option of assisted suicide legalised. Emphasis on option.

However, I simply can't support it in the current climate. This country seems to be heading more towards Canada's setup, rather than Switzerland's.

I'm not sure whether this is hearsay, and hopefully somebody with more knowledge will correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard that the MP behind the Bill currently being considered has made reference to assisted suicide lessening the financial 'burden' on the NHS. Extremely sinister, if true.

Then there's the government's proposed cuts to disability benefits, the low state pension compared to many other countries, the poor state of adult social care, NHS negligence, and insufficiently funded or provided palliative care. Concerning red flags, and quite the opposite of the necessary strong safeguards required before considering legalising assisted suicide.

I still lean towards wanting the option legalised but not without guaranteeing the vital safeguards. Without these there will be cases that are in effect state murder through means of neglect or coercion.

And how exactly are they going to do that? Another person will have to administer it.

Which wouldn’t mean another person was literally killing them 🤨

Yes absolutely this should be an option. For those saying people can commit survive-well, yes, but this often doesn’t work and people can survive potentially with horrific injuries/serous physical problems.

I actually think this should be opened up to anyone in “unbearable suffering” over a continuous period.

Yes to investing in palliative care, but this can’t relieve suffering in all cases. I want to improve MH support, support for people with chronic illness/disability, but as a nation we don’t seem to want to pay for this and realistically medical science doesn’t have cures or decent treatment for many issues. Personally I’m largely housebound due to s as chronic health condition, minimal NHS support or treatment options. Not saying I want to go, but I wouldn’t blame or want to stop someone from this route

I fully support it but we need a tight safe guarding/ multiple assessments in place and time. The risk is people being pushed into it or feeling like a burden etc.

If I get motor neurone disease I would 100% look at ending it earlier as watching family members die from it was horrific

Of course they should it's absolutely medieval in this day and age to force people to the bitter end making them live in a coma or drugged out with a dry mouth because they can't swollow anymore starving whilst their body shuts down slowly... It's a absolute stain on our society.

How do you work that out?

If I inject you with a lethal injection and you die, I have killed you. I'm pretty sure even those in favour of AD do not deny that in order to have your life ended this way, another person will need to to the physical act of ending it. Or would you prefer to use euphemisms?