Assisted Suicide: Intelligent Chat

What exactly do you mean by "Assisted Suicide"? As in helping someone kill themself?

yea wat do you mean by assisted suicide??

I think in some cases it shouldn't be a crime. I saw a 20/20 (or other similar show) on a mother who's son had an illness which was very painful, and even if he recovered there was no hope of him living a normal life. So he asked for her to kill him and she did. No one wants to see their loved ones suffer like that. But she was charged with murder, and is in jail now. Which I think is wrong.

Do you make it to heaven if you do that?
If you don't, even though the circumstances of your suicide were very harsh, then I think it would be better to suffer, and have an eternity of happiness and healthiness, than spare myself-what?- a few months/years of pain.

I'm not sure really, but I definitely wouldn't assist a person myself, unless it were absolutely painful...
But it would be so hard, I'm not really sure if I would.

You could try watching Million Dollar Baby, if you haven't already.

-beth

Assisted suicide, do you mean like Euthanasia?
It depends really, if it is the persons choice and the person had been suffering for along time and has no chance of recovering, then if both people agree to it and so it doesn't affect the other persons life dramatically then I partly agree with it. I'm not against it but its up to the individuals involved.

I think in some cases it should be ok, on the news a while back a woman was wheelchair bound with a really painful illness and was never going to recover and all she wanted was for her husband to give her too many tablets so she could end it all. He did and was taken to court. I think it was finally ended that he was let off but after months and months of trial. So yeah, I think it should be allowed but only if it's authorized in a way, so people do know that it was assisted, not just murder.

I think it would be wrong, okay first of all the person is suffering, and mostly you dont know how your life will be after all, In many cases the killer, will most likely hit depression, and then they are stuck with the guilt of killing someone. I think its wrong, yeah the other person is in pain, so why is it so wrong for people to cut, if they want to die, then they should do it themselves, thats just my view point
*stands in a corner, looking for anybody who might jump out, and start a killing spree*

^ but what if the would-be-"killer" got depressed because he felt guilty for making the person suffer even longer. It's just the same as putting a pet asleep, it's a horribly hard choice but in the end its whats best for them. My rat charlotte recently died because of a tumor (she was elderly, and it couldnt be removed because it had gotten to her vital organs) and I didn't put her to sleep when she was suffering just so I wouldn't have to make the choice and I still feel guilty that I made her live out her last days in agony.

the thing is when is a person too far what percentage of recovery is low enough to end the pain they feel? i mean shit i'm weird about this i think life is precious a gift even but when the life gives pain it''s a curse it should be ended but when you have a chance of getting better...

It should be the persons own choice. Just like a living will I think a person should write out a document saying hey if I get to a point of no return or am in too much pain and suffering and there is no hope left please let me go peacefully don't make me live out my last days in pain I know that if I was that sick I would not want my family to have to see me like that.

My sister told me a while back that there was a woman who decided to have an assisted suicide, but then changed her mind. Then all her relatives turned up and she was told that she would disappoint everyone if she decided to back out now, so she had to do it anyway.
I don't know if the story's true or not, but its a thought to ponder.

How about if you were pregnant and you knew that the baby was going to come out deformed, dumb, blind and suffering from a very painful illness, would you still have the baby, or would you have an abortion so that the child wouldn't have to suffer later on in life.
Even if you have the best intentions, technically its still murder.

^^ Having a selective abortion is different than assisted suicide. You don't KNOW for sure what type of life this baby will have. But if that baby were to be born, and went into and went into an ireversable coma, were even by some miracle he/she came out of they would be a vegetable, my oppinion would be to let him/her die peacefully.

What I meant was somthing like a living will stating that if you were to become term ill that you would like to make the choice to end peacfully and not in pain. because I know that one of the things people say is that the person that wants to choose assi suicide is in too much pain or has lost their ability to make a clear descion. So if you have somthing that states before hand than they cant stop you.

And if you went into a comma but then had an enlightening day and decided that you wanted to live, even in your immobile state, but couldn't move enough to explain that properly to anyone? You'd just have to die, I'm afraid, which is why I consider it very dangerous.

-beth

yeah they are gonna be in pain, and thats whats so horrible about this topic, but evenmore so its still muder, and hun a pet isnt the same as a person, and yeah i would feel guilty for watching someone go through so much pain, its really bad, my friends mom told her that she didnt want to live in anymore pain, and look shes back to her normal self again, theres is always a slight chance of recovery, people prove doctors wrong all the time, so yeah, but anyhow i think its wrong but i do see your points though

I agree that a pet isn't the same as a person, but the situation is the same. And not always is there a chance for recovery. Obviously we shouldn't just kill people if they might get better, but if there is no chance they will be able to live a functional life if they recover, it would be so much kinder to let them die in peace, surounded by loved ones. But it should be up to the family, and the person, and not the government. ^ and if your friends mother had a chance of recovery, and living a normal life (as she probably did) I would be the last to say let her go. I understand this isn't right to do in most situations, but it shouldn't be a crime in the cases where it's just kinder to let the person go.

Everybody has the right to live and have controll over their life. This also means to have controll over ending their life. now as sad as it may be everybody should be able to commit suicide. and what would happen if they were unable to do this take for example somebody with severe mobility problems. shouldn't we do everything possible to accomodate their needs. we might not think it is a good idea or might not want them to die but this is ultimately a selfish view. if somebody has a terminal illness and is going though immense pain why would we want to prolong their agony if all they want is to be relived of the pain. now things become a bit trickier with people who have problems that alter their judgement like a mental illness. how can we tell what they really want? should they be allowed to make this decision? if not why not? what would happen if there was a dispute as to whether it should or shouldn't be done.
Should we act as god by saying no you cant die? and if so is that discrimination? why should an able bodied person be able to commit suicide and not people who are only able to do this with assistance?
my mum has a disabling pain in her shoulder to the extent that she is unable to get out of bed most days. She has said to me that if the pain ever gets to much she knows she can rely upon me to 'help' her. if ever we have an arguement and she is unable to do something i will allways do it for her wether i think it is good for her or not because i know she would do it if she was able.
sorry if you cannot understand any of this because of my grammer, spelling, it not making scense or all of the above
aaron

well then why cant people commit suicide, people say that suicide is selfish but you are just making them live in pain longer, sometimes its hard to understand but emotional pain is just as bad as pysical pain

in some cases, i think assisted suicide is okay.
But i dont really think that anyone would help someone kill themselves if they really loved them.
I suppose if life is more painful then its okay, but just because you hate your life, thats wrong.

'I suppose if life is more painful then its okay, but just because you hate your life, thats wrong.'

-but just because we dont agree with the reasons they have for wanting to do it does that mean we should refuse to assist them?

okay so why is suicide so selfish its the same deal here, you are just having someone kill you. Its the same damn deal right now you are choosing when you die, and not letting fate run your course

what if that person (like many do) don't believe in fate? just because you do doesn't mean you should condem them to a life of pain and suffering, they didn't ask to be born.

BOB, you are missing a point, sumtimes it gets to hard to take, what happens when a 16 year old gets left at home alone, and she has to hold a knife up in her hands check every door due to paronia, because she got sexually assulted, or someone wont even go outside and stay all day in their house because they got raped, or they cant even let anyone touch them cuz of their past, or they are too weak to even more, because they got beat by their parents, physical pain is just as bad as emotional, and i never once said that everyone had to believe in fate, or live in pain because of it, its the same dang thing killing your self just different circumstances, its the same deal