Assisted Suicide

[73109]

I have always had a strong opinion about assisted suicide, however, after watching You Don't Know Jack, a movie based on the life of Jack Kevorkian, my opinion is twice as strong. If someone's life is so shitty, they want to off themselves, they should be able to, and the doctors that help she be able to do so.

What do you guys think?

[antigoon]

Hell yes.

[Adami]

Yes.

[73109]

I seriously recommend this movie. Anyone with HBO can watch it for free and this has to be one of the most heart wrenching movies I have ever seen.

[yeshaberto]

the answer to suicide is prayer.  many people in Scripture wanted to die because their life was horrific.  all of them prayed for death.  God granted the prayers of some.  Others he did not and their life shortly became blessed.
unfortunately, any answer opposed to assisted suicide sounds harsh or unsympathetic.  I don't want to sound either.  but I believe in a creator who has the power of life and death, and he bears it alone.

[TheVoxyn]

the answer to suicide is prayer.  many people in Scripture wanted to die because their life was horrific.  all of them prayed for death.  God granted the prayers of some.  Others he did not and their life shortly became blessed.
unfortunately, any answer opposed to assisted suicide sounds harsh or unsympathetic.  I don't want to sound either.  but I believe in a creator who has the power of life and death, and he bears it alone.

I'm an atheist and if I were so sick that I would rather be dead and there was no way to recover, my belief in that there is no god would become even stronger. I don't think there is a 'solution' to suicide. There will always be cases in which a person would rather be dead but I think assisted suicide should only be used in cases where there is no way out. I believe there are a lot of these cases where assisted suicide should be possible (mainly when someone is chronically ill), but of course only after discussing it and it's consequences well with the doctor(s). I do think that it might be a huge strain on doctors so I can understand if a doctor wouldn't want to do it.

I'm pretty glad it's possible here. Of course it's a last resort, but being kept alive by machines and fluids going into you isn't my idea of life.

[jsem]

Youthanasia has always been an issue that I have had issues with. I kinda feel like one should be able to take their life if they want to, and government efforts to ban suicide sites etc is just plain stupid - I am still enraged everytime I hear of a suicide because that's the most pathetic move any1 can make.

When it comes to some1 who has been REALLY ill for a long time and the person just wants the plug pulled, my libertarian mindset says of course some1 should be able to ask for that.


Ok, here's a tough one though: The person is in a coma and one cannot ask the person if he or she wants to end his/her life. Is it still OK to pull the plug knowing that the person is pretty much dead anyway.

[icysk8r]

Yes.

[TheVoxyn]

Then it's usually for the family to decide. I think family might know what the person would have wanted. The pug will be pulled after a while anyway, since it is too expensive to keep someone alive for no reason.

[SixDegrees]

Hell yes.

[rumborak]

the answer to suicide is prayer.

Generic answers FTL.

rumborak

[SixDegrees]

.

[TheVoxyn]

There are so many questions like that. Why is there war? Why do so many people die of hunger?

The answer is that God has some sort of plan for them or something to that extent. Pretty elaborate plan if you ask me. I bet there is something magnificent at the end of it, since it's costing so much lives and suffering.

[Ħ]

There are so many questions like that. Why is there war? Why do so many people die of hunger?

The answer is that God has some sort of plan for them or something to that extent. Pretty elaborate plan if you ask me. I bet there is something magnificent at the end of it, since it's costing so much lives and suffering.

Or maybe because Satan is the prince of this world.

[eric42434224]

There are so many questions like that. Why is there war? Why do so many people die of hunger?

The answer is that God has some sort of plan for them or something to that extent. Pretty elaborate plan if you ask me. I bet there is something magnificent at the end of it, since it's costing so much lives and suffering.

Or the answer is that God doesnt have a "plan", and takes a hands off approach.  To me the above is just rationalizing unfortunate events to make yourself feel better.  It is difficult to understand that bad things happen to people...attributing it to an unknown "plan" for presumably a good reason, is just a cop-out.

Or the answer is that there is no God, and bad shit happens.

[jsem]

There are so many questions like that. Why is there war? Why do so many people die of hunger?

The answer is that God has some sort of plan for them or something to that extent. Pretty elaborate plan if you ask me. I bet there is something magnificent at the end of it, since it's costing so much lives and suffering.

Simply this.

[TheVoxyn]

There are so many questions like that. Why is there war? Why do so many people die of hunger?

The answer is that God has some sort of plan for them or something to that extent. Pretty elaborate plan if you ask me. I bet there is something magnificent at the end of it, since it's costing so much lives and suffering.

Or the answer is that God doesnt have a "plan", and takes a hands off approach.  To me the above is just rationalizing unfortunate events to make yourself feel better.  It is difficult to understand that bad things happen to people...attributing it to an unknown "plan" for presumably a good reason, is just a cop-out.

Or the answer is that there is no God, and bad shit happens.

You last sentence is how I feel (in case anyone missed the sarcastic undertone). I find the 'God has a plan for everyone' a bit too much of a convenient excuse for all the bad stuff happening.

[yeshaberto]

I believe in a creator who has the power of life and death, and he bears it alone.

Why do you believe that? I'm not specifically picking on you, you just happened to mention a POV which I have heard a few times and I'm curious, so I'd appreciate an answer if you have one (or anyone else who wants to chip in).

I believe in it based on scripture.  if you are asking what Scriptues, I will need to look them up, but would be glad to.
I would add, though, that someone who is kept alive by a machine is not necessarily alive.

[j]

I think determining the circumstances under which it is acceptable is very difficult.  Does the person really have the capacity to give genuine consent?  Have they been given accurate information by their attending medical staff, and are they correct in their conclusion that there is no hope for recovery?  I'm skeptical that anybody can make those kinds of decisions responsibly, and I think the people in such a hurry to support it may be either misinformed about the frequency with which assisted suicide is requested, or perhaps about the psychological nature of suicide.

So while I think there are situations in which assisted suicide might be acceptable, I for one don't think I could muster the hubris to consider myself able to discern with enough certainty to take someone's life.

-J

[kirbywelch92]

I only really support suicide when it pertains to someone who is already going to die soon. With my faith I don't really have any support for it, but as a person I believe that you do have that option. However, I think you better have a really good reason, and I think there are little to none.

[El Barto]

Once a person turns 25 or so, he should be able to kill himself for whatever reason he wants.  "Nothing on TV tonight.  Oh well,  BOOM! Headshot!"  It's your life and nobody else should be able to tell you how to use it.  As for the assistance, that's a personal decision between a doctor and his oath. 

And this notion that you shouldn't be allowed to check out on your own terms because some God that you might or might not believe in wishes for you to spend your last 6 months dieing a painful death is about the worst possible idea I can imagine.  What the hell is this, Afghanistan?

[sonatafanica]

It should absolutely be legal.

As for the whole "comatose" thing, I'm not too sure about that. Personally, I would want to stay alive for as long as possible. I don't believe in any sort of afterlife, so I guess if there was a chance I could come out of the coma I would want to take it.

Heck, anything is better than nothing.

[Chino]

You should be able to request a cyanide pill if you truly just want to end your life.

[sonatafanica]

I keep one beneath a false molar at all times, just in case.

[Ħ]

If this were to become legal (and at the moment I am undecided) there should an age restriction (as El Barto said) and a dependency restriction.  I wouldn't want any parents to leave their families behind (especially not legally).

[kirbywelch92]

And this notion that you shouldn't be allowed to check out on your own terms because some God that you might or might not believe in wishes for you to spend your last 6 months dieing a painful death is about the worst possible idea I can imagine.  What the hell is this, Afghanistan?

Well it depends on how you perceive God and the faith that you have in him. If you have no faith than I could certainly see why you would feel that way.

[rumborak]

The notion is that God makes everything better except when he doesn't, in which case it's your fault.

rumborak

[SixDegrees]

.

[Jamesman42]

The notion is that God makes everything better except when he doesn't, in which case it's your fault.

rumborak

wot

[rumborak]

I don't understand why some religious people object to suicide becoming legal on the grounds that it's wrong according to their religion. It doesn't affect them because they won't do it (legal or not), and if anyone else does it then they believe that those people will get punished after death. So why interfere?

Because their religion essentially asks them to meddle in other people's lives. And, it's fun to tell other people how they should live.

The notion is that God makes everything better except when he doesn't, in which case it's your fault.

wot

Isn't that the deal? I can not remember a single religious person ever blaming God for not answering their prayers. So, you pray in hope that you get what you desire; and if you don't get it, clearly God is right in doing so since you deserve it in some way.

rumborak

[SixDegrees]

.

[Jamesman42]

Isn't that the deal? I can not remember a single religious person ever blaming God for not answering their prayers. So, you pray in hope that you get what you desire; and if you don't get it, clearly God is right in doing so since you deserve it in some way.

Sorta, but if you don't get it, it's because it's still His will, not so much that you dun goofed. The sin in us makes us undeserving of His love. It's more about God's will than you doing bad. It takes faith, "those who seek, find, and for those who knock, the door will be opened."

But hey, it's a complicated issue due to different circumstances in different situations, and sometimes what we pray for isn't what we always expect, or the method of getting it can be completely out of left field, but still an answer. It's hard to boil that down into two paragraphs, though. Just speaking from experience.

[rumborak]

Sorta, but if you don't get it, it's because it's still His will, not so much that you dun goofed. The sin in us makes us undeserving of His love.

So, it's win-win for God, He essentially can't screw up. Actually, He is better off not doing anything, since if he just lets things play out, the people praying will assign the good to stuff to His doing, and the bad stuff to their own deserving. As long as the believer truly thinks he is implicitly undeserving, God essentially can lean back and do nothing.

rumborak

[Jamesman42]

Christianity != Deism

[rumborak]

Huh? How does Deism play into this?

rumborak