WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices

FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN
Voting Ends Thursday

For

Against, isn't that basically euthanasia?

That's exactly what it is. So why are you against it?

For

Some random smiley, not necessarily, though likely, showing my thoughts about the world assembly: (uncensored! )

to me euthanasia isn't much different then suicide. Its still a selfish means of escape. Its the doctor's job to try their hardest until the very end and thats just giving up. pain or not, life is a valuable thing and people should fight for it as long as they can

If you were lying in a bed, with cancer, and you knew that there was no way that you were going to live much longer, the pain was almost unbearable, wouldn't you like to have that choice? I think anyone should have the choice to be able to say, "You know, I've resigned myself to the fact I am dying, so can we just get it over with instead of drawing this out?"

I'm going to have to say FOR for this one.

Kritschboilek wrote:

Some random smiley, not necessarily, though likely, showing my thoughts about the world assembly: (uncensored! )

Really?? What sites are you going to to find things like this lol

As for Euthanasia, I agree 100% with Tallsville. If their life is completely miserable and they are going to die, then let them move on to better things if they so desire.

Blah! I'm going with AGAINST on this one.

i understand with having a choice, but i dont think that being in constant pain really qualifies as "being in the right state of mind" to make such a choice. If the loved ones agreed then i guess it would be ok, but i'm still wishy washy on that

W00t! A Discussion! Have I mentioned yet I looooove discussing?

Anyway, back to the point of the day: euthanasia.
The first point I'd like to make is: what is wrong with dying? Dying is a perfectly natural process, and at some point in time, everybody's gonna do it. There. Is. No. Escape.
So, say I wanted to die, why can't I? I mean, I am a natural process myself, so I assume I have the same amount of control over my life as nature itself, haven't I?
There is, however, a problem. Nobody actually likes dying. It's nasty, it's ugly. (Ever see someone die? They're pale, they vomit, they shiver, they drool. And their eyes are wide open.) This brings me to my second point: even if you're suffering very badly, you don't want to die! Rationally, and emotionally, you know how valuably life is. (Especially when you're in pain!) So when making the decision to kill oneself, it's gonna be the single most important decision in your entire life, and not only because it's gonna be your last. I can imagine a lot of people not actually daring to take the decision, because they fear death, and their families. Oh yes, about families, if you see someone suffering, what do you think? Exactly, “I wish it were over soon.”
In the end, euthanasia is about being in control. It's you, the sufferer, who can finally escape the horrible incurable disease that is making your life miserable. And nobody likes to be miserable. But nobody likes to die either. You see the problem? It's a really difficult decision.

And you are the only person capable of making it.



PS. I still hate the WA though, and I'm still voting against.

The main reason I see this as being bad, and I AM biased, is because I don't believe anyone should have control over their own deaths. Sure, in combat you have to take others' lives but that's only because they'd do the same thing to you. If it's your choice to kill yourself without saving anyone else (literally, I don't mean emotionally, mentally, etc.) in the process, I don't believe you should have that choice.

But why would you assume there is a moral difference between life and death?! Death is just a biochemical process (which we will someday be able to stop entirely, I have no doubt) using the same set of rules as its parent-process, life.
This means any moral restrictions you make to death, also apply to life. So, controlling your life includes controlling every sub-process, including death. Only if you would say one has the right to control only part of your life (unfortunately, the biochemical border between life and death is very blurry, even arbitrary) you could have no right to control your death.