WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices

Subject: WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices Tue 21 Jul 2009 - 1:24

Dignified End of Life Choices A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.
Category: Human Rights	Strength: Strong	Proposed by: Studly Penguins
Description: UNSETTLED by the number of terminally ill persons with no dignified and legal means to choose to end their needless pain and suffering; MANDATING all WA Nations allow terminally-ill persons to end their lives in a humane and dignified manner through the voluntary administration of lethal medications, expressly prescribed by a health care provider for that purpose. ESTABLISHING the WA Commission on Human Rights to arbitrate any and all disputes concerning the implementation of this legislation. 1. Definitions: A) “Terminal illness” means an incurable and irreversible disease that has been medically confirmed and will produce death; B) “Attending physician” means the health care provider who has primary responsibility for the care and treatment of the patient; C) “Consulting physician” means a health care provider who is qualified by specialty or experience to make a professional diagnosis and prognosis; D) “Adult” means a person who has reached his or her nation’s age of majority. 2. The patient seeking to end to his/her own unbearable suffering through legally prescribed lethal drugs must be an Adult suffering from terminal illness. The patient must also be mentally competent and able to make and communicate Health-Care decisions to their doctors or through a provision in a patient's Living Will. Patient must also: A) Make two oral requests not less than 5 days apart to receive a lethal dose of drugs; B) Execute a written request for such medication in the presence of two witnesses who, in the presence of the patient, attest that to the best of their knowledge and belief the patient is capable, of sound mind, and acting under free will. No witness shall be a blood relative or one who stands to gain from said patients’ death. 3) Prior to legally prescribing lethal medication, the Attending and Consulting Physician must confirm the diagnosis and verify that the patient's request is voluntary. Physicians must also perform the following: A) Inform and document on three occasions to the patient his/her diagnosis, prognosis, risks/effects of the lethal medication, other treatment options and patient’s right to rescind their lethal medication request anytime. B) Immediately prior to administering such drug(s), either Physician must verify and document that the patient is making an informed and voluntary decision. 4. Additional provisions: A) A patient may rescind a request for lethal medication at any time. When numerous requests are made and then rescinded; an immediate psychiatric consultation is to be ordered. B) No person shall be subject to any penalty, including civil or criminal liability or professional discipline for participating in good faith compliance with this resolution. C) A person that willfully seeks to cause a patient’s death without full compliance with the procedures required by this resolution shall be guilty of a crime and subject to civil, criminal, and/or other penalties. D) This Act is to ensure a dignified end to suffering; it CANNOT and SHALL NOT be used as an excuse to remove undesirable people. E) A physician has the right to refuse to take part in an assisted death WITHOUT any penalties whatsoever being levied against her/him. 5. This resolution shall not preclude a nation from enacting an assisted suicide law that is less or more restrictive than this resolution, so long as said law complies with Sections 4 (D) and 4 (E). Co-author: Robert Hawkins

Subject: Re: WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices Tue 21 Jul 2009 - 1:25

FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN
Voting Ends Thursday

Nation Posts : 238 Join date : 2009-07-19 Age : 31

Subject: Re: WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices Tue 21 Jul 2009 - 2:30

Against, isn't that basically euthanasia?

Nation Posts : 238 Join date : 2009-07-19 Age : 31

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

Subject: Re: WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices Tue 21 Jul 2009 - 14:44

Nation Posts : 181 Join date : 2009-06-27 Age : 36

Some random smiley, not necessarily, though likely, showing my thoughts about the world assembly: WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices Fuckingbanana

WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices Fuckingbanana

(uncensored! Tongue Out

)

Subject: Re: WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices Tue 21 Jul 2009 - 15:15

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

Nation Posts : 238 Join date : 2009-07-19 Age : 31

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?"

Administrator Posts : 95 Join date : 2009-06-23 Age : 33

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

Subject: Re: WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices Wed 22 Jul 2009 - 10:57

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.

Subject: Re: WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices Wed 22 Jul 2009 - 12:46

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

Subject: Re: WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices Wed 22 Jul 2009 - 19:28

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

Nation Posts : 181 Join date : 2009-06-27 Age : 36

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

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.

Subject: Re: WA Voting: Dignified End of Life Choices Thu 23 Jul 2009 - 12:47

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.

Nation Posts : 181 Join date : 2009-06-27 Age : 36

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.

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