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Assisted Death

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Post by HiJo Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:57 am

Dying people should be given the option of having an assisted death if the suffering becomes unbearable, according to a recent report.
The Charter for Dignity at the End of Life calls for a "fundamental shift" in how end-of-life care is managed and delivered.
The document, launched by Dignity in Dying, the leading campaigning organisation promoting patient choice at the end of life, claims there is "an overwhelming majority" of people who want more choice about where they die, pain relief, access to quality health care and not to have life prolonged against their wishes.
The Charter says there is a serious "disconnect" between what people expect at death and the services currently available.
"We campaign for terminally ill, mentally competent people to be given the option of an assisted death if they feel their suffering has become unbearable. But we believe that assisted dying forms a part of a wider debate around choice at the end of life.
"Ultimately, each individual decides what they believe is a dignified death. Most people will see their needs met through personalised and good quality palliative care. But although only a minority of terminally ill people would exercise the right to an assisted death, many will take comfort in having the choice."


Having watched someone take far too long to die from cancer, and wishing every shuddering breath could be the last, I'm in favour of this. It terrifies me to think I could ever be in that position myself, longing for release but not able to get it.

With proper safeguards in place so nobody can bump off Granny before her time so they can get their inheritance, I think it's very compassionate.
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Post by Lou Tue Jul 29, 2008 6:59 am

I've been in favour of assisted death for a long time, if you can put an animal out of its misery then humans should have the same dignity.
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Post by Bob Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:39 am

It probably won't come as any great surprise that I disagree with "assisted death" or euthanasia. I can understand, of course, that it is not easy to have to watch your loved one slowly dying and not being able to do anything about it. If it happened to someone in my family I'd be devastated as well and maybe I'd change my mind on the issue.

There is an interesting article here on the practice of "non-voluntary" or "involuntary" euthanasia in Holland (it's quite long though). The way I see it is that it is only a short step from voluntary to non-voluntary and that is quite scary:

Non-voluntary euthanasia in Holland

Here is an extract from it:

Ruud ter Meulen, Henk Jochemsen and Frank Koerselman voiced the most critical voices on this matter. Ter Meulen is worried about the position of elderly people, given that there are waiting lists for nursing homes and for home care. The Netherlands is facing a shortage of resources, cuts in the nursing staff and a larger number of the elderly who wish to be in nursing homes. We can expect that the quality of care for the elderly will deteriorate. Euthanasia may be a promising alternative as a solution to a pressing problem, and Ter Meulen adds that this is especially true with respect to elderly patients who do not want to be a burden on their families. This consideration may play a role in their request for euthanasia. However, in his comments on the first draft of this paper, Ter Meulen added that there is no evidence of this issue playing a role in the practice of euthanasia at this point.

Henk Jochemsen, professor of Christian medical ethics, contends that it is often the case of the family, rather than the patient, asking for euthanasia when the patient has become a burden. Hence, Jochemsen thinks that some elderly patients indeed have good reason for this fear. He adds that patients sometimes also fear that treatment will continue beyond the necessary point. Jochemsen also objects to providing unnecessary treatment.

As usual, Koerselman expresses the most critical view, agreeing with the studies of Segers and Fenigsen, and testifying about his own experience. He argues that such fears on the part of the elderly do exist. In his view, families have informal influence on doctors, and it is impossible to ascertain that families who find it difficult to cope with the suffering of their loved ones do not influence the decision-making process. Koerselman told the story of an eighty-five-year-old patient with pneumonia and depression, both of which are treatable conditions. His family did not wish to treat him, and the GP agreed with the family that there was no point in treatment. Koerselman was invited to consult on the patient's depression and said that if he had not taken an active role in this case, they would have taken the easy way out: "He would die, all would say that I acted humanely and would receive a nice bottle of wine from the family who physically wanted to prevent me from treating him." Koerselman asked the patient's GP whether he had spoken with the patient alone. The response was negative. Koerselman had to order security guards to remove the family from the room so that he could speak privately with the patient. The patient said at first that there was no reason to continue treatment and that he did not want to become a burden on his family. Koerselman explained to him that he suffered from pneumonia and depression, two perfectly treatable conditions, and that he might as well try to be a healthy eighty-five-year-old man. The patient then agreed to treatment and was eventually discharged from the hospital in very good condition, both mentally and physically.
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