This is obviously an emotional topic.
With euthanasia there is so much potential for abuse, both overt and subtle. Choosing to end one's life, especially while still lucid, needs to be the ultimate personal decision--made by the person involved and only that person. And, since it's obviously a permanent decision, it's fitting that there be a mechanism to assure you are totally committed to the decision. It may seem barbaric, but having the person take the tangible, physical steps to accomplish the deed is the gold-standard way to know it's what they wanted to do, at least at that moment. It shouldn't be easy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bondi688
"Claudia Burzichelli doesn’t want to die like her dad. Nine years ago, her father, already afflicted with Parkinson’s, killed himself with a gunshot to the head days after his release from a hospital where he had been treated for a heart attack. Burzichelli, 54, now suffering from kidney and lung cancer, is haunted by her father’s violent death, even more so as she contemplates her own mortality. She hopes to find a more peaceful way to end her life, if it comes to that.
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It sounds like Claudia's dad's exit was peaceful, at least as he experienced it.
I know there are people who want to die and cannot physically accomplish the act. I don't have an answer for that, except better enforcement of the already existing written directives. But for those who are physically capable of acting but unable to muster the courage, who want support (which is encouragement), well, I think we need to give a lot of thought to the ramifications, for everyone, of lowering the bar and increasing expectations that people should just seek out another specialist--someone who performs the final medical procedure. No fuss, they'll be listed in the phone book.
I can appreciate the opposing view on this, but I think maintaining the present prohibitions are overall better for all of us, though individual cases may seem more tragic as a result.