#voluntary euthanasia

[maslows-pyramid-scheme]

I can't take anti-MAID, pro-kill shelter people seriously. Is it acceptable to push euthanasia on living creatures to fix other issues (demand for resources, space capacity, quality of life) or not?

[mzyraj]

I don't like to appear to vaguepost, but I also don't want to trigger the original OP, so new post:

There's a discussion about assisted suicide and about measures to help disabled people, observing that (where OP is) there's actually better access to the former than the latter and how wrong that is.

I agree with that observation, that is ridiculous and dangerous bullshit! But then reblogs get quite anti-assisted suicide which I have concerns over.

OP was incredibly right that more should be done to help people to live comfortably so they're less inclined to end their life prematurely, but I don't want to stop what little right to die there is - like there's zero in the UK right now. All you can do is DNR and wait however long it is until your body gives out or directly suicide if you're capable, but methods of suicide tend not to be pleasant and are traumatic to those who have to deal with it afterwards.

And so much of the anti-Voluntary Euthanasia I see elsewhere is just religious people hand wringing that life and death should be in God's hands, which... fuck that. Being able to have dignity in death (if so determined) should be a regulated option. At a certain point death will happen, and I would absolutely prefer to do it in an appointment at a comfortable regulated facility with professional help (perhaps there would be a home-death option too) than the alternatives if not taken purely by surprise. The way some people die is just... horrendous. I would prefer to avoid that.

But also... capitalism *shakes fist*. Of course some absolute assholes will just want to off us to save resources regardless of how we feel, why give benefits when you can give death 🙄 I guess I'm hoping for societal shift where unions happen as they've started, taxation and better public services and benefits so people can generally live comfortably, and VE is just a small option for those who want it. Because there will always be some where that is literally the best option and I think having options is good.

[yeltsinsstar]

It’s Election Year!

And no. This post is not about the US elections scheduled for November.

This is about the FAR MORE IMPORTANT New Zealand General Election scheduled for the 16th of September. That date is also the 127th anniversary of universal suffrage (womens vote) in New Zealand, 1st in the world to do so.

This election will also include two referendum: one to legalise marijuana for recreational use and one to legalise voluntary euthanasia.

So it is vital that everyone actually pays attention this year, gets of their arse to register for the electoral roll and the gets off it again to actually vote on election day 16/09/2020.

(And yes. the date IS written the correct way: day/month/year)

Remember that we have an MMP electoral system. That means you get one vote for an MP and one vote for a political party. Note that you DO NOT have to vote for the political party that your preferred MP belongs to! WE DO NOT HAVE A TWO PARTY SYSTEM! THERE ARE OTHER PARTIES RUNNING.

As for the referendum, take the time to carefully read the referendum questions before selecting your option. This is to avoid accidentally voting for an option that you do not agree with.

[axvoter]

Blatantly Partisan Party Review XIII (NSW 2019): Voluntary Euthanasia Party

Prior reviews: 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018

What I said before: “They support voluntary euthanasia. (WHO KNEW!)”

What I think this year: Victoria has approved voluntary euthanasia but NSW has not. Indeed, a bill for voluntary euthanasia failed by a single vote in November 2017. This party, therefore, remains an important part of the micro-party landscape. They are running on a campaign that tries to elevate the issue above partisan politics—though it is no secret voluntary euthanasia enjoys greater support on the left—by encouraging people to vote 1 for them and then 2 for their usual party of choice.

The VEP does not outline a broader platform except to state they are a “moderate progressive” party. Obviously they do not want to alienate potential supporters of their signature policy with anything else. But, of course, it alienates somebody like me: parliament faces a wide array of issues and the VEP’s raison d’être requires only one piece of legislation—what will their MP do for the rest of their four* years? Who knows! So, as much as I support the issue in question, other parties will receive higher preferences from me.

Website: https://www.vep.org.au/2019_nsw_election

*as one commenter notes, this should say eight years!

[insightscare]

Euthanasia – A Planned Full-stop

Somewhere in the world, an old man was on his death bed, doctors pumping life into him artificially. He wished to die peacefully in his own home, surrounded by his family, and not on some hospital bed. Placing this will in front of the doctor and his family members, he asked them to take him home when still alive and let him die at his own conditions. After all the arguments and looking at his irreversible medical condition, they had to comply with his wish and they arranged to take him home. Living at the mercy of a ventilator, he asked to be free of this life-support after he met all his family for the last time, dying happily surrounded by everyone that he loved. The old man chose what we today call Passive Euthanasia.

The word Euthanasia, widely known as mercy killing, has created a hustle enough to grab everybody’s attention today. Sometimes attached with sentiments, sometimes with controversies, and sometimes with ethics, it has divided the world population in two parts- those in favor of and those against. Coming from the Greek words- ‘Eu’ meaning good, and ‘Thanatosis’ meaning death, Euthanasia is basically a term for ‘Good Death’. It is a term used for what they call peaceful, dignified, easy, or gentle death.

Turning Back the Pages

In our history, we can find countless acts where hopelessly incurable patients were given easy death. Years ago, in Greece, patients with terminal illness suffering with a lot of pain were given a poisoned drink, in the form of a medicine, by the physicians in order to bring them an easy death. Also, in India, incurable patients were drowned in River Ganges, to release them from the life full of pain. These are the perfect examples of active euthanasia- an act to bring upon a deliberate and direct death to a patient. In ancient times passive euthanasia, correctly termed as orthothanasia, was also practiced. In this, the patients are allowed to die, by with-holding or withdrawing the treatment, rather than killing them directly. During the rise of Nazis, under a program to eliminate life unworthy of life, Hitler ordered the sick and disabled to be euthanized on large-scale, in 1939. Although all through the history most of the religions and philosophers deemed euthanasia as a sin or a crime, there were some who advocated the action, for good, bad, as well as horrendous reasons.

Forms of Euthanasia

There are various forms of Euthanasia- active and passive that we saw before, voluntary, non-voluntary, and involuntary, direct and indirect, and assisted suicide. Euthanizing a person on his/her own request is voluntary euthanasia. In non-voluntary euthanasia, a person is not in the condition to place the request or unable to make the choice, like a child or a mentally unfit patient, so someone on the behalf of them takes the decision. When the patient refuses to die and even then is euthanized, such a case falls under involuntary euthanasia and is mostly ruled as murder. In indirect euthanasia, a patient is given a treatment that has the side effect of speeding up the process of their death. This is usually done with the intention of reducing the pain and also called as palliative care today. As the motto is not to kill the patient but reduce the pain, it is accepted as euthanasia. In assisted suicide, a dying person who needs help to kill themselves is assisted in doing so to allow easy death.

Ethics around Euthanasia

The argument about the morality as well as the legality of mercy killing is age-old. It prevails even today and may exist always.

Most of the religions believe that the life is given to us by god and it is not ours to take. Moreover, euthanasia decreases our respect towards the sanctity of life, they argue. Although free to do our will, by taking someone’s life or helping in the act, we deny god’s right over our lives and hence euthanasia is morally unacceptable.

Read more....

Best Healthcare Magazine | Healthcare Industry News & Journals

[insightscare]

Euthanasia – A Planned Full-stop | Insights Care

Euthanasia, a word associated with morality, ethics, controversies, arguments, and so much more, has been a good and bad story of many people’s life.

[24australia-blog]

Victoria's 'death bill' passes vote

[thegrasshoppers-blog]

Voluntary euthanasia: Should one be allowed to die?

- By Dang Quynh Giang, 10 Trung, Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted

Image by iStock

“The dilemma of self-driving car” by Patrick Lin presented viewers with a case of ethical dilemma. Ethical dilemma is a situation which involves a choice between two moral imperatives, but choosing once will necessary result in disobeying the other. This writing will present readers with another case of ethical dilemma – euthanasia.

By definition, euthanasia means ending a person’s life to end his or her pain and suffering. Euthanasia can be categorized into three types: non-voluntary euthanasia, involuntary euthanasia and voluntary euthanasia. Non-voluntary euthanasia is a case in which the consent of the patient is not available (for example: the patient is in a coma) and involuntary euthanasia is euthanizing against the will of the patient. Both non-voluntary and involuntary euthanasia lack the consent of the patient, and therefore both are illegal worldwide. The last type of euthanasia, however, is a topic of much controversy. Voluntary euthanasia is a case of euthanasia with the consent of patient, either passive (withholding necessary mediation or treatment to keep patient alive) or active (doctors provide patients with means to euthanize), and there has been much argument over whether voluntary euthanasia should be legalized.

Public opinion towards voluntary euthanasia has been quite divided.

On the one hand, the argument of those supporting it includes the right to die of human and the scarcity of medicine. When a person has terminal illness and is suffering from unbearable pain, they should be given the choice of euthanasia. 54% of media practitioners support euthanasia and 86% of public support euthanasia for those terminally ill or living on life support. This brings us to the second reason, which is the scarcity of medicine. It is a matter of fact that treatments for terminal illness can be costly, and not every family can afford this. Moreover, this medicine can be given to others, for whom the medicine might cure the disease.

On the other hand, those against euthanasia argue that palliative care can be a solution to serious illnesses, therefore euthanasia is not necessary. Many religions are also against euthanasia, considering it a crime of throwing life away. In addition, euthanasia can be abused and misused. This happens when euthanasia happens without the patient consent (maybe without prior discussion with the patient). In Flanders (Belgium), 31% of euthanasia cases was carried out without patients’ explicit consent.

Voluntary euthanasia has been legalized in Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and a few other countries. The argument on the moral of voluntary is not to end soon, and it will be a long time before voluntary euthanasia is legalized globally.