Do you support euthanasia? Do you half support it (e.g in some cases such as terminal illness, painful death, long term coma patients 5years+) and not support it for someone just wanting to die (e.g someone I know just wants to die and has attempted suicide 5 times. Would want to be euthenized but its not legal here. Has no money to travel internationally to receive treatment).
Do you completely disagree with euthanasia and why?
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My response:
I support euthanasia however it would have to be monitored like the needle was a destructive bomb.
Personally because I know someone so depressed that they want to die I think I'd support the decision they made however if it was someone closer such as a sibling or child I don't know if I'd have the same support for it just because the emotional burden would be a lot to handle (e.g blaming yourself for their depression etc)
However if anyone I knew was dying/on their deathbed and their wish was just to die in peace and without pain I'd most probably support them.
This is a strong subjects and many many religions/people are always debating over this subject. In my own opinion every human should have their own free will to do whatever they want to do with their life, but every consequence has a action to it. If someone chooses to take the path of euthanasia then so be it, whether someone feels whether they should live or die is not up to a certain person to decide everyone has human rights and its their own choice whether or not they feel they should.
I know many different christian religions have a dispute over this subject. My own family originate from CoE and I know they do not have a strong opinion about it , that's what many CoE's are like, of course you will get the ones who are strong about certain subjects such as marriage and the like. Catholics however are different they have very strong religious opinions which in my beliefs aren't always right. They believe it is wrong for someone to commit a crime as they will not go to heaven as they have committed the "ultimate" sin and are acting as if they are playing the role of God, but then you can get deeper into this argument by saying, if God was so loving why does he not accept everyone as they are and what they are and take them to heaven because he loves everyone so much, you can also say when a lady gives a premature birth that the doctors who keep that baby alive with the all the technology are playing the role of God yet Catholics aren't against that are they ?
I could argue this for the rest of eternity really, there's so much to say about this topic, however , I feel every human should choose their own life paths whether its good or bad, no ones perfect, you shouldn't be scared of making new experiences because your only going to live once, just give it your biggest shot.
I agree with the option of Euthanasia for people who are unable to end their own lives but wish to do so. For example, someone who is paralysed who wishes to die should have the right to help to do that if they so choose. On a similar note though, if Euthanasia is to be carried out by Doctors(as I believe it should be, with a number of other safeguards in place) then the Doctors should retain the right not to carry it out but to send them to a different doctor if they don't feel they can do it morally.
The idea of euthanasia for someone who is depressed is an interesting point to raise- I must admit, in debating euthanasia before I had never considered that idea. I'll state an interest- I've had depression for 4 years now. I'm not sure how I feel about helping fully able people to commit suicide. It's my anecdotal belief(from talking to others with depression) that a lot of failed suicide attempts are about trying to make things clearer in their own heads rather than actually wanting to die(though they may not believe that in the time, this is of course thought with hindsight). I know the one time I 'attempted' it, it was the clearest my mind had ever been(and on a side note, how much more beautiful the world became for a while, thinking it would be the last time I saw everything). I think, on balance, I probably wouldn't legalise assisted suicide for able-bodied people as they have the capacity to do it themselves. I am however open to persuasion; I certainly would advocate that in the case of severe depression for example that a session with a counsellor would be compulsory before it could be carried out.
Just as a thought, to those who favour the right to euthanasia for all, would you extend this to prisoners also?
Well, this is an interesting one. To answer, I'm going to have to dig quite deep into my personal beliefs: beliefs which I think have been outwardly influenced by experience to the point where they have become unbiased.
An Introduction to Utilitarianism and Hedonism
In established philosophy, there is an doctrine by the name of utilitarianism. Here is how the word is defined by a popular internet dictionary:
I think that euthanasia should be legal, when it is ending the pain of illnesses that can't be cured and that are just making someone suffering more with time. It's actually a big debate in Qu
I believe in medical cases, where the patient is suffering, yes it should be legal.
But if it's depression, I think it should still be legal since people should be able to choose what they want for their own lives, but have a 365 day wait period, meaning the person has to wait a year before he or she can get euthanized. This gives them plenty of time to think about it and opt out if they choose to at any time during that year.
There are so many reasons why people are depressed, chemical imbalance, disease, even having low iron will affect your mood and give you a general ill feeling. Not to mention a lot of the medications prescribed out there for anxiety/depression has been known to give the user thoughts of suicide.
I was depressed for years with an underlying severe kidney disease that threw my body off balance, I'm thankful that I didn't succeed in suicide when I attempted it and found the root of my problem and it could be solved. Actually mine is managed as I will always have this disease and will result in kidney failure but I don't want to end my life while I don't have kidney function, I'd hope to live on dialysis as long as I can till I'm able to get a new kidney(s).
Pain will make you think and say crazy things, if you're in constant pain you will sometimes say anything just to get it to end. Even someone that's dying, what if they're a devote Christian and believe it's a sin to commit suicide and that they'll go to hell? Or another religion that has similar beliefs? They might not be thinking rationally, and their soul is forever "doomed" because this became legal?
If anyone has experienced child birth, or any intense pain that has lasted for a while, would also understand that we want and say asinine things but regret them later. I remember when I was in labor for two days that I started to hallucinate from the pain, I kept saying to myself that I wish I never had sex and regretted actually being pregnant at that moment. I kept praying for God to take me then cause the pain was so bad. Now this was only child birth, something that shouldn't last more than a few hours/days, I knew I would get through this pain but it was so intense I just wanted it all to end. Of course they wouldn't euthanize a woman in labor but I know from first hand the extreme pain and just wanting to end it all, even someone that is dying may possibly recover later. I've seen patients say they have only weeks to live and actually live for over a year. I don't see this as being black and white and I think it'd really have to just depend on the case, I don't support it, but I'm not against it.
Really it should be legal but only in cases the most extreme cases such as a terminal illness associated with high levels of pain, cause really living would literally be like torture. But before it could be accepted there should be some tests to determine a person's mental health at the time of wanting a mercy killing.
I agree with euthanasia through and through. I believe that it's not anyone's decision besides our own if we want to live or die. If someone is willing to assist in this, kudos. Sure there should be regulations such as counseling or other steps for people but it should be something that is an option for all. If someone wants to die enough, there are other ways that they could go about it that could leave them mangled or dysfunctional. I for one attempted suicide several times in my teen years and it has lasting impacts on my body that I'd rather not get into. If this ever became available, I'd strongly consider using it even.
I agree with euthanasia to an extent. If someone is sick, or old, and wants to just end their suffering then why not let them? It is cruel to keep someone alive when they are ill to a point that they may not recover, or so old that they can no longer care for themselves. However, if someone just wants to die, though it should be their choice, I'd prefer that they try to get help first. They don't know what their future could bring, they could live a long and happy life later on down the road, which would be destroyed if they were allowed to legally euthanize themselves before seeking treatment.