Assisted Dying Bill: Fresh Debate On 'right To Die'

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34208624

What do we all think about this ?

I will say straight away, that I am in favour of changing the existing law, as long as it monitored properly. A close relative of mine died 18 years ago in a lot of pain.

Surely we should be able to assist someone to shuffle off this mortal coil with a bit more dignity ?

[RATTER15]

I totally agree, it is dreadful how some suffer, I know I would end my life rather than suffer, with or without the law on my side. It just needs to be well regulated as it is at Digitas in Switzerland.

[Quizmonster]

If nothing else comes of the bill, at the very least people should be allowed - while still of sound mind - to indicate in some legal format whether they wish to be assisted to die in the sort of circumstances under debate. That should be end of story; what the Archbishop of Canterbury has to do with my life/death I fail to grasp!

[Zacs-Master]

Sounds like a sensible step in the right direction but what happens when the patient, through the effects of their illness, administer their own lethal dose?

[Zacs-Master]

Sort that should read CAN'T administer their own lethal dose?

[Zacs-Master]

Sorry not sort. Aaaaargh.

[Cloverjo]

I welcome the idea of people being able to decide how and when to die if their life is unbearable due to physical illness. I don't like the idea of a doctor putting someone down like a sick dog, so I also welcome the idea that the person has to take the drug himself. However, that's not going to help everybody in that situation. My mum was suffering terribly near the end of her life and wanted to go. However, her brain was too destroyed to compute of taking a drug to enable this, and she was refusing food, water and medication apart from what was injected into her.
I welcome the debate, though. Something needs to be done.

[ToraToraTora]

so now they are hoping doctors will violate their Hippocratic oath and put down patients like cats and dogs, nice!

[Zacs-Master]

I'd read the link TTT. And if you say you have then you've not understood it.

[Georgiesmum]

Sorry. I dont agree with it. especially when people still have six months still to live.

[Sqad]

TTT...doctors don't take a Hypocratic Oath and haven't done for half a century at least.

[Svejk]

As I asked, without answer, on the other thread. The majority of doctors are against this proposal. Will people on here be cheering when the first doctor is jailed for standing by his principles. (and his Hippocratic oath)

[ToraToraTora]

"Under proposals, people with less than six months to live could be prescribed a lethal dose of drugs, which only they are allowed to take." - seems pretty clear to me ZM
Sqad, they may not take the oath any more but surely doctors align with it's principles.

[Canary42]

Some hospitals will welcome this opportunity to reduce bed-blocking, like they did with the Liverpool Pathway.

[Zacs-Master]

Yep, crystal clear. Only They (not the doctors) are allowed to take (not given....take). See the subtle but important difference?
If you don't believe people are assisted to die in hospitals and especially hospices, they you're delusional.

[Sqad]

TTT

Healing the sick is only one small part of the function of a society, the main and primary function is the relief of pain and allowing someone to "die with dignity" if they so wish.

The relief of pain is not such a problem but even so the benefits of Pain Clinics still fail some patients.

Neurological disorders, with patients not being able to swallow, speak and no control of bladder functions pose the greatest problems and here, dying with dignity becomes an important issue.

Safeguards are essential and these are not beyond the bounds of the legal profession in consultation to work out stringent conditions.

For the past 60 years doctors have been "helping people to die without pain and with dignity.........why not make it legal?

[Svejk]

You might not have to swear on the Hippocratic oath, sqad, but I think you were/are supposed to abide by it.

[jackthehat]

I have £5 riding on who I believe will be the first ABer to introduce 'dragging Granny off to die' into this debate...

I, too, believe that a stringent, tightly controlled framework is the best way forwards on this issue.

[Zacs-Master]

Svejk, you might find this interesting:
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/11/doctors-arent-bound-hippocratic-oath/

[jno]

pub gossip used to identify which doctors (or non-doctors) were lilkeliest to provide an abortion. I suspect the same thing will happen with doctors who are okay with letting people die. But I don't know that pub gossip is the best way to handle these things.

[mikey4444]

My Mum died from lung cancer in 1996. She had gone steadily downhill from the previous Xmas Eve, when they finally told her that the cancer wasn't operable. She did have a course of radium treatment, which was awful and only made matters worse.

She got rapidly worse and terribly skinny until late April, when she was admitted to a Hospice ( which was marvelous, by the way ) In her last few days she looked absolutely dreadful. But 2 days before she died, she suddenly looked much better.....quite bright and cheerful, so at least we all had that last day with her in a relatively happy mood. Dhe even had her hair done whilst still in bed !

The following day she reverted to her previous condition, and she had what my nephews described as her "walkman" fitted ( the small morphine pump, that was kept under her pillow ) She died very peacefully. I recall asking the Doctor what would happen at the end and he said that she would just fall asleep and then stop breathing...nothing distressing or dramatic would happen and he was 100% right.

My brothers and I are firmly convinced that the morphine "assisted" her final end, and we are also grateful for the measures taken to give her wonderful that final last day....steroids perhaps ? We will always be thankful for the Hospice and their unadmitted efforts to help my Mum along. We never asked any awkward questions before or afterwards. It just happened.

But I will make the point that her quality of life before admittance to the Hospice was quite frankly appaling. If I am ever in the same situation myself in the future, my brothers and families already know what my wishes are.