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Haydos

Assisted Suicide

By Haydos, in General Chat

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Captain...

Captain...

Posted
Posted

I do not think Hawkins has the kind of disease thar affects the mind. He has always had the interlect even from an early age. There was a program on TV some time back where Terry Pratchett followed people to Swizerland to commit suicide. Even the rules there are strict. You have to make the decision when your mind is still good for want of a better word. If you are unable to make a rational choice they will not do it because it may not be your choice.

Terry Pratchett himself has altzeimers and has said he does not want to be at a stage where he is unable to do what he loves - write. He says he wants to go sitting in the garden in the sunshine. One bloke on the programme was quite rational. He had an illness that would eventually make him dependant on others. He did not want this. His wife was not keen but respected his wishes. The nurse administrating the drug asked him two or three times whether he wanted to carry on. He seemed perfectly calm and content.

For myself I do not know. I would not have the nerve to do it myself or even ask somebody to do it. Hopefully that time may never come or many years away. Perhaps if I am approaching 100 i may change my mind.

My stepdad has dementure and can do little for himself. It's sad to see him like it considering how he was when he first married my mum. He is also blind. I don't know what goes through his head. He remembers times when he was in the forces but not recent things and gets things mixed up. He would not be in the right frame of mind to decide for himself so all the family can do is watch him linnger.

The thing that gets me is they will only let you decide to kill yourself if you are still of sound mind, but if I am still of sound mind then I wouldn't want to die, I would want to die when I have lost the ability to think and reason properly (obviously a different scenario for those in excrutiating physical pain). It reminds me of the book Catch 22, talking about getting discharged from the army because you have gone mad.

The archetypal catch-22, as formulated by Heller, involves the case of John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces bombardier, who wishes to be grounded from combat flight. This will only happen if he is evaluated by the squadron's flight surgeon and found "unfit to fly." "Unfit" would be any pilot who is willing to fly such dangerous missions, as one would have to be mad to volunteer for possible death. However, to be evaluated, he must request the evaluation, an act that is considered sufficient proof for being declared sane. These conditions make it impossible to be declared "unfit."

If you have not read it then do so, brilliant book.

  • 6 years later...
Wymsey

Wymsey

Posted
Posted

If someone wishes to choose, after careful consideration with loved ones etc, to end their life when living with a terminal illness as they feel it won't be much longer in the future until the pain of disease becomes unbearable - I believe they have their own right to do such a thing as, even though some may argue it'll have a bad effect on their families etc, their decision in this type of case is justified.

  • Like 2
Trav Le Bleu

Trav Le Bleu

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, z-layrex said:

I'm pretty sure I've told this story on here a few years ago.

 

It was the morning after I think my 23rd birthday and I was lying in my then-girlfriend's bed who had gone out for coffee with a friend. This girl's parents were pretty well off so her room looked like something out of a Laura Ashley catalogue, pristine white sheets etc. I felt like hell and let out the most disgusting hangover fart you could imagine, I still remember how good it was. Then I had another brewing so turned on my side to really let rip... wasn't a fart. I ****ing shit myself in this girl's beautiful bed like a new born baby, I was wearing joggers so most of it was contained, but this did leave me with what I can only describe as korma trousers. In my hungover idiocy I had put my hand down my joggers in disbelief at shitting myself, so when I pulled the covers off I got shit on them. Then I felt more coming and realised it was happening again whether I liked it or not. I opened her pristine white bedroom door (now with shit stains) and ran across the landing to the bathroom opposite the stairs, opened the door (leaving shit stains) and emptied whatever the **** I was drinking and eating the night before. 

 

The smell was horrible, indescribably horrible, like a strong cheddar. I didn't know wtf to do, at least her family was out as in my panic I hadn't even shut the door... Oh no they're not, I hear her Mother ask if I want breakfast and starts climbing the stairs to talk to me. I shout "PLEASE DON'T COME UP ALLISON!!!!!" so of course shoe does. At the top of the stairs she's greeted by a 23 year old man with korma trousers, sitting on the toilet shitting for his life, with smears of yellow poo on her doors, light switches, walls and daughter's expensive bedsheets.

 

7 years later it still makes me want to chew my fingers off.

 

 

 

On 05/01/2012 at 14:09, MattP said:

Totally agree with you, if you dont own your own life, then what on earth do you own?

I have no intention of living to an age where I am crawling up the stairs covered in extrement, I can totally understand when people say that quality of life is the most important thing to them. It's a grave shame in this country people have to fly to Switzerland at huge cost and distress if they want to end it.

There is no dignity in death, but you can at least try to give people as much as you can.

You don't necessarily have to live long to do that.

  • Haha 4
The Blur

The Blur

Posted
Posted (edited)

Have anyone heard from Haydos who started this thread?   I have always liked him,  a level headed poster. 

Edited by The Blur
  • Like 1
  • 2 weeks later...
MC Prussian

MC Prussian

Posted
Posted

It pains me a bit to know that my country is becoming more and more popular for tourists people killing themselves legally, I'd like people to come here for less serious reasons. But let's be frank about it - this is not a particularly new topic, it's merely gained the public spotlight in the past few years.

The oldest Swiss institution assisting in suicide, Exit, exists since 1982 already.

 

What you also have to know is that suicide rate in Switzerland is amongst the highest in the world, we're sadly not that far off Japan.

In daily life, this means people jumping off bridges or throwing themselves in front of an incoming train (scarily labelled "person accident" by the authorities in order not to give other people with suicidal tendencies any concrete ideas/prevent them from committing copycat acts), which is a highly traumatizing event for train drivers and passersby alike.

 

The Netherlands were the first country to allow assisted suicide legally. And indirect assisted suicide is legal in countries such as Germany, Austria, Belgium or Luxembourg also. Swedish law does allow it to a certain extent, too. Oregon and Washington State know similar concepts, as long as a doctor is involved and present.

 

In the end, it's a conscious personal decision and only acceptable if you're still capable of making a sound decision for yourself. It's also connected to strict guidelines upheld by the institutions involved. Active assisted suicide (having somebody else injecting/inserting the lethal dose of poison) is pretty much illegal all over the world.

In the case of David Goodall, the British-born Australian scientist, you have to ask yourself how much of a life it still is worth living at age 104. Your brain might still be working fine, but your body's falling apart.

Parafox

Parafox

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, boots60 said:

Easyjet. Luton to Zurich. £50 one way.

At least take in the sights of the city before you end it all. Hotel 2 nights £75 all in. Single bed room. With at least one breakfast.

breadandcheese

breadandcheese

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, MC Prussian said:

 

What you also have to know is that suicide rate in Switzerland is amongst the highest in the world, we're sadly not that far off Japan.

I know this is taking the discussion off topic but why do you think this is? Switzerland is a beautiful country with a great pace of life. It's one of the countries in the world I'd consider moving to. Everything runs great there, or at least it does to an outsider.

 

I'm genuinely shocked at the info.

Edited by breadandcheese
Buce

Buce

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, foxfanazer said:

Sorry for my ignorance but is this only legal if you have serious medical problems and you want to end your suffering?

 

Not in Switzerland.

 

If you read the article Mac linked you'll see that he'd just had enough of living.

  • 2 months later...
Crinklyfox

Crinklyfox

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Buce said:

 

I considered putting this in the Depression thread, then thought better of it.

 

The debate might be worthwhile, though.

I think that this is the correct thread.  This unfortunate woman was suffering from seemingly incurable mental health conditions that she felt made her life unbearable.  For me the central issue here is that she was given assistance to die when she had attempted suicide unsuccessfully twenty times.  She did effectively commit suicide as she took the drug that claimed her life without any assistance other than the organisation that made and provided it.  Taking that drug was more humane that letting her end her life by swallowing bleach, for example.  If she could have bought the drug provided over the counter at a pharmacy I have no doubt that she would have done so.

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