davieG Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 Following the Death topic what are you views on assisted dying. BBC The British Medical Journal has called on doctors' organisations to stop opposing assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults. In an editorial the BMJ said it wanted the British Medical Association and royal colleges to move their position from opposition to neutrality. Fiona Godlee, BMJ editor-in-chief, argued that "legalisation is a decision for society not doctors" and drew parallels with abortion legalisation in the 1960s which was initially opposed by medical bodies. She said: "A change in the law, with all the necessary safeguards, is an almost inevitable consequence of the societal move towards greater individual autonomy and patient choice. But it may take a while, and it may not happen until we properly value death as one of life's central events and learn to see bad deaths in the same damning light as botched abortions." The BMJ said it backed calls from the campaign group Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying (HPAD) which wanted medical bodies to be neutral on the issue. Iona Heath, president of the Royal College of General Practitioners,wrote in the BMJ last month that the "apparently burgeoning enthusiasm" for assisted dying seemed surprising given recent history. This included "the involvement of doctors in state sponsored killings, personified by Josef Mengele, and the devastating private enterprise of Harold Shipman". She said it would be impossible to draft a law robust enough to protect the sick and disabled, adding:"A malign government coming into power with legislation supporting assisted dying already in place is a deeply disturbing prospect. As individuals, very few of us act always in the interests of others and, because of this very basic truth, the legalisation of assisted dying, despite the very best of intentions, may render the most vulnerable even more so." A BMA spokesperson said the organisation was "firmly opposed" to the legalisation of assisted dying adding: "If assisted dying was legalised, effective safeguards could not be implemented without the involvement of doctors. It is therefore appropriate for doctors to voice their views on this issue." The BMA annual meeting later this month will debate several motions urging neutrality on the issue of assisted dying. I'm for it if I was in a state of total reliability on someone else for my day to day existence even without the potential of pain or taking drugs to survive. The thought of being a burden to someone feels me with as much dread as the thought of the pointless ongoing existence.
Dr The Singh Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 Following the Death topic what are you views on assisted dying. BBC I'm for it if I was in a state of total reliability on someone else for my day to day existence even without the potential of pain or taking drugs to survive. The thought of being a burden to someone feels me with as much dread as the thought of the pointless ongoing existence. I will assist you in dying DavieG
davieG Posted 14 June 2012 Author Posted 14 June 2012 I will assist you in dying DavieG MrsG will be pleased with your offer, she doesn't fancy either option.
Leicester_Numan Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 I'm for it if the person is judged mentally competent and in front of a solicitor has expressed a wish to die.
Jon the Hat Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 I fail to see why the dignity we offer to our pet dogs should not be extended to ourselves.
masterg59 Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 I fail to see why the dignity we offer to our pet dogs should not be extended to ourselves. this
Finnegan Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 I can't think of any good reason not to allow it at all. That we don't is just a throw back to tired, old religious dogma.
Daggers Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 The thought of being a burden to someone feels me with as much dread as the thought of the pointless ongoing existence. If they choose to support Forest they should have to suffer it for the full lifespan.
ACF Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 If someone does not want to live, let them die. However, do it the Swiss(?) way, so many hurdles to jump through to stop everyone doing it.
MooseBreath Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 I can't think of any good reason not to allow it at all. That we don't is just a throw back to tired, old religious dogma. I don't think there is any good reason when talking about people of sound mind, but I would probably argue that anyone of sound mind who wants to die perhaps isn't of sound mind afterall. The main problem concerns vulnerable people and people who aren't capable of making their own decisions. It leaves them wide open to being essentially legally murdered. I think one way around it would be to develop a system similar to organ donations and wills, where people of sound mind can make their own decision about what they would like to happen should certain things happen in the future.
ADK Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 Trouble is you end up allowing the depressed to just kill themselves.
Finnegan Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 Trouble is you end up allowing the depressed to just kill themselves. Er, no? A doctor needs to agree to it and sign it off. And most depressed people are capable of suicide anyway, they don't need assistance.
Guest MattP Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 Agree, if you don't own your own life what do you own? You would have to sign up for whilst of sound mind though, only condition.
ADK Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 Er, no? A doctor needs to agree to it and sign it off. And most depressed people are capable of suicide anyway, they don't need assistance. How do you tell the difference between someone who is disabled and depressed and just disabled? Ok in the cases of the terminally ill, where the diagnoses is unquestionable and there is zero chance of a recovery then i can see a valid arguement. I would still be against it though.
21st Century Fox Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 How do you tell the difference between someone who is disabled and depressed and just disabled? Ok in the cases of the terminally ill, where the diagnoses is unquestionable and there is zero chance of a recovery then i can see a valid arguement. I would still be against it though. Why? What's your reasoning? What about someone with locked-in syndrome?
Finnegan Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 How do you tell the difference between someone who is disabled and depressed and just disabled? Ok in the cases of the terminally ill, where the diagnoses is unquestionable and there is zero chance of a recovery then i can see a valid arguement. I would still be against it though. That's why there'd be a vigorous series of tests and policies to go through before a person was ever put to sleep. There wouldn't be queues of people lining up to be bumped off by some trigger happy doctor.
Guest MattP Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 That's why there'd be a vigorous series of tests and policies to go through before a person was ever put to sleep. There wouldn't be queues of people lining up to be bumped off by some trigger happy doctor.
Danno Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 If I was old and had to be fed through a tube and had loads of other problems which required constant I'd defo want to be killed, would just be so frustrating and i'd be a massive burden to my family.
foxfanazer Posted 14 June 2012 Posted 14 June 2012 Everybody should have the right to decide when they go
Daggers Posted 15 June 2012 Posted 15 June 2012 Everybody should have the right to decide when they go Sadly, age and alcohol will always win that battle late at night.
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