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What is Euthanasia?

Kat Yares
Kat Yares

Euthanasia is the process of helping a person who is terminally ill or in constant pain to die. Sometimes referred to as assisted suicide or mercy killing, euthanasia is illegal in most parts of the world, but there are some places where it is legal under certain conditions. Generally, euthanasia is performed by lethal injection. In some cases, a distinction is made between euthanasia, which is administered to someone else, and assisted suicide, which the person does to himself or herself with the help of someone else.

Hippocratic Oath

Cats and dogs are often euthanized when animal shelters cannot find homes for them.
Cats and dogs are often euthanized when animal shelters cannot find homes for them.

Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician who is considered by many people to be the father of modern medicine, is said to have stated in 400 B.C., "I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel." Many doctors still follow this philosophy, which is part of the Hippocratic Oath. There are, however, other doctors who believe that their duty is to help people who are suffering, even if that means ending the life of someone who has no hope of recovery and wants to die peacefully.

Opinions

The flag flown by the Netherlands, where euthanasia is legal.
The flag flown by the Netherlands, where euthanasia is legal.

Like the debate over abortion, the debate over assisted suicide is a heated one. Many people argue that quality of life is an issue, while those on the other side believe that life must be preserved at all costs. The arguments from both sides involve moral and legal ramifications. Proponents of assisted suicide, such as a group called the Hemlock Society, believe that the state should not interfere with a person's right to die. Some opponents argue that no one but God or nature should determine when a person is to die.

Legality

Some see euthanasia as going against the Hippocratic Oath, based on Hippocrates' words against helping anyone to die.
Some see euthanasia as going against the Hippocratic Oath, based on Hippocrates' words against helping anyone to die.

As of 2012, euthanasia was legal in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. In some other countries, such as Switzerland and Colombia, helping someone to die was legal under certain circumstances. In the United States, assisted suicide was legal only in the states of Washington, Oregon and Montana. Although euthanasia is illegal in many places, it often is legal for the treatment of a terminally ill patient to be stopped under the direction of the patient or, in some cases, his or her family.

Dr. Kevorkian

As of 2012, Luxembourg is one of few countries in the world where euthanasia is legal.
As of 2012, Luxembourg is one of few countries in the world where euthanasia is legal.

The topic of euthanasia was brought to the forefront in the United States during the trial of Jack Kevorkian in the late 1990s. The doctor from Michigan claimed to have helped at least 130 people die from 1990 to 1998. In 1999, Kevorkian was sentenced to 10 to 25 years in prison for second-degree homicide after giving a 52-year-old patient named Thomas Youk a lethal injection in 1998.

Animals

As of 2012, Switzerland had laws where euthanasia was legal under certain circumstances.
As of 2012, Switzerland had laws where euthanasia was legal under certain circumstances.

Animals, especially dogs and cats, are routinely and humanely put to death in many animal shelters when homes for them cannot be found. It also is a common practice for owners of elderly pets to have their animals put down when the pets' pain makes the animals' life unbearable. Farmers also have practiced putting animals out of their misery when they know that the animals cannot be healed.

Discussion Comments

anon959850

Euthanasia should be allowed if you are terminally ill. Animals don't suffer so why should human beings not be given the right to choose?

anon953924

I believe that euthanasia should be legal if the person wants to die. If it's against their will then fine, let it be illegal.

postieye

If the European and Australian law makes euthanasia for animals illegal, then the RSPCA would be in serious trouble for killing animals because they always euthanise them for being too sick to be saved.

postieye

There are mixed, strong views about euthanasia, I am not in favor of it, but there are some circumstances where if you are seriously ill and having a pain that comes every two minutes which gets stronger heavier and heavier, then you want to die,

I am not in favor of animals being killed by euthanasia either, if they are sick. In my opinion, I would rather just fly the sick animals to Africa and dump them in the Serengeti, and let the lions and the other hunters eat them.

anon926309

Euthanasia should be legal in Canada!

anon356915

Religion has nothing to do with it. God gave us freewill for a reason to make our own decisions and narrow-minded, ignorant, self-centered Christians and Catholics and all the other bible hugging freaks need to open their eyes. God isn't here. We make all of our decisions every day of our lives, not God.

The people who commit suicide themselves have the right. so if they wanted to do it in a humane way, why not, especially when there's a reason? I work with terminally ill people in a hospice. They're left to die there, and so many of them want to, I'm sure. Why wouldn't you if you have nothing left? I sure know I would!

anon319663

I don't know how people feel about this, but I think if someone wants to die then let them die.

anon308155

It amazes me that religious people, mostly Roman Catholics, are against euthanasia, but will allow a woman to die or suffer serious health damage from a dangerous or unwanted pregnancy, because an emergency abortion is banned and is withheld in a Catholic affiliated hospital.

People have to be in control of their own lives. If women need or want an abortion it is their decision with their doctor's help. If a person is in great pain as part of a terminal disease, that person should get as much help to end that suffering. Euthanasia means that the person him/herself makes the decision and the doctor in charge should help that person to stop the suffering in the most painless possible way. That can be done.

anon305240

What has God got to do with euthanasia? Euthanasia is done by doctors who believe that it is time for the person's life to end. This happens where it is illegal. This happens without permission from the person they decide to murder.

anon302354

My mother had a stroke. My father had not given her her blood thinner for over week, just following when he told me that he wanted to blow his brains out because he couldn't stand her anymore. He complained he hadn't had sex for two years.

His brother had a wife in bed with depression and took care of that problem by giving her a loaded gun and doubling her prozac medication. Bang. Problem gone, and he got by with it. Dad just used his durable power to have my mom who was conscious, breathing on her own and moving limbs per Dad's commands like a good dog, OT/PT said she was making quick progress, but she was unable to speak clearly or swallow safely within days of stroke. Dad and sister (sister asked Dad for $150,000 the day of mom's stroke) stuck by Dad's decision, and in fact, manipulated him to have mom moved to end of life care where mom was immediately sedated, given morphine even though she had no pain, was deprived food and water by tube or mouth, and put through horrific suffering for 10 days, having fever from dehydration and morphine shutting down her kidneys, and then given a lethal dose of something that ended her life within hours.

Mom's living will was that she didn't want to be a vegetable – she wasn't. Mom didn't want a permanent feeding tube if she would never be able to regain eating, but she was never given a chance. Her death certificate listed the cause as "natural". Mom was self-supporting except for swallowing safely too soon after a stroke. Dad got by with having the nursing home euthanize her. She didn't and couldn't give consent and was sedated and couldn't fight it.

I was told I would get kicked out if I fight it and an attorney, if one could be found, would take too long. This is insane and inhumane. People are being euthanized against their will in the US, the UK, and around the world, even where it is "illegal."

anon300714

You complain about flaws, but yet there is a death penalty that hasn't been abused, but people have wrongfully died. I think euthanasia should be legal.

anon292340

I think euthanasia is right but only with the person's consent.

anon266858

If one decides to end their own life then it is their decision to end their life. If one who is sick and suffering decides to end their own life, why should we not let them? Their decision is final and they've probably gone through it a million or so times. If we stop them then we're not respecting their decision. Would you rather be stabbed a million times without dying than die a quick and painless death? Because I'm quite sure none of you will want to suffer such pain and die.

anon264186

Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending life, in order to relieve pain and suffering. I don't know why people are against euthanasia. Euthanasia should be legal.

anon257378

anon: You are a star. You speak the truth. From what I can see, no person should end a person's life -- not even a qualified specialist. It should be up to the person themselves.

anon255495

Then there is my situation. We lost our precious loved one to euthanasia. She was considered terminal because once a person reaches a certain age they are considered terminal even if they are healthy like her. Really, everyone should be considered as terminal since everyone will die.

She fought for her life harder than anyone, but could not fight off the murderers. They finally were able to steal her life. There are other situations where the disabled and others that the doctors do not consider worthy of life are euthanized. It is scary to think if the doctor does not like you they can just murder you. It is that easy.

I know first hand how euthanasia is being abused and it is not even legalized, but accepted. This happened in the U.S.A. I guess you all know where I stand when it comes to euthanasia. If even one person dies needlessly that is one too many especially since it was my dear loved one. Why should people be made to suffer? That is why euthanasia needs to be banned. Medical staff who commit euthanasia should be left in prison their entire life other wards forever. It would be a good idea to get all the euthanizers together and let them euthanize each other. Good riddance to ugly disgusting trash.

anon255482

Wow. I cannot believe one of the posts that I just read. The person basically said that there are always going to be flaws in the system but yet we should legalize it. Are you kidding? So, in other words, if we take a few or few hundred innocent lives of people who did not want to be euthanized, oh well, it does not matter as long as we get euthanasia legalized. I guess that person thinks of life as nothing.

Personally, I believe if there is so much as one error that is done, and results in the death of a person who was not supposed to be killed, that is just one too many. It needs to be abolished. Life is way to precious for that. I am glad that it is not up to that person to legalize euthanasia.

Since there will always be human error, that is just one of the thousands of great reasons why it should never be allowed in the medical field.

Maybe the doctors who euthanize need to euthanize themselves instead then we could cut down the amount of heartache that the patients and family have to go through when it is used on the wrong patient.

anon255473

No euthanasia. Too much room for doctor errors.

anon255472

I am strongly opposed to euthanasia being used in the medical field by any kind of medical professional.

If someone wants to kill themselves, that option has always been available to individuals who want it bad enough. I have known of terminally ill people overdosing themselves with some kind drugs and the family can be with them if they choose to do so. However, no medical professional should ever take part in any kind of euthanasia. It does not belong in the medical field and needs to be kept out. Any medical professional who does use it should get life in prison.

Euthanasia is used in the U.S. on individuals who doctors do not feel have a good quality of life. doctors have meetings among themselves to decide weather their patient does not have a quality of life. If this is decided they can euthanize often without the patient or family knowing it. Sometimes they get caught by the family and the family may be told that the patient was given standardized treatment.

I do not feel that euthanasia is a standard procedure, but apparently it is in different situations even though it is illegal. This needs to stop since doctors should not be allowed to decide who they will kill. It is not their right to choose. There should always be autopsies done on anyone who dies in any medical facility and the patients tested for drugs because medical facilities cannot always be trusted to not use euthanasia.

anon239161

There is all this talk about people with incurable disease. Stephen hawking was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease in 1964. He is a brilliant scientist and was told he had a few years to live. He is paralyzed, unable to speak without aid and he is 70 years old and still going in a wheelchair. If the liverpool backdoor euthanasia pathway had existed, he would have been dead half a century ago. And it's not just a coincidence. There are thousands in wheelchairs and pain but love life too much. Lord falconer, put that in your murder to save funds notebook and eat it.

anon238737

Well I am from the UK. I didn’t go past high school education, so sorry for not understanding words used less than every day. I cannot start talking about third world countries as they are far less underdeveloped and have a long way to go before a topic like euthanasia will take priority. I think you're just complicating the situation by bringing in more external factors.

Yes I know you haven’t said anything affecting my decision about what I do and you won't, but your argument directly affects what happens when it comes to the outcome.

So what you're saying is you don't think it's right to legalize euthanasia because of abuse of the system but instead would force someone like me to go out, purchase a firearm and die alone instead of being given the chance to take my life in the comfort of a proper facility and surrounded by loved ones.

Do you know how hard that would physically be!

They only reason they won't legalize euthanasia is because they haven’t come up with a system to protect themselves! Yet! And yes, you keep on saying that what an individual decides is up to him, but it isn't, is it?

amypollick

@anon238640: To begin with, "a whole different animal," is an idiom that expresses something that is a completely different issue than the one at hand.

Now that's out of the way, I believe I said, "how you handle your end of life choices is up to you." I am not trying to tell you as an individual how to make any choices in your life, to prolong it, or to end it. Nowhere did I say you were personally wrong for any decisions you make, because I am not responsible for your choices. We are each responsible for our own actions, and their consequences.

I am speaking of institutionalized euthanasia, which is what I mean by "legalized." Of course, you'll never be jailed for attempting to end your own life, and if you succeed, it's a moot point. It's not against the law anywhere I know of to take one's own life.

No more chance of a Holocaust? Sorry, that's one point on which we will have to strongly disagree. Humans may be slightly better than they used to be, but they're not appreciably improved from 500 years ago. I have a friend who is a Bosnian refugee. She and her family fled the, well, let's call it "ethnic cleansing" there. I'd say it was pretty darn close to a Holocaust, but that's just terminology. Or, ask the Rwandans, or the Sudanese. I'd say what those people are suffering right now closely resembles a Holocaust.

As far as Switzerland goes, don't fool yourself. Institutionalized euthanasia hasn't been such a hit there, either. It's clogged up their courts with lawsuits alleging wrongful death. And I don't presume to speak for Great Britain, but the U.S. courts surely do not need an avalanche of wrongful death lawsuits clogging up an already crowded system.

The reason I chose to focus on institutionalized euthanasia is because that's the part of this issue that is, in my personal opinion, the most hazardous to society as a whole.

Obviously, what any individual decides to do about his or her life, is entirely his or her own personal business.

anon238640

@amypollick: Well as it clearly states in the title of this discussion, “What is Euthanasia” so I suppose were both talking about tangents. That’s what makes this issue so complicated. You can't cut it into pieces and think you can answer the question. It needs to be looked at as a whole.

I’m sorry we’ll have to agree to disagree on watching a film to give a lay person a realistic perspective on euthanasia, especially when making a decision on such an important mater as whether to “legalize Euthanasia”, which would be affecting the society as a whole rather than on an individual basis. You at least should aim to get an individual to read a book on the subject, and if they are incapable of coming to an authentic and reasonable decision about the issue then maybe they shouldn’t be allowed to have an influence on the “big decision." I suppose that’s why you get supposedly educated people running the country and normal people accepting the system.

Why do you reefer to each issue as being an animal? Just curious?

I completely agree with some of your points about abuse of the system, as with anything to do with the monetary system you will always have corruption and as you say “unintended consequences” due to never ever being able to see all the outcomes of past and present decisions in the foreseeable future.

As for the law side of things, the mental health system is a second legal system and they would rather destroy someone's human rights than allow a legal suit to take place against them. You will never beat the system, so you don't have anything to worry about there. I personally think it is just another cop out. Switzerland has managed to successfully implement a new system, so why can't we? Or maybe this is part of "testing the waters."

Again, it all comes down to human behavior and perspectives. You can't just argue your case. You need to come up with an alternative. In my eyes, an informed person can make an informed decision.

So, back to the basics. Educate people instead of making it a taboo subject.

And I think we can rule out any sort of Holocaust. We've all evolved to much to accept or allow that to happen. But yes as you said before, there will always be abuse of the system and it's happening now in care units all over the country.

So if you're talking about legalizing euthanasia, how can you say that I am talking about a completely different “animal“? Your subject directly influences mine.

What do you expect me to do? I have already made up my mind that I wish to keep my dignity by eventually taking my own life, but because people like yourself and many others (including the government) think it is politically wrong, my decision is invalid and I am now stuck.

My father is a firearms officer for the west midlands police service and believe me, it is a lot cheaper to purchase a firearm than somehow magically come up with £15,000 to travel to another country.

So what do you expect me to do? Do you have a plan?

amypollick

@anon238220: I mention seeing a movie because it's much easier for people to get a handle on a broad concept when it's in that kind of medium. The whole "spoonful of sugar" theory. Obviously, I am quite aware that a movie presents one point of view. However, seeing something on screen makes a more visceral point than just talking about it. And if something makes someone think about a point of view, and examine his or her views on the subject, it's not wasted time.

But I'm talking about legalized euthanasia, which is a whole different animal from what one person such as yourself decides to do about his or her life. These decisions should be strictly left up to an individual, and should never involve the medical system, simply because of the certainty of abuse of said system.

It's one thing when one person chooses to go home, or to sign a DNR order, or take some other action that deals with end-of-life decisions. It's another having a doctor complicit in the process. Of course, a person *should* be looked after until the end of life, but having legalized euthanasia almost guarantees those lives will be shorter, regardless of the person's wishes. It's inevitable.

The other morass to be considered is the lawsuit angle. It's also a certainty that some person will die in a hospital or other directed care situation, and the family will bring the charge that the person had no wish to die, the doctor misunderstood, and administered euthanasia. It won't even matter whether that was actually the case or not; hospitals, hospices and nursing homes will find themselves under the gun so often that they will refuse to administer euthanasia at all, even in the most clear-cut cases, rendering the whole point moot to start with.

And there is no doubt that legalized euthanasia will certainly lead to other abuses of the system, because humans have the unfortunate tendency to become inured to what is commonplace. Take away the horror of death, and suddenly, developmentally disabled persons will start dying, along with mentally ill persons, and others not deemed quite "good enough" to live. This happened with alarming frequency in Nazi Germany in the 1930s, except Hitler just skipped right over legalized euthanasia and went straight to mandating who lived and who died.

How you handle your end-of-life decisions is strictly up to you. I fully support doctors administering whatever medication is necessary to alleviate pain, including opiates like heroin, and to do whatever they can to minimize suffering, but legalized euthanasia is a minefield -- ethically, morally, legally, financially -- you name it. There is simply too much potential for abuse.

anon238220

@amypollick: I posted post 198. OK. So we agree that the effect of religious views should not alter or influence the decision made when looking at a society in the whole? Even though I do not agree or believe in religion, I still believe people's belief systems should be taken into account, but that it should affect that and only that person.

I agree with your statement that if a patient does not wish to die, then a doctor should not assist in his or her death. It's just logical that is murder, although it gets more complicated when a person can no longer communicate with medical professionals.

I would hope that if that were my case, a member of my family would make the decision to save the little girl in urgent need of a bed or organ transplant over trying to save me for a future with little or no quality of life. Still, every person is a human and should be treated like one until they cease to exist. Their wishes should be respected and they should be looked after satisfactorily and humanely until they depart, regardless of cost.

People suffering from depression, especially, may well want to die at that instant and may well have later regretted their decision. But what about someone like me, who is still young and the last thing I want to do is die? I have many things in life I aspire to be or accomplish. Yet I know that when the time comes I will not be able to look after myself and have little if any quality of life left. I am planning for my death, not taking it due to irrational thoughts.

And I am sorry but I think you should really reconsider your comment about watching a film to understand such an important and complex matter. That’s just foolish. You are trying to use emotions and perspectives to influence other people's decisions. When you watch a film, the script writer allows/wants you to perceive a character in a certain way. You are allowed to follow that person and watch him or her perform every part of his or her life. Believe me, you will find it a lot easier to see the big picture watching a film than a real person does in real life.

A person's belief system is formed on perceptions and past experiences. My perceptions of the world and me will be different from yours.

amypollick

@anon236926: I don't know anything about the facility you're talking about, but you certainly make the most valid points about legalized, physician-assisted euthanasia.

As I said in an earlier post, all religious arguments aside, legalized euthanasia is a slippery slope. It illustrates the law of unintended consequences in sharp relief. No, we certainly don't *intend* for doctors to "assist" people in dying who don't want to die, but sure as the sun rises, it will happen, and for precisely the reasons anon mentions: money, emptying beds, or even a psychotic doctor playing the "Angel of mercy."

Legalized euthanasia is one of those things that, to some people, sounds very logical, reasonable, and a perfectly legitimate way to end someone's suffering. But when we start allowing doctors to end lives in those circumstances, we allow many other evils, as well, like eugenics, forced sterilization, and mandatory death ages. Don't think it can happen? It *has* happened, and as recently as the 1920s and 1930s. Forced sterilization, eugenics and committing entire families to mental hospitals was commonplace in the U.S. and Europe.

It was a cheesy 70s movie, I'll grant you, but "Logan's Run" actually has a serious message about what happens when the government starts determining these kinds of issues. Talk about opening your minds? Watch that movie with an open mind toward the message, and ignore the cheese.

anon236926

The top specialists should not be allowed to shorten someone's life, such as at the Liverpool Care Pathway. It has too many flaws in it, and with him ending a life on earth, could be due to saving beds, money, less mucky work and a golden handshake from the trust, or it might be not trustworthy.

anon234717

Sorry, but these people talking about "God," are naive cavemen with a manufactured belief system made up by man, not "God." Religion is used as a tool for social control and explaining unexplainable things to underdeveloped people before the evolution of science -- nothing more.

Open your box and take in some new points of view and up to date information, let's say, science. What's wrong? Scared of challenging your own belief system? I'm 24 and have had a chronic liver disease from birth with a recent diagnoses of early dementia.

If you think I'm going to let myself suffer in later life and lose my dignity because a group of brainwashed people say it goes against their belief system and religious views (not mine) you are very much mistaken. Open your eyes.

anon226960

OK, so some people are against assisted suicide. Then why is there not free inpatient hospice care for the duration of the illness provided by these same people who are against assisted suicide?

I do not mind suffering then, as long as someone cares for me and keeps me in a deep coma while my physical body is dying. All this talk but then no alternatives proposed that actually could be used by anyone who is sick and dying.

It is easy to talk but then nothing is done to actually provide dying with dignity for everyone. I believe in an afterlife but I sure know God does not require suffering to get there. If He does, the, let's build facilities everywhere to make dying with dignity and peace a reality.

anon224051

Quality of life is the most important. There comes a time when we can no longer hold our bowels or our urine and yet are still walking around and able to do daily activities but have to make sure a bathroom is always accessible. The worst thing to me is being so young and not have control over these simple functions but look like I should be able to just because I am able to walk and do other normal things. What is "normal"?

I am ready for the end whenever it comes-- I just don't want to leave any ties out there. I am starting to retreat and rarely go out now, and those who do see me think I am OK. I can put on a great mask and smile through it all. I have to since they deserve it.

My life has been wonderful up to 2005 and this problem started, so at least I can be thankful for that. I guess for me, it's just going to be a matter of time to see how much longer I can endure my body falling apart. No I don't want to visit any more doctors. In the end, it will all be OK I guess. I hope.

anon220935

i personally think that we don't really have a choice. if we are meant to die we will.

anon219735

I'm dying from cancer. I'm in pain constantly. My mental functions are waning. All I want to do is end it before all my friends and family have to go through the terrible sight of me just lying there not knowing what's happening. Tonight is the night. I'm going to do it. Then all anyone will find is me gone and the note explaining why. I feel sorry for my family and friends. They will miss me, I know.

anon218341

It seems ironic to me that there are so many people spouting how wrong euthansia is when I sincerely doubt that any of these who post this sentiment have spent decades of their lives in chronic pain and made to feel like a guilty criminal attempting to get a pain med prescribed that would stop the tears or at the very best, allow us to get out of bed to drive an hour to get each of these prescriptions.

For the first time in my life, I was asked for a pee test. I let the people know and the doctor months ago that my urologist says my kidneys are not making urine. My doctor, who does not listen (I know this since I came home with the wrong prescription that was asked for, and did not get the non-narcotic one I told the scheduler and the nurse I wanted.) He argued with me that I am not drinking enough liquids, and I tried in vain to explain that when I drink too much I bloat up and cannot fit into any of my shoes which he said was no big deal! Isn't it a big deal if you are in pain and cannot go anywhere unless it's sans shoes?

Come on, people! If the drug addict buttheads want to kill themselves, I say let them! Never in our history have we allowed people die in this amount of pain before, all because of a bunch of morons who are out to make a buck or get high! This girl has never been high in her life, including my pain meds! Now I have to face cancer and am scared to death because of the way previous surgeries made me feel. I felt worse each time and am wondering if there had been someone in health care who had been stealing the morphine because I had thought I was allergic until reading here and not finding any allergic symptoms that would cause severe abdominal pain right after administration.

The nurses forced me to take it and now believe it was only the medication that makes your uterus contract that was given. If you don't think that health care workers can be drug addicts, go to any AA group and learn something!

Now I face cancer and find they do not want to help with that either. Such warm and caring people we are in our progressive society, aren't we? Not! No one gives a damn and the majority of doctors, and especially nurses, go into it for job security and better income for their college buck! It is not a labor of love and caring in the USA!

anon209540

@anon 187645 (post 188): there is no god! if you believe in the bible, could you please explain why the earth is turning around the sun and not opposite? Because that's what the bible is suggesting.

we humans can decide whether we want to die because of euthanasia or not. it is our free will to do with ourselves what we want to do!

anon198036

I believe passive euthanasia should be allowed, or if the terminally ill administers the drug themselves. They should be allowed to choose when to go and to not do it alone.

I don't believe others should administer the drug, as that would be murder but people who are dying painfully and there is no way to cure their illness should have the right to say when it's time. Not everyone believes in God, so you must take that into consideration when discussing this issue. We have free will and it is our choice. But only if there is no cure, it is a physical illness and they are in pain.

anon195774

I wonder how could someone be so sure that euthanasia is a painless procedure? Because no one got the chance to tell how it feels like, right?

anon192636

I think that euthanasia must be practiced unless the disease can be cured. If I had an incurable condition I would ask for euthanasia even if my family did not agree with it, but it depends on the person. If the pain is unbearable and there are no chances of survival, it is better to practice euthanasia rather than being in pain and waiting for death.

anon187645

only god can choose the death of a person, not anyone else, because he brought us to this world and only he has the right to take us.

anon182677

i think it isn't fair on the family members, since they would watch the pain and horror of what their family members are going through. They should just let the patient pass on a peaceful death to which the family will be satisfied that one of their family member left this earth peacefully.

anon175536

I'm doing an assignment on euthanasia, which is how I came by this site.

Personally, if I were dying and it was going to be a slow and painful death, that would not just hurt me but my family to see me going through it, then I would want the option of euthanasia.

I wouldn't make the decision in a minute. I would talk to my family to make sure they understood where I was coming from. I would never suggest that a family member get euthanasia if they were dying because it's their choice - just like it's my choice.

I'm a very proud person. To see myself waste away would kill my spirit, if that makes any sense. I don't want to live if I can't - live.

I don't want other people making the choice for me. It's my choice, and I would look for a doctor who was comfortable with euthanasia. I would speak with therapists to be sure this was the right choice for me and my family.

These are just my reasons for why I think euthanasia should be legalized. It's not fair to ask me to suffer or someone I love to suffer because others think it's wrong. It's not a decision that should be made lightly, but it's an option everyone should have. Nobody said everyone whose terminally ill has to choose euthanasia. Nobody can force someone into it, but nobody should take that option away, though.

I hope this got my point across. All my love, Sasse.

anon175233

I think that is what happened to my mom. The only thing that I cannot understand is why was she killed if she did not have a terminal illness.

She went in for a simple surgery that was to help her. She could have lived without the surgery, but it would make life easier for her. She was doing well and the surgery did help her until she was drugged over and over again into comas with narcotics. Then at the hospital where she had the surgery, she got a hospital skin infection that was left untreated and then went sepsis. She was given meds for it at one hospital that saved her but the other hospital where she had to be transferred to would not continue to treat her -- they just let her struggle to survive without the medicine that she so needed.

She passed in a coma from narcotic drugs that she was on at the end of her life. This last coma she was in for 2 weeks until she passed but she could have come out of it. If they had treated her for the sepsis and let her recover from the coma, she wouldn't have died, but the staff just wanted to take her life from her.

The hospitals either tried to kill her with drugs and if that did not work they also were able to let the infection go untreated so that would get sepsis and that would kill her. They threw her in a nursing home, hoping to break her heart and spirit and put her on narcotics, but she still survived.

So between the deadly narcotics that put her into many comas and the untreated sepsis they did manage to kill her. I feel like it was murder.

There were too many things that happened to call it neglect. The medical staff that did this to her should be put in prison so they can never do this to another person ever again. I hate the idea of euthanizing. That is the worst thing to take away your loved one. It not only destroys the life of your loved one, but it also destroys families.

anon171523

I personally do not think that euthanasia should be an option. There are enough doctors out there that should figure out that instead of killing someone, even by request, they could use pain killers.

If they are in that much pain from a disease or an illness, why not just do this? If there is no pain then the person would want to live, correct?

And also commenting on the last post, God does not cause diseases or makes people terminally ill. that is sin in the world that He came to save us from. Thank you.

anon170878

if only god has the right to choose who dies then why do we put people on life machines?

anon168708

For the people saying it is gods will about who lives and dies, what kind of god makes people terminally ill in the first place?

anon167905

i believe if a person is very ill and is barley holding on each day, taking it breath by breath, waiting for the last breath, that it should be okay to perform euthanasia. no person should suffer. we all want to die a peaceful death. at least i know i do!

anon167800

everyone says it the doctor who is playing god. yet beer is legal but not everyone drinks. with assisted suicide being legal, it does not mean you must kill yourself. there should be pity towards the ones whose life is so painful they choose this act. at the end of the day its not your life, you should not be able to control others. we are the home of the free.

anon166393

We should not legalize euthanasia. That's playing God. And God determines who to live and who to die. Not us.

anon165503

i vote for euthanasia. life is for living and not for bearing pain and suffering, especially the suffering which is not curable.

moreover it is the choice of a person to die or to live, the liberty entrusted in him/her through freedom.

anon164470

I don't believe in this at all. I believe when your time comes god will call you home and not until.

anon162660

Euthanasia is disgusting. And morally wrong. It is the same as shooting someone in the face.

anon159602

@Jadex0x - If there is a God, (which I do believe there is) I think God, would put you on this earth to live, and embrace whatever comes with it.

And to say that, your granddad lived his last year for nothing, seems unkind to his memory.

I have a pretty good idea of this whole euthanasia thing. My grandmother, died at the age of 89, but she fought til the end, and made sure that she could see her great grandchild before her death, and she did, because she didn't take the easy way out.

anon159600

Why are there so many people talking about how we're just weight on this world? If life is given to you, as a gift, just live it, and don't think about death until you're dead.

Honestly, I'm against euthanasia. It sounds like a nice gesture towards the dying, but the only true thing about death that you can control is how you go out, and I'd rather go out with a fight, fighting the pain, then give in.

This life is the only one you get, then it's death, and whatever comes after that. Death to me, seems like a whole new adventure though.

anon159469

I think if a person is dying in a million ways mentally and through pain, it's best to allow him to retire peacefully. And what I don't understand is how meat-eaters staunchly believe that God has the right to decide death. Do they often misunderstand themselves as God then?

anon158920

in my opinion euthanasia should be allowed legally in every country. if a person has the privilege of living life, then why doesn't he have rights to quit his life? it's better to die rather than live as a weight in this earth.

anon158765

I have a massive respect for people with severe illnesses and their families and friends and what they have to go through. However, I stand against Euthanasia, as I believe with good enough care and support, ill people can depart from this Earth naturally and comfortably in little or no pain with pain killers. Care, not killing.

anon154163

remember euthanasia is a choice. it's not being forced onto people. if I were disabled to an extreme sense. I would choose to be extinguished than become a burden both mentally or physically to those around me.

the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.

anon154042

I do believe in God and I try to follow his will the best way I can, but I agree with Euthanasia. Why not let a person to choose the right to die if he/she is in constant pain with a disease?

anon152564

OK, I'm also a student doing a project on euthanasia, but I want to say that I am not a Christian, but I don't believe in euthanasia. just because a person is disabled, hurt, crippled, depressed or whatever else, doesn't mean that they're worthless.

I've known several people with disabilities and chronic diseases who were far from stupid or useless. My grandfather died last fall from stage 3 mesothelioma (a type of cancer) and he was an incredible influence for me.

Despite the fact that he was constantly in pain, he was always cheerful and loving, and never gave up. His strength was inspiring. Another friend of mine died (also last fall) after fighting breast cancer for more than four years. She was like my grandfather - never gave up, was always ready to offer a smile to anyone, cheerful, resilient and an amazing mother to the two young kids she left behind.

Just because these people (and I've only given two as examples) were dying and constantly in pain, doesn't make their lives not worth living. On the contrary, it has been a great inspiration to me. They left behind a legacy that's hard to forget. They've inspired me and tons of other people they knew to be better, stronger people.

So all that just to say that because a person is disabled, hurt, crippled, or depressed, doesn't mean that their lives are worthless and should be thrown away in a moment of irrational, emotional decision.

Once you die, you can't get your life back. Just think: a decision made in a minute can end everything - and there's no return, no way to take it back. I don't think it's right to kill people because in the middle of a huge emotional crisis, when all they can think of is how this hurts and how easy it would be to end it, they decide life's not worth living.

This is getting long, but a quick example is abortion. Think how many women have terminated their pregnancies because they suddenly don't want the inconvenience or can't handle a kid - and then later on, they regret it - but they can't take it back. Euthanasia is the same thing. Would you really want to hang your life on a decision made in a minute?

One last thing: if I offended anyone in my post, which i really hope i haven't, it was unintentional, and I'm sorry! If it's really bad, please let me know in a nice way - nobody's perfect, and if someone gives me constructive criticism, i'd love to know so that i can avoid being offensive in the future. thanks!

anon151612

I too, am a student doing a research paper on Euthanasia.

But honestly, is it necessary for the person to die at request or involuntarily after being euthanized?

Why not just take a heavy medicated pain reliever that will numb the pain and if necessary put them to sleep? It would have more or less the same effects as being euthanized, with the exception that instead of being dead, the patient will be unconscious until his/her disease/injury runs its course and that patient dies. Although I am a Christian, biblically or not, Euthanasia should not be within any humane person's vocabulary. There are so many other options that are almost never considered even by the doctors and patients themselves.

anon141056

euthanasia isn't right at all.

anon140739

I believe that Euthanasia should be permitted because it is our will if we want to die. If we have some serious disease and do not want to burden our families then euthanasia should be allowed. When people bring religion into this it makes it seem like it's all about god's will. Just who do they think they are? If we want to die then it's our choice and our life.

Euthanasia is a very opinionated subject in the logical area. When you bring up religion, it sort of fills in as an excuse to say "It's god's choice if He wants us to suffer for our wrongs, and if that's the case then people should take the suffering like an wise adult."

If I were suffering from an incurable disease, I would not want my family to be sidetracked from their own personal issues just so that they can take care of me. People don't like suffering, and that's humane. If euthanasia is the only way to end painful suffering then it's your choice, not anyone else's.

anon131952

I totally believe in euthanasia for any living thing that has only chronic pain and misery to look forward to. That can be for any living thing of any age. I hope it is legalized here in the United States. I may be a candidate for it one day because of health issues.

I do not wish to suffer, and be a burden to my family or society. Not to mention the financial burden. Nature has survival of the fittest for a reason. We need to stop fooling with nature.

I practice no religious beliefs and rely on common sense. I don't believe in killing for religious beliefs -- only humanitarian.

anon130756

I strongly believe euthanasia should be legalized everywhere. It is entirely up to the person whether he/she wants to undergo the procedure.

anon129990

i strongly agree with what everyone has been posing. what i think that everyone also has the right to live and through all the pain the people go through i strongly feel that they still have the right to live. i hope i did not offend anyone.

anon129299

Everyone think of the person you love the most. Now would you rather them be in a hospital for years in immense pain or have their pain ended? just think about it.

anon125908

The present world is a dehumanizing capitalist place which places no value on human life except as a vessel to be fed drugs and exact currency from. Sick humans are kept alive to test pharmaceuticals and healthy humans are fed crap to make them sick so they will need drugs and surgeries.

Doctors have no interest in healing. they are simply the pushers for the pharmaceutical companies. The only reason euthanasia is still illegal is because if it was legal too many of us would choose it and the tax base would be severely reduced threatening the ruling class.

anon123342

i would like to say that every side has a good argument and that i think the people who are using the bible or religious views to prove their point are using most of the context out of place.

Also i think that when you are saying that it isn't "our" choice to choose when someone dies is not understanding that if this were legalized that it would have very defined guidelines put in place and the first one would be that it would be the patient's choice to die or not.

Also i think there would be a rule where the person would have to have the right qualifications such as extreme pain that cannot be treated with pain medication.

My last point is that even if you just dope someone up with pain medication and they become numb and die, that is the same as killing them because you are just putting them in la-la land, which would be taking away anything that would make them understand what is going on.

anon121012

Euthanasia is an extremely immoral act which should not be legal under any circumstances. It is up to God to decide when our lives end.

However, for those who do not share the same beliefs as me, think about the problems that would occur! Something as powerful as euthanasia being legalized, guarantees that crime will escalate, and that it will not always be used humanely. Do you have any idea how many people will be killed this way without their own consent? the answer is many!

In a region in the Netherlands called Flanders, where this is legal, there is proof of this. Death rates have drastically escalated with the legalisation of euthanasia and there is great proof that a lot of the time, euthanasia is performed without the consent of the patient.

We've heard a fair share about all these corrupt doctors and hospitals, so how can we trust such people with such a powerful drug? You never know; it might be you that they kill and they cover it up as just being "assisted suicide." If you're pro-euthanasia - you're pro murder. Think about it.

anon119927

It is for God to decide. But people do not always follow his will. If it is out of our hands then there is none can be done, but still, killing yourself is not okay just because you want to die, for say, depression.

anon119184

I believe that if someone wants to die, that they can die if they want to. Who am I to decide for them? If I want to die who are you to decide whether I should stay alive or not? (I don't want to die because I want to live to see year 2100).

anon112750

I think that euthanasia is a very not smart thing to do. I think that yes, there are some times people need to be put down, but you are still taking someone's life. We do the same injections to us as you do to the dogs, treating us like lifeless animals with no value.

What about for that one person who is in a coma and can her everything your saying but just can't reply? what do you do then: pull the plug because they cannot reply for themselves? There's one lifeless life gone because of what we think we are doing right.

anon112357

So many people are saying how its cruel and that it shouldn't be.

I think that it is cruel but only if the person did not consent to it.

If the person wanted to die i think they should be given the right to, especially if they are in so much pain.

Don't be pulling the bible out. It's a bunch of stories!

amypollick

@Anon98244: With all due respect, people have the right to state their feelings about euthanasia on this forum, and often, if they are religious, their feelings are deeply informed by their religious beliefs. They should not criticize others because of their different beliefs, certainly, but they absolutely have the right to express their individual feelings about the subject, and to bring their religious viewpoints into it.

If, in your life and belief system, a higher being does not have a "time" for you, then that is entirely your own philosophy. People saying they think a higher being *does* have a time for them should not be offensive. It's merely a difference of opinion.

No, you personally, are not trying to change someone's mind. Your post was, in every way, polite and respectful. But look at some of these posts. Religious people have taken a beating from some posters on this forum, and that's not right, either. They've been called fools, idiots and a good many other names, simply because they believe euthanasia is wrong and conflicts with their religious beliefs. These posters are obviously trying to undermine and/or change others' religious beliefs through ridicule. This is not right, either.

Tolerance cuts both ways. We should all, regardless of our beliefs, be able to state our opinions without being mocked by those on either side of the fence. It's a two-way street.

anon98244

I would like to say I myself am not a Christian, and I find it a little offensive when everyone is coming on to say that god has a time for me to die because in my life that is not true.

I have not decided if i am for euthanasia, but i do understand where both sides are coming from. But please if you are religious, do not write things about god or your beliefs because I myself and others aren't trying to change your mind. It would be fair if you do the same. Thank you.

anon90301

I understand that everyone has their own opinion and their own values and their own trials.

But what about the doctor who has to euthanize that patient? Wouldn't that be emotionally difficult, trying to live with yourself, knowing you ended someone's life purposefully? Especially after you took an oath saying that you would help, rather than harm, patients.

What about the family? Let's say that a father of two little girls, both under the age of seven, got cancer and decided to be euthanized. Wouldn't that be terribly hard for his daughters? Not able to quite understand that daddy wasn't coming back? Growing up, thinking deep down that he left you? Wondering if maybe he didn't really care about you enough to try to stay?

I'm not saying whether euthanasia is wrong or right. I'm not condemning anyone, I was just wondering about the other sides of the story.

anon90091

I am doing a report on the subject of euthanasia, and have found some interesting facts and viewpoints on the topic. I also support that it should be legalized; both Canada and the USA are pro-choice countries, so why not?

In the end, it all comes down to the patient's choice, and people are selfishly making the choice for others, when they themselves are judging without knowing what it is like to be in the situation themselves.

anon90057

The pill, airplanes, mobile phones, surgery, cars, plastics, toothpaste, floss, refrigerators -- those are all playing god because they do not naturally occur.

Are you going to stop people using these things, because i bet you use these things in your daily lives. If you want to go live in a cave and die at the age of 25, that is fine, but don't shove your beliefs down other people's throats.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's not what christianity is about.

anon90050

When her case came to trial, the woman was unable to move from a semi-fetal position. She was severely demented, had heart disease, hypertension and diabetes and her left leg was gangrenous to the knee. She had sores, couldn't speak, had only a limited ability to swallow, and had eye problems. She had a urinary catheter in place and was unable to control her bowels.

She was able to moan and scratch, and occasionally smile when someone combed her hair.

One of our basic human rights is protection from torture. How can you tell me this wasn't torture? i know we also have a right to life. Would you, not god, you personally, want to lead a life like that?

anon89215

A woman was suffering from motor neuron disease and wanted to die. She and her husband petitioned the courts to give immunity from prosecution to her husband if he were to help her to kill herself. He did not get immunity, the disease took its inevitable course, and the woman died in a hospital under exactly the sort of conditions she had wanted to avoid. How is that justice?

anon87725

The doctors have no right to put someone to death. when the time comes the person will die. God makes the right decisions for that person. the doctors can't just decide one day that they are going to kill someone. that is ill and that's all i have to say.

anon87181

Euthansia is the best thing ever. Humans and animals are equal. For all you God people out there, God made both animals and humans in his liking. That's all, folks.

anon84068

This is an amazing thing that they can do for people who are in so much pain they can't go on.

i would like to see all you people who believe god will choose when you die, go through something like a terminal illness, or watch a family member go through it. then i would like to see you think that "god" only does good.

if he is so good then why do people get cancer in the first place. Euthanasia is a great thing, and that is the bottom line.

anon81193

I myself am a firm believer in Euthanasia. Perhaps it would be best to leave religion out of this for the time being. If a human is in terrible pain or is terminally ill, they must have the right to decide whether they want the lethal drugs or not.

Of course, it would be best if a physician makes sure they are in their right mind before doing so. Humans are no different from family pets. Ending suffering would be the humane thing to do. God has no say in this, as he has not been proven. Humans have been proven, as has suffering. Please people, separation of religion and state is there for a reason.

anon80310

This kind of activity is illegal.

anon80233

If you are very ill, and you don't wish to continue your life because it causes too much pain, then I believe that it is your choice to end it, although I don't think it is right.

I know that if I was put in such a situation where I was terminally ill, I know that I most definitely would not want to be alive.

There is a God out there, who made you and I, amd he already knows what is ahead of us and what will happen to our lives.

I am only fourteen years of age but I believe that there is a God out there which explains why I am on this earth, he made me, and I am grateful.

anon79512

Well, from my point of view, euthanasia should be banned because God is the only one and shall take life if he gives life. he is the creator of all and is in charge when someone should die. The person therefore cannot choose when to die because this is basically proving to god that they can take control of their life and really they cannot because when death comes, no one can run away from it!

so remember guys, when you do say that 'i don't believe in god, he is not even real,' think, just like someone has come up with electricity and technology, there has to be someone who has created the universe, the only one, the one that lives, does not die, eat, drink, have a family and this is God,Allah Almighty.

When a computer gets a virus, you take it back to the shop and they mend it. No they don't, they send it to where they had bought it from and it is them who put the virus right, but if the computer is badly out of use, they may say, 'sorry,' meaning nothing can be done about it. this is like humans, when we get ill, this is God's will and he is the one who makes up well again. but when death comes, there is no looking back!

So remember, there is always the owner of something and everything. God has made this world for people to live in, not throw away their lives and MP3 players are made for people to listen to music, not throw it away.

anon79347

Look, I've read through all 126 comments on this site. What has this world come to? people bashing other people. Aren't we all mature and civilized anymore?

Everyone who walks this Earth has their own opinion. Some think it is wrong, while others think it is right. Whatever you believe in is your opinion. No one else's. Your opinion makes you who you are. Why criticize others for theirs?

Religious or not, if you believe you are right, then that is you. If you believe others' opinions are wrong then that is their problem.

God judges us all in the end. Everyone will see the conclusion of the decisions they make.

That is all.

anon78892

Euthanasia should be legalized. it is a human right to not have to suffer with pain.

If a terminally ill patient is already suffering, they should have the option of assisted suicide. Would you rather a relative of yours would get terminally ill and would you sit there and watch them die painfully? Or would you wish to help them?

anon78884

for the person with the 14th comment. When a person is terminal and they are placed on hospice, usually they are prescribed Roxanol (morphine). This is giving sublingually and this helps a person die. We know that morphine is a respiratory suppressant. So if we give the medication every 2-4 hours, we are basically killing someone. So, in regards to your comment of the 10 commandments, does that mean that all nurses and doctors who are giving this medication are murderers?

amypollick

Ah yes, anon78383, certainly, if there were fewer people, there would be more resources for all. What a convenient solution! How neat! How efficient! How nice and tidy!

So, I suppose, that means we immediately euthanize all "defective" people, since they can hardly be said to be alive to start with. And who decides who is defective? You? Me?

Oh, I know. What we do is only approve people to be parents who have the requisite healthy genes. The rest are sterilized. That's a good idea, isn't it? Or at least, perform amniocentesis on all pregnant women, to make sure their babies have no obvious defects. If they do, well, we'll just abort the little freaks and that way we won't have "those" people disturbing our perfect little world.

I know what you're going to say. You'll reply, "I never said that. I never implied that. I just think it should be legal for people to choose the right to die." Yes, that's what you'll say.

But these things tend to be the old cliched slippery slope. Without bringing religion or faith into it, eventually, legalized euthanasia, which sounds so logical, will lead to these other horrors. No, it won't happen all at once, but it will happen. It has happened in modern history.

There was also a movie made about what might happen when it seemed like a good idea to lessen the drain on available resources. It was called "Logan's Run." Carousel, anyone?

anon78642

Ever heard of jesus, 123? How did he die again? Oh that's right, tortured and crucified.

anon78383

And if there is no 'God' and those who say 'it is wrong, that is all' at placing faith and dependence on something non-existing? How come nobody understands the great things that can come of this? Euthanasia for humans is logical, and humane.

If one is incurable and suffering, allow they themselves, or they're 'next in line', to decide whether they want to keep living.

If the issue is suicide, let them. If one does not wish to live in this world do not make them live.

Population control and health care issues can be solved with fewer people to deal with.

Granted, this is for those who are within their right minds. If one is depressed and on medications- ignore their wishes to die until they are proven to understand just what they are requesting.

But really, if a loved one was suffering with a feeding tube and bed ridden for an infinite amount of time- never conscious, aware, able to do anything, pull the plug, they are practically dead already.

anon78271

in reply to number 108: you said we should let nature run its course.

How is a terminally ill person in a hospital bed hooked up to life support and pumped with who-knows-how-many man made drugs natural?

If we did follow natures course the average life-span would plummet to the thirties.

And I know that I have a lot more life in me than that.

Science moves us forward in society. Why not end the intolerable suffering of terminally ill patients? Do we not boast that we live in free countries? How is living in pain, every breath hurting, and not being able to legally stop it when there is a clear option to take.

anon76976

I have worked in the hospital for several years. I have seen patients who were terminal, suffer. If a person is going to die such as people on hospice why not let them do it painlessly without suffering?

I understand everyone has their own view on issues and I respect that but like I said everyone has their own view. If euthanasia was legal, don't do it if you don't believe in it --that simple.

I am not a religious person but I truly do not believe God wanted anyone to die in pain and suffering but peacefully.

anon76903

but imagine an insect is suffering from its broken leg. your conscience doesn't allow you just watching it die! Go cut its head and make it relieved!

anon75389

I think that euthanasia is wrong! No one has the right to decide when they die. Only God does. Suicides don't go to heaven.

anon75105

life is the greatest gift that we have been given and we should do all we can to use it wisely.

anon73052

Euthanasia all the way.

anon72927

I think that it is stupid for people to believe that they can and should decide whether people are in enough pain to want to die, or for random people to deny our right to chose whether we want to live with whatever pain we are suffering, whether it be emotional, physical or mental.

Why is it considered humane and morally right to put down and kill our beloved pets, but wrong to do it to humans?

What is the difference in between killing and animal when they are suffering greatly and killing a human who could be in that exact same pain or even worse pain?

I am pro-euthanasia because i believe that our greatest freedom is our freedom of choice, because without choice, whose life are we living? Most definitely not the one we want to live and if we are not living the life we want then we'd be unhappy and what God out there would want their people being unhappy.

For all those people who are against it because they believe that we should wait for God or nature to take its course, let's see what you think when your in unbearable pain and let's see if you don't scream for a quick and painless death.

And by the way when you decide that you don't want to continue suffering in agony, how is that considered playing God? Or if you give permission to someone you trust and knows whether or not you would want to live a life full of that agony how is that playing God as well? It is not like there is someone going around and saying, ohhh you're in a too much pain, I'll just put you out of your misery and have no idea who they are!

These people deciding for others know them well and were trusted by the people in question to make the decisions for them, so calm down people!

anon72879

Euthanasia is wrong. That is all.

anon71754

Euthanasia is wrong. God knows what he's doing.

The end.

anon71309

no one should suffer.

anon70131

I understand why you're against it. I understand why you're for it, but the thing is, it is your choice! No one, minus family and close friends should try and tell you otherwise.

if you want to end your life painlessly, that's up to you. I'm all for euthanasia. It's a choice.

anon69963

The point here is that euthanasia should not be about religion or God. The United States practices a separation of church and state. Why would this not be continued into the debate on the free will to choose your own death?

I don't think anyone here is arguing to choose to end someone's suffering for them. That if you are terminally ill and in great pain and are suffering, you should have the choice to end that pain and suffering. And those arguing there is no free will, grow up. Life is about choice. We choose what we do every single day. Take away the right to choose what happens to your body is taking away one of the most fundamental principles this country was founded on.

anon69471

To be honest, why live your life knowing you will die and can't get better? I'm not a believer in god but apparently wasn't he meant to save the world from suffering? if i was in the situation i would say bye to my family, fly out to a legal place to have euthanasia and do it. Would you want to live your life in pain knowing you can't get better?

anon68944

i strongly don't believe in the law and I'm religious but who cares what god has said or not said? you should be allowed to do what you want.

anon68505

I always laugh at the thought of people saying "god is the only one who can choose whether or not someone dies" ha. Laughing right now because I do not believe in god and do not believe in the book of god. I do believe that the bible is a book of rules and short stories never scientifically proven and never will be.

I do believe in karma though. lol and I also believe in one's freedom of speech as much as the right someone has to choose to die if they are already in the painful state of the death process.

As I just said, I believe in the freedom of one's speech; that is why we have all commented on this freely voicing out our own opinions. So to all who may be offended by my opinion my serious apologies.

anon67850

I am all scandalized by you guys. I, too, am writing a paper about euthanasia and as I landed here and read some of the posts, I was shocked that the majority of you here supports euthanasia.

Sure, I admit I haven't been into a situation yet where a loved one is ill and actually could use euthanasia to ease the pain or what but I still can't imagine myself resorting to that option if in case something like that happens to any family member.

I mean, who are we to say that the person is in unbearable pain and wants to die? well not unless if the person himself expresses that he can't endure any more pain. nevertheless if an ill person requests to end his suffering then that is suicide and still not good.

someone said here that we have freedom to do anything we want with our lives. oh sure we do. but if one's choice to die is supposed to be backed up by his so-called 'freedom' then that freedom of choosing death, you say, is not a manifestation of real freedom! death should never be an option. we should let nature take its own course.

anon66814

i am also doing a project on this for school. personally, i think that euthanasia should be legal everywhere and we should have the choice to have it or not. i mean is it not our decision wether we want to live or not? or if we have an incurable sickness that we are eventually going to die from, are we not aloud to put ourselves out of misery? or must we consult the doctor who is not living the life that we wish to end?

some people say that's it should be God's choice when we die, why? is he the one living this life? yes, he may have put us on this earth but does he really have the right to decide for us when we are to die?

there are many countries around the world today that euthanasia is legal in, why can`t the other countries follow their lead?

DickShrapnel

How can anyone pretend to know what God wants? None of you know anything about it, except what the bible says, which was written by people "inspired by God." What about the people who want to die, but don't believe in your religion?

What right does anybody (including any body of government) have to make a decision about whether or not someone must live against their will?

To me, the only thing we own is our time on earth. We can't take anything but our experiences with us. So, what right does anyone have to tell me when I can and can't end it, medically or otherwise? The right to live, and the right to die are basic human rights.

Even if you believe God and is the only giver and taker of life, wouldn't me killing myself be an act of his hand in that case? And, didn't God give us all the right to choose? Don't stand between me and my gift from God.

The right to life, and the right to death are synonymous. If you believe someone has the right to live, you must also believe they have the right to die. Either that or you believe everyone needs to be controlled, and you, you, you are playing God, not the person who feels the need to die, or the doctor who wants to help a suffering person ease out of life.

Whether or not it is wrong is a moral decision, and not everybody has your morals.

anon66141

What is this? A legalize euthanasia survey? Accelerating to destroy ourselves? Back to the jungle. What is really happening is that We forgot to love and care for each other. This is what's happening.

First, care centers for our loved ones, now the right to kill them? Is it too much to look after them when they need us most? Have we totally lost our integrity?

Like No. 72 stated(thank you for sharing it here): every breath of the sufferer is an opportunity for sharing love, maturity, life wisdom with those around him. Love comes with sacrifice, if sacrifice goes, so goes love. Where are we heading, good people? Where are we heading?

Try to see world with an artist's eye. You will discover shivering how precious life is, no matter the suffering. I personally know what suffering is. Don't we love and care that much anymore to be willing to suffer if necessary? Christians say no to killing, obeying Almighty God, and atheists should say no to killing, obeying compassion! Both aspire to love of life, not death, starting with.

Please, please, please wake up humanity! Do not legalize killing! For our own sakes, we love living, our children are looking forward to living, with pain or not. Let's stop causing more suffering to our society through heartless decisions!

anon65304

i think everyone has the right to choose. euthanasia should be made legal. it really pisses me off when people say that it should only be for those with terminal illnesses.

i am seventeen years old and I'm bipolar. yes, there are medicines to help us. i am speaking for myself and others in my situation. it doesn't work for everyone. i have been on over eight different medications. none of them have made a bit of difference.

i wake up every morning, depressed because i realize nothing has changed and i have to struggle just to get out of bed. just because I'm not in physical pain doesn't mean I'm not in pain. think about that.

anon65054

as a student nurse,we promote health to our patients. we promote life, so I'm against this euthanasia. Because you decide if the patient is going to die. As a nurse, it is not your responsibility. -rachelle (17 years old) Filipina.

anon62691

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but to those that are christian and believe that it's wrong, yes it is in your faith but not everyone is christian.

Just because your god says that you shouldn't commit euthanasia, not everyone believes in your god and you can't and shouldn't try to control people with your religion. It's the person's life and it's up to them what they do with it.

how do you think it's fair that they will kill someone if they do something wrong, and an animal if they are in pain but not humans?

I believe that it should be legalized as when my grandma had stomach cancer she was in a lot of pain and they couldn't do anything. she was going to die within those weeks and there was no hope.

she changed completely from the woman I knew and she would have preference for someone to end her life so I wouldn't have seen her so ill. I was nine when this happened and I still have nightmares over how unwell she looked.

anon62640

people have their own opinions and their own thoughts and beliefs. if you are a christian and believe it is wrong congratulations. if the situation ever occurs where you are terminally ill, are in much pain, and get to watch your family watch you die. feel free to say you don't want to be medically induced or killed.

if you would rather end yours or your loved ones' suffering than drag out your painful, short time, feel free to say you want to be euthanized.

i am a christian. i also got to watch both of my grandfathers die at a very young age. one died of cancer, and it was his decision that he did not want to be put under because he wanted to see his grandchildren (me and my cousins) grow older. he died when i was eight anyway, but it was his decision. the second had alzheimer's disease and did not know what was going on for his last 10 years of life. he started basically forgetting his life. he started to not know me, my father, his wife, his name, how to speak, and eventually how to breathe and swallow which is what technically killed him.

i was almost 12 when he died, and i got to watch him suffer for years. would you enjoy forgetting how to spell your daughter's name? and would you enjoy watching your parent forget everything, becoming actually painfully clueless? he had no ability to speak anymore, so I'm not sure what he would say, but i am sure that he would not have wanted us to have stood there watching his life go by helplessly and would have done something about it.

i believe god has a plan for all of us, and i believe that he gives people diseases for a reason, but also gave us the right to choose for a reason. I'm not trying to "play god" here, i am asking for the ability to control an aspect of my own life. god gave it to us, so shouldn't we use it?

some people don't agree with it. that does not mean they should take away the right to choose for all of us. if you don't agree, then choose no.

there is a reason why they ask and why you get to decide.

as my father pointed out to me as we watched his father waste away, was that sometimes, we are more humane to our animals than we are to ourselves.

if a dog is sick, unable to walk, control its bladder, hear or see, and veterinarians decide they are in constant pain, they are laid to rest. why can we not use the same tactic for humans? and for those who say fine, let the patient decide, what about those who are unable? like my grandfather, or others set in a vegetable state, we decide for our pets when we know they are in an unbearable state, so why not for the loved ones that are the same way?

would you appreciate being trapped inside your own body, when your mind still functions but every aspect of your body does not? or would you rather you had someone there to say it was not the way you wanted to live, a prisoner within yourself.

i agree with euthanasia, to a certain degree. i believe that it is a choice, one that does not have to be a yes, that yourself and the loved ones you have put in charge of yourself when you no longer can, have the right to make.

i do not believe patients should ask a doctor to end it all for shallow reasons, such as depression, or because they have recently lost mobility of their legs.

euthanasia should be used to die with dignity, in peace, and painlessly.

i am 14 years old and was researching for a topic to write about for my class when i came about this subject and this website, and i would like to say (respectively) that i disagree with you all, whether you believe this should be legalized or not.

you all seem so smitten with yourselves, but who are you to say whether it is right or not? it is an individual decision and a unique case each and every time. it is not always the right decision to use euthanasia, but it is also not always the wrong.

anon62094

to no. 86: there are two sides to euthanasia. but when you think about it, there is a reason why it is illegal in almost every country in the world. Like no. 76 said, there is a reason god made them terminally ill, but they're going to die anyway so why cheat nature?

anon62077

No. 77 and 76 are so true! There are a lot of people who are terminally ill but that happens because god made it like that for a reason, and why should we get to choose when we die? We don't get to choose when we were born.

anon61294

To post 85: obviously we are equal to animals. God gave us no right above them. just because you don't understand them you think they're worth less than you? Think about it, a dog can learn to respond and act to human commands and can even adapt to understand certain words, when compiled with a string of other words, words like 'walk' are still identifiable to them.

Back to the topic of religion when related to the subject of euthanasia. You say god gave us the rights above animals. correct me if I’m wrong but the creation story says that God made animals before humans? Well how can we be superior to them if they were hear first?

This is their planet if anything, whether going by the creation story or science.

Another teaching of Christianity is that there is 'a bit of god in all of us.' following that teaching would lead you to believe that assisted suicide would be God helping you to die so your comments of ‘only God can take life’ become invalid as by your own beliefs you are saying that he is the one doing it.

anon61130

i agree with post #77. but i have a question of my own: what does pain have to do with euthanasia being legal in the US?

anon61129

if you have severe pain does that have anything to do with euthanasia being legal in the U.S. (Oregon, Montana, and Washington)?

anon59302

its your right to die or not. Not for other people to choose for you.

anon58382

I agree with the person who wrote comment #77 100 percent! People around the world are hanging on to life by a thread, wishing for life and here we are, wanting to end our lives because we're in pain.

Life is controlled by God and he is the one to make the final decisions about when people come and go. If you are asking for PAS and the Doctors say "no", that is God's way of telling you that he has other plans for you and killing yourself early isn't what he has in store for you. Think about it.

anon58378

I also believe that euthanasia should not become legal. Not only is it against what the bible says, but it could become a twisted law in having society believe that they have the right to euthanize someone else because they believe that "they deserve to die".

A relative euthanized himself and this provides no comfort for the rest of the family, therefore I do not believe in euthanasia because it only provides heartache for the people left in the wake of the person's decision.

anon57091

An image of God as it is said in the bible, Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

That's for the person that wrote number 88. He did. It says so in the bible whether you're a believer or not, there is proof.

anon55651

"God gave us domain" ? Hah, no. We took what we wanted, and haven't ever stopped taking since the beginning of time.

anon55630

to #77 there, i'm doing a report on it too. there is euthanasia in your country. australia has forms of euthanasia that are legal. some of them refuse medicine and die within a day, some refuse food and water and die within 3-10 days. Ten days may seem like a lot but there have been cases of 15.

Passive euthanasia can be long and horrible. just because people in third world countries suffer and die does not mean the rest of us have to. if you believe you're intelligent enough to decide what everybody in the world should do, then that's fine but i believe people have the right to choose.

anon54949

Euthanasia is right and wrong. It is a shade of dark gray. We must come up with something else. But suffering a horrible death, not just one month or two months is not right. But putting the person to sleep is not right. What can we do?

anon54801

I really don't understand some of the people who commented on this topic.

Number one, humans and animals are not equal so let's get that straight! God gave humans dominion over this world and therefore we are of higher stance then animals.

Another thing, we are not animals, but human beings. Euthanasia is not acceptable under any circumstance. God has the power to give us life and take it away. That's for Him to do and to decide, not us as human beings.

anon53859

This sort of thing would really depend on the religious and ethical beliefs of the person. I'm an atheist, though I refuse to believe that dictates my opinion on euthanasia.

Humans and animals are equal, besides humans are technically animals. (regards to humans) I believe euthanasia should be allowed only if the person is terminally ill or suffering from disease that affects their everyday life. It's up to you to decide whether or not you should end your life in that situation.

I'd disagree with it being used for people with psychiatric illness, as there are procedures to combat that, but, by the end of the day, it's not my call. Like I said, it should be your choice.

anon53821

People should be given the right to die. Suffering and being in pain is worse than assisted suicide. I believe euthanasia should be legal in the U.S.

anon53503

i think euthanasia should be legal for those people who are suffering, and to those people who are terminally ill. for me, i agree with euthanasia. i know that god is everything and he has the only right to do these.

anon53304

I think that being depressed isn't a reason to use this service and should only be used under strict circumstances.

anon53147

i think that it is your right to die and no one can choose it for you.

anon52885

Why is everybody so against euthanasia? I would honestly hate to see somebody close to me live a terrible life, when they had the option to end it all while still having the memories from where their lives were bearable and healthy.

Although I think the death sentence is very hypocritical, I think if people chose to die, it should be respected and accepted.

anon51951

i think eauthanasia should not exist.

anon51336

I'm writing a report about euthanasia for Australian Studies and as most of you probably know, euthanasia is not legal in Australia. Amen to that is what I say. Yes, someone may be in great pain and may be suffering more than imaginable. But what we're all forgetting, is the fact that every single day, people are dying in third world countries and in wars and homicides, every single day. These people do not have a "peaceful death" and they don't even ask for one. So now, all of us rich countries want to have the luxury of having the option to choose when and how we die? That is absolutely inhumane. What's next? This world just gets crazier and crazier each and every day, and people who want it all such as people who are for euthanasia, are the ones that are turning this world into living hell. We don't choose when we come so why should we choose when we go? Just think about it.

anon51000

I can believe it! euthanasia is wrong. There is no way to say it other than it's wrong! The only person who can decide about our living or not is God! Are you following me? I am Christian too and I know that there are people who suffer illness that have no cure, but if you think about it, there is a purpose for them that God prepared. So we don't have any rights to decide if someone lives or not. Just my dear God. That's my opinion and I'm sorry for my english. I`m bolivian and still learning.

LA NIÑA DE SUS OJOS

anon50269

is not up to a doctor to choose whether to end a life or not. It is the decision of the patient who is wishing for what is often the case an end to a life of pain, misery and despair. If an animal can have its suffering ended why not a human? Humans are no better than animals and they are not inferior. There are many types of euthanasia. Every one is different, every case is different. Why disallow such aid?

lfitz

Have you ever experienced a terminal sickness, where you are just in so much excruciating pain that you can't bare to handle? You cannot even begin to debate the fact that euthanasia is wrong, you have never been in the situation you don’t no what its like, so don't even try to debate the fact that "thou shalt not kill." What do you think the doctors are doing to the sick patients? they are giving them little doses of drugs every day to try and stop the pain, but in the end they end up dying. No, not they way god intended, but by the drugs the doctors supply the patients, either way they are still being killed, just slowly. Even though the doctors are trying to help them, don’t get me wrong, but if they are sick of dragging out their death bed, i don’t see what's wrong with it. It should be up to the person. So if you have not experienced it, don’t even try to debate it. You have nothing to debate. And like someone said on here before about their grandfather being really sick but he just kept on living not wanting to die, just putting up with the pain. Than good on him, he's a strong man but not all people are strong like that. he decided to keep breathing, that was his choice, and he could bear it. But some other terminally sick patients out there cannot and it's their decision on what they want to do.

Animals are part of god's creation too. They're alive and breathing. how dare you say it's wrong to kill a sick person who is experiencing pain, when it's perfectly fine to kill animals, just because they have no home, they're not in pain, they're healthy. it's not their fault they have no home. Where's the justice in that? Here we have someone wanting to die, it's their will, where just because an animal has no home, they are killed, not because they want to die, but just because we can. how does that even begin to make sense? Explain that.

Why would god want us to suffer? Suffering is not an experience for these terminally ill patients. when ever has being in so much unbearable pain been an experience? What exactly could you learn from it? Absolutely nothing! What’s there to learn? how are the terminally ill people experiencing life? what exactly could they be experiencing or missing out on life? Watching the world just slowly pass them by? Watch their family mourn for however many years it takes for the drugs to slowly kill them? They don’t want to leave their families. no one wants to die, but if someone just can't bear the pain and they can deal with having to leave their life and families around them, then isn’t that saying something? Who wants to leave this world and leave everything behind? No one. It just goes to show that us outsiders who don’t experience the pain, really don’t understand what they’re going through, not until we are lying there in there in excruciating pain.

Why does it matter to you people who think it's wrong if someone wants to die? You don’t know the person, you don’t have to grieve at their loss, you don’t know what they're dealing with. So how can you start to judge the person and tell them what is right and what is wrong just because they don’t want to deal with the pain anymore, because they are sick of having to deal with it. Them not you. It has nothing to do with us, why should we have a say? Think about it. --L.E.F

agodbout

I am Catholic Christian, (but that really doesn't matter does it?) So anything I say from now on referring to euthanasia will be biased, right? Well the same thing can be said about atheists giving their opinion on euthanasia, so they are also biased? Well let's take the old antagonism between god's existence or non-existence out of the discussion and talk from a plain experiential manner. Rational and moral arguments are necessary, but our decisions are primarly based on convincing experiences and their ability to convince us in our feelings, thoughts and actions, and I want to use my own experience to tell you why I believe euthanasia is wrong. As many have mentioned, I too had a relative, my grandfather, who suffered for two years with an intestinal cancer that metastisized. I also witnessed how he suffered with the disease and with the various chemo and radiotherapy treatments. I was subject to his changing moods, I saw him bleed, I saw how his vivacious and magnetic look withered away slowly. It was a real painful year. In the end, he died a terrible death. He had multiple organ failure. Luckily he died at home which is what he wanted. I appologize for the crude details, but I do so because that was what really happened, and our whole family witnessed it. What did granddad say about his own suffering: "sometimes life is a b." He wasn't much of a believer himself, and he was a loving, teasing, wonderful grandfather. He could be quite authoritative and punishing, but he was also sweet as maple syrup on warm and nutritious pancakes. He was one of the first persons who helped me understand that I was loved above all things, and no matter what I would do, he would always love me, and to the very end he said he wanted to see me graduate from high school (I was 12 years old then). Was it fair that he should have died in such a painful way? Actually six years before this round of cancer, he had previously had a first outbreak of colonic cancer, which was detected early, treated and cured. He won that battle, but in the war for life, cancer won the second battle. I have always asked myself after his death, why did he continue with chemo and radio therapy until the end, when he could have decided to refuse it? Why was he willing to go through all that pain, for so long? What made sense to him? Life. He was an uneducated, ex-alcoholic, CN rail union general secretary, husband, father of six, grandfather of 13, had a love for life, his family, his house in the woods, for his dogs Tricker and Dusty, a good friend, and a profoundly tolerant and supporting friend. He experienced a lot of human weakness, but he "sucked the honey out of pain and wrongdoing", and he used that to live, and to give himself in every look, word, kiss, walk, joke or punishment that he could offer. Every last bit of his breath meant an opportunity to express his love, in his own personal way, but in the end it was love. You could feel it in his tone, in his look, in his words, even when he frighteningly mad, and he wanted to have every last moment to express that love. Death is the limit of all limits, and I am grateful for that because it keeps me focused on the present, and to give myself to others in abundance, in spite of my weaknesses and wrondoings. It's such a wonderful thing to make my wife smile in the morning. I am grateful for breathing, for being able to listen to people's voices, to see their colorful and illuminated presence, for smelling nature, hearing birds, feeling the wind tickle my hair. All this my grandfather knew about, and all the above I said to say euthanasia is not an option for death, it's an option for avoiding life, avoiding the possibility for learning and loving, in spite of pain, yes danm it, in spite of pain. I agree pain is not a good thing to feel, not even a milligram of it, but we feel it anyway, and we can learn from it too, but pain isn't forever, it's temporary, and death isn't the end. Life is the end, as it always has been.

anon46891

Euthanasia shouldn't be legal. I bet you that plenty of ill people would just kill themselves because they had that option. It's too risky because their families would blame the doctors for their death and too many people would be killing themselves (not going to heaven). Although, there are some that don't believe in God or have any religion.

anon46885

Actually euthanasia is legal in both Oregon and Washington.

anon36143

why should people suffer? they shouldn't, if they can talk and decide for themselves that they want to be out of the suffering and pain let them. its not right on them who have to sit by day by seeing someone they care about in pain and suffering, but them and people around them to peace, at least the family and friends don't have to live with the guilt that they could have done something else to help them? maybe it is their last wish, but atleast you helped them.

anon35569

if the patient is very unconscious,can't talk or even open his eyes,isn't the same as being dead??

how can they choose or decide whether they want to live or not if they can't even speak??yes,there's the family members to decide, but is it enough??

anon34231

Well, guess people have not learned the circle of life and more importantly *the truth.* First and foremost, there is no such thing as having the right to decide your own or another person's death. You may claim to have a choice, but then make that choice your own to do to yourself because then you face the responsibilities of *your own* actions.

Because a person goes through pain, they learn to look after and love that person knowing that value and the pains they went through in bringing forth life. And when that person becomes senile or meets misfortune, ending their misery, yeah so you claim, or am I sensing it's more your own misery your trying to eradicate rather than putting up with them and loving them back. Take a chance at reading what follows.

All things happen in life to test how much patience you have in returning what you receive from others. When you are born you know you are born to die, but does that stop you from wanting to do great things? No. A handicapped person sometimes does much more great things than a normal person can, shall we give a shot of euthanasia to the person who is born perfectly normal yet didn't do anything great in life?! How then do you get the right to decide who should live or die. A person dies none the less, but *lives on* in our memories by what they were in their life, regardless of if they were a pain to you or not, because anything you do gets its own share of blessings. You will be remembered much more if you stood by them despite all that rather than deserting them when it was their turn to bear the grunt of life.

A Mother Teresa will be remembered much more than a Dr. Kevorkian any day because one meant good by being humble and more importantly humane, while the latter forgot being humane, but instead thought of playing God! The minute you think you are God that's the moment you've lost the meaning of *life* itself and all its values. And if you think the person who is writing this must not have tasted pain, there too you stand corrected. I unlike others wait for God to decide when *He* needs me, not push myself to death because I feel unwanted in this world or seem to be in so much physical or mental pain. I do not see what others have that I do not, but rather see what I have that others do not, and live on One Day at a Time thanking God none the less. Life never seems fair, it never will, but then how else will you ever go through the mystery of *life*?

anon30491

I think euthanasia should be legalized if the person choosing to die understands what they are doing.

I do not think however that depression is a good enough reason to die. I know a few people who are depressed and they have their good days and their bad just like anyone else. I am a christian but we should not mix church and state and by making a law not to allow euthanasia. What if someone does not believe in god and chooses to be euthanized? How can anyone put them down? I am a firm believer in the idea that everyone has their opinion and that will never change. This world is full of different people with different opinions. Who are you to say one opinion is not as good as the next? Who is anyone to chose the fate of another?

anon29500

i think that if you wish to end your life then you should be able to. if you think about a member of your family, your best friend, your partner, your child, and you can see the pain and suffering that they are going through, why would you want to watch them go in such a way?

would you want those memories of them?

or would you prefer to end their life, with their consent, and remember the good times you had together. yes, it would be really sad to see the ones you love, go. but at the end of the day, it's not about you, it's about them and their quality of life.

anon28892

I agree that euthanasia should be legal although i'm not sure if i'd choose it for myself, (then again i've never gone through as much pain as some people have to) however i'd want the right to choose but...

How is a person suppose to agree/disagree to euthanasia if they are terminally ill? What if they are brain dead, have Alzheimer's or depression. A person with a serious illness like these is often not capable of making huge decisions like going through with euthanasia! If this is the case then who is going to make the decision for them? Friends, family members, doctors? Then isn't that leaving it up to other people who should live or die???

I wouldn't want to see anybody suffer, but I don't think i could ever consent to euthanasia for myself or another person as I still see it as ending an innocent life.

btw, i'm 17 and researching euthanasia for English.

anon28519

For me, i'm not in favor of euthanasia because that is a mercy killing and you are not responsible for making the life of people become short, but it depends on the people who don't like to see their loved ones suffering from pain.

anon27610

i need help on euthanasia. pplpleasehelp me. i understand what it is, but i am stuck on my vocabulary i don't know how to write it and it's my project at school. pplpleasehelp me :(

anon27282

putting any living thing down is so *wrong*!!! it should not be allowed and that's why i want to sue the government for putting down an animal if it doesn't have a home.

if you think that putting down *anything* that lives rather than go to a pet store or a humane society and adopt an animal its saving there life and helping to show people that putting down an animal is *really wrong*!!

i know of a couple of people that have put there animal in the humane society and they went back to bye it again because there plans changed and they weren't going to move. they went back 1 year later and they said that they put it to sleep because they couldn't find it a home.

anon27280

Look, I know that you all say that it's right, that it's fair, that it stops the suffering. But it doesn't. People have so much to live for, and we've only got one life to live. I know that sometimes pain comes to the extreme, but pain is a part of life. Did you know that in some countries it's legal to euthanize a newborn with a disability? They had so much to live for, so much to accomplish, things to see, places to go, people to love. But they didn't get it because their parents didn't want to deal with them.

Sometimes the person being euthanized doesn't get a say. If they go to court and are determined mentally unstable, then they are killed. Even if death isn't something they want.

And just because there are no cures for certain sicknesses, does it mean that there will never be? Someone sick could one day become famous. A baby with a disability could one day have a family that they love, and who loves them back.

It's wrong.

I'm eleven years old. That was my opinion on euthanasia.

anon26751

Doesn't taking the life away remove all opportunity or options from the patient, meaning the situation could improve? Maybe it won't, maybe it will, but I don't believe Euthanasia is the correct option in cases like that. Ultimately, I suppose it's up to the patient, but knowing me, I would never undergo that choice no matter how much pain.

Life is opportunity and experiences, taking it away removes all possibility of the situation improving, even if it's unlikely. Religion doesn't have much to do with it, but it may have some influences on the choices we all make.

anon26291

Okay, I am thirteen & doing a project on Euthanasia.

I honestly think that if someone is suffering in the hospital that much, then they should be able to die if that is what they choose. No one should have to suffer horrible pain, as most of them do. In all honesty; There's nothing wrong with it here.

& Yes, I am I christian..but..what does God have to do w/ it? nothing. Maybe we should think about that.

Thanks.

anon25911

I personally am against any kind of acts where people tell other people what is wrong and right. I hate when someone chooses to do something, and then other people think its their job to tell them that their wrong. Did you decide what was wrong and right? People need to stop trying to tell other people how to live. People make others believe that they're wrong, or their weird, or something's not right with them, and it needs to stop because that's no way to live. People are missing out on their own life because their too busy worried about others and dictating others.

In conclusion, I think you should be able to choose weather you want to live or not. ESPECIALLY if the persons brain is already gone and their just sitting their on life support. It's life is already gone, the blood is just still pumping. You'd rather have someone be a vegetable and just sit their? Also, most of the people who are against Euthanasia, haven't gone through a personal experience watching someone deteriorate. Don't say that you wouldn't take them out of their misery, because you wouldn't know until you've been approached with the situation.

anon25237

me and my friend are studying euthanasia in R.e.

We are for euthanasia. but we think it should only be performed on terminally ill people. not people who are depressed! People should have the right to die when they want! no one should get arrested for giving birth! (you have a right to come into the world, so you must have a right to leave!!)

anon24983

JADE again, Yes, that does sound like a terrible way to live. 38 is so young too..and by the age of 14, i had watched my granddad deteriorate for a whole year, i used to go round to their place at 1 in the morning when he had fallen and my grandmother couldn't pick him up again so my mum had to. i had been to my other grandads funeral, my nanas, and my aunts. so believe me, i know how you feel. wish her all the best.

anon24910

My mum is in a lot of pain with a condition that has no cure. If you think this is a decent way to live, 38yrs old, in a wheelchair, going down the aisle in crutches, never able to have an ordinary life as everywhere you go people are ignoring you and talking to the person pushing the wheelchair, then you are unbelievable. This is a horrible way to live your life and I know what its like as my mother has to go through this. I am fourteen years pld. and have seen more than anyone else my age!!

anon24067

Until i read all those comments i didn't believe with Euthanasia, but know that i've read them, i have to agree. But i hate to think it would be abused.

anon23567

Hi, I feel that euthanasia should be up to the person whom is suffering. I'm not saying that it is OK if a person is depressed and does not want to live should be euthanized because they want to die, if they truly are suffering and there is no cure for what ails them then so be it. If it was me I would not want my family to see me with uncontrollable bowels or someone telling me OK you can swallow now because they can not remember how to.

anon22854

For the idiots out there, who think that by someone choosing euthanasia, they have done something wrong, can I just say, mind your own business!!!

People like you go around telling others that this is wrong, but what does it have to do with you, if any of you have kids, how would you feel if other people were telling you how to look after them? I know I would hate it, because my kids well being is up to me.

This is the same sort of thing, because it is up to the patient whether they want to die, not some silly person, who doesn't know them, or care about them in the slightest, and only think about themselves.

Well stop being so selfish, you aren't making anyones lives better, if anything you're making them worse!

anon22727

Please people, euthanasia is not a good thing but on the other side its a good thing. But people you can't afford to lose someone you love.

anon22247

why can't people just accept if they're in great pain why not just let them die painlessly?

Jadex0x

Hold up! to the kid below this..

"They deserve it anyway"? Excuse Me?

anon21770

anon21269 the almighty god gave us free will so if someone wants to die let them they deserve it anyway.

anon21746

i am also doing a report for school about euthanasia and i think it should be legal for some cases if it really is that much pain but not truly legal.

anon21269

The almighty God gives us life and according to our spiritual believes we art allowed to take away our lives but when a person is in severe pain and suffering ought to be ended his/her life i think the will should be granted because who knows what hell a patient is going through and knowingly there nt chances to survive and is gona die sooner or later so why let a patient suffer???????

anon20643

i think euthanasia is a good thing because it lets people who are in serious pain to end there live a be put out of there misery like they do yo animals when they are ill and they can't do anything they put the animal down

anon19599

I'm writing an essay for school on euthanasia.

Before I read this article and everyones comments, my thoughts on euthanasia were that it was wrong. After I read everyones comments, I thought about it and now I think that it should be legal to a certain extent. Like it should be legal for someone to say, "I want to die, please put me out of my misery." But, I'm not quite sure it is. For what I've read it is illegal in the US. Only in Oregan, you can have a "physician assisted death."

I think that people consider it as murder or suicide, depending on how you look at it, when its really not. I know that if I was deteriorating in a hospital, knowing I was going to die, why not just get it over with?? It makes sense. I would KNOW that I was going to die, so why just sit in the hospital and wait to die?? That has to be hell for people to go through. I would hate it.

anon18845

i am a young female doing a school project and i would just like to say that i think it is right to an extent. if the person is not mentally stable they should not be able to make that decision.

thanks

anon18745

those who are Disagreeing with euthanasia, because they think that the persons family has ulterior motives should look up the rules of euthanasia on the internet. They are available for anyone who wants to see them. i think you will find that any rights to the will for them go.

Jadex0x

Where on earth do I start. I stumbled upon this while writing an oral for school. Im 17 at the moment, but by the age of 16 I had been to 6 funerals and known 8 people to die.

Some of you people have absolutely NO idea!

I watched my granddad slowly and painfully deteriorate over a year. he was given a year to live. You want to know what he did in that year? NOTHING!. There was absolutely nothing he could do but sit in his chair up until the last 2 weeks when he was taken to palliative care. He couldn't even walk up the hallway to his bed, he was pushed or had assistance to walk.

He refused chemo, I'm proud of him. That's the closest form of 'putting out of misery' that is legal. why at 79 would be want a painful cure that may not even work?

I am not a christian, I'm pretty much an atheist.

But even if there was a God, You think he put you on Earth to want you suffer in pain? You think he's some kind of Sadist? FOOLS!

And one last thing..Animals are God's creations too! (this is directed specifically at that christian idiot who claims animals are less than humans) What's the difference between them and us? You'll just make your god made putting his creations down like that.

Euthanasia should be legal, if the patient, not the family or doctor, want it. Why would you want to be in pain and live out a painful nightmare called life?

We had no say of how and when to come into this world.. we should at least have a say how and when we leave it..

anon18349

i'm a student doing research about euthanasia..

my opinions is euthanasia should be legal... others say its cruel but what would you choose? put yourself in the situation that you are suffering in so much pain.. that you cannot carry your bladder and bowel.. If the patient want to rest in peace, then why not?.. for me, its more painful to see a patient who is suffering in so much pain rather than looking at a person who is resting in peace.. at least, when the patient is resting in peace, we all know that he is not suffering... but that is only my opinion..

anon18031

hello i am currently writing an essay about euthanasia and i would simply like to put forward my opinion. i am a christian and all my family believe that euthanasia is wrong however this was before we all had to watch my grandmother waste away in hospital. she had a tumor in her brain which they tried to remove but after the operation she went brain dead. she doesn't need a respirator and it is unlikely that she will every wake up. all of my family members have been made to suffer because her condition has dragged on for so many years i think it would have more merciful if the doctors had put her to sleep because then my family could finally mourn her and move on with their lives but euthanasia is illegal. even though euthanasia goes against my morals as a christian "thou shall not kill" i think that you can only make your choice if you have been in my situation or one like it.

anon17056

as a majority of other people who have written on this blog i have not personally dealt with this sort of situation. but i believe that for those who believe in god should stick to their ideas and opinions. try to imagine if you were a terminally ill patient and were suffering to the same extent, are you still sure you would want to continue enduring the pain? or would you eventually snap and ask to be euthanized. think of the situation as though you were experiencing it and then have your say. i know what i would say.

anon16460

whoever said that it is our right to choose whether we die or not is sad and disappointing. watching people die before you is an awful experience, i know that. We choose to live our lives however we want to and you can choose to give life and to live life, but you cannot by any means take away a life. God did not put us on this earth just so we can give up. he hasn't given up on us, so why should we give up on him. we all have been through hell and back in many ways or form, but at the end of the day, its about having faith and resilience. Faith in God and knowing that no matter the suffering we may endure or our loved ones may have endured its about being able to get back up, to have faith and resilience. We should not give up easily instead we need to fight, to fight for what is right ethically and also for God. He deserves so much more. Believe in him, know that he is there and he will carry you through anything and everything. just believe. i know its hard but that's the beauty of it, you will learn to be a bigger, braver, stronger and independent person. God deserves more than we give him credit for.

anon16293

I was opposed to medical euthanasia until I watched my mother die from cancer. She was given just enough morphine so that it would not kill her but the pain was still excruciating. Her last words were "Help me". I would much rather be euthanized and die with dignity and less painfully. I think it should be up to the individual to choose.

anon15605

Euthanasia should be legal because of what people have to go through because they are terminally ill. they should be able to have peace.

anon15604

I think people have the right to choose when they die, its their life not ours!

anon15080

nah if someone is in pain and is going to die anyway then they should have the right to die. People shouldn't be forced to live.

anon13607

Euthanasia is the practice of painlessly killing a person so as to end the pain and suffering of a disease or other malady. This process sounds compassionate, but I believe it is a very dumb idea. The doctors who have worked their way to save the lives of people would be forced to destroy their purpose by injecting death into their patients.

I just hate the idea of killing people when that should come when God wills it, but I also think that if we were to allow euthanasia there would be less motivation to finding cures. We should not accept the easy way out. Death can be prevented but life should not be.

anon13416

the person who said that people commit euthanasia because they can't control there bowels or badder needs to be realistic. People shouldn't have the right to commit murder or suicide because their bowels are out of control research the topic before you post a comment please.

anon12946

Does anyone want another person's death on there hands? God has created us and he has made the rules. You can not control your life or the people around you. Yes I am a Christian and I don't live the way I am supposed to, but Euthanasia is murder. Their are a lot of people with greedy motives in this world and life is not easy. Taking the easy way out is not always a good one. Don't try and play God, he is a jealous God.

anon12793

Euthanasia is not decided by doctors or anyone else. It is a decision made by the patient...the dying patient. Imagine lying in a hospital bed is so much pain it's unbearable, imagine not being able to control your bowels or bladder? Can you really sit there and say that you wouldn't mind living this way? Would you want your children seeing you this way? Not me...Im all for euthanasia! It's my life I want to decide!!!

anon11982

IM not trying to sound rude or anything... but the fact of the matter is this only happens to people who want it to happen. The only people disagreeing are people who probably haven't even seen what horrible pain people go through in some sicknesses my aunt had cancer and wasn't very old and wasn't very far along in all of the treatments and she was in so much pain she finally out right told the doctor to kill her but seeing as it was not allowed in the U.S. she died a very slow, painful death and I watched for months. so I don't think it's the doctors choice or gods choice or the governments choice to say that its wrong. its ours the patients choice and if your very religious and want to painfully die then fine but you can't say that's wrong for some one else and their life. its our life and whether you live it according to the bible and 10 commandments or if you live to your own standards then that's how you will live it. I don't think if god saw you die a slow painful death that he would be happy i think you are just scared that if you give the order to let them kill you that god won't love you well your probably very wrong. that's all.

anon11663

Hello,

I was just typing to say that I feel that euthanasia is very wrong. How could anyone feel that they have a say when someone should die. God never said there would be no pain on earth, he never said dying would be peaceful, he never said we would be able to choose. he even says in Genesis, that we shall live a life of toil and pain! My mom was taken from this world suddenly, and I am glad she did not suffer, but I know for a fact, that if we knew she were dying, we would never have allowed that to be done to her! That is murder!

anon10832

euthanasia was practiced and advocated in nazi germany. the nazi thinking was that anybody dying should be killed, anybody with a birth defect should be killed, handicapped should be killed, etc. Not to mention people they felt were inferior to them(jews, gypsys, blacks, catholics ) should all also be exterminated. Euthanasia for humans is wrong and impractical, unethical on many levels. Some family members have greedy motives (they want the money and they want it now). or, they don't want whats left of the money to be spent on further care, treatment etc. the possible scenarios are many and varied. hospice is an alternative to continued treatment of someone terminally ill who can't benefit from medicines or surgery any more, or just doesn't want it any more. hospice is when the person no longer gets any medication except for pain, no breathing assistance, no forced feeding or IV's except for pain. I have seen this in action, it was natural and the best way to go for my brother.

anon10592

hi, i don't really know much about euthanasia or assisted death from personal experience but i do feel that a human person has the right to choose whether they live or die and they are in a decent state of sanity then they must be given the opportunity as a human right. anonymous entrant age 14

anon10370

euthanasia is illegal in the majority of countries in the world for a reason people who believe in euthanasia believe in the right to say who dies when they die and how. Why do we as humans all of a sudden have that right to kill. It is a form of murder or suicide except it has a different name. I know some people don't want to live in pain but euthanasia is defined as the intentional killing of a person with a terminal illness meaning their illness is going to kill them anyway so why not allow them to die in peace and live the rest of there remaining time with their loved ones.

Euthanasia is illegal and so it should remain that way people are quite ignorant if they think they can play God with other peoples lives.

anon9533

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with the young woman doing the project. I don't think you should give an lethal injection to help them die its just down right out cruel. It's different if the patient has it documented somewhere or told the doctors orally what they wanted. To just help end their life is not right. The bible says in Exodus 20 thy shall not kill. They have broken one of the ten commandments. We all must get account for our sins if you don't believe it this read it for yourself. Give the patient prescribed pain medication until it is time for them to leave this world in peace. How would people feel if someone did their love one like that.

anon9483

Hi there,

I am a young girl working on a school project for euthanasia.

I would just like to say that i think it is right. For someone to get to a point in life where they are in so much pain they no longer want to live no more...To want the suffering and pain to be over, Euthanasia is the right way to go about it.

anon9377

should that thing be illegal or not?

olittlewood

my grandma was very healthy until she was treated for high cholesterol. the medication she was taking turned out to result in a very rare side effect (that they didn't know yet with that medication), so the doctors gave her immunosuppressing medications to treat what they thought she had. so a little cold evolved into pneumonia. when they suggested that she go on a breathing tube, she balked at it. so she got worse and worse. my mom convinced her to try the breathing tube in an effort to help her recover. instead, other family members told the doctor that they didn't want her to go on the tube and they gave her a sedative that put her to sleep and then removed her oxygen line. she did not have a do not resuscitate order in effect, she was just a little scared at getting a breathing tube. i watched her slowly die in front of me, powerless to do anything because we were outvoted by the rest of the family. they did not discuss it with her, although she was conscious. they did not explain to her that she was going to die. i feel very strongly that she was "put to sleep" by the doctors. we were in a hospital in a retirement community where i think older people go to die, and the doctors treated her case as such. was this euthanasia? i don't know. i feel like this was pretty close to it. i'm sure stuff like this goes on everyday across the country, but because it's not blatant euthanasia, people don't say anything or simply don't care. i'm curious as to how specific the law is, or is it so general that it leaves a lot of wiggle room?

anon6296

Why would doctors do this if they know Euthanasia is illegal in the United States?????

anon6168

Live with dignity die with dignity it's my choice if i wish to live or die. yes i'm a religious christian but look around you the world is overpopulated. all you hypocrites just want people to live and suffer.

anon5963

Humans mean so much more than animals!!!!... I don't know what you mean by "humans are no better than animals"? humans were made "in the image of god" so yes!! humans ARE better than animals is so may ways, he made humans A LITTLE less than angels, and yes!! humans ARE inferior!! and i don't think is within our decision to live or die.... in the bible, the psalmist david said that "My times are in thy hand" therefore self-destruction is NOT god's plan for humanity regardless of one's state of health!!

anon4510

It is not up to a DOCTOR to choose whether to end a life or not. It is the decision of the patient who is wishing for what is often the case an end to a "life " of pain, misery and despair. If an animal can have its suffering ended why not a human? Humans are no better than animals and they are not inferior. There are many types of euthanasia. Every one is different, every case is different. Defined by a dictionary EUTHANASIA:an easy mode of death:the act or practice of putting painlessly to death, in cases of incurable suffering. Why disallow such a relieving procedure?

anon1484

Doctors today are not bound by "I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel". Doctors now swear a new version of the Hippocratic Oath that states, "...it may also be within my power to take a life;..." This new version was written in 1964 and is more modern than the one written in 400 BC. Also, doctors are not required to take the oath, though most do.

anon216

How come Oregon is the only state that believes in Euthanasia?

Are any other states projected to vote for it in the future?

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