Do you agree with euthanasia?

[lifetime fan]

I've been to see my nan in hospital this afternoon and I can't stop thinking about euthanasia.

 

She is 86 and was always an extremely strong minded woman and fiercely independent since we lost my Grampher almost 24 years ago. Seeing her this afternoon was horrible.

 

In the last 18 months she has had 5 heart attacks, has lost nearly all her sight, is so frail you are scared to give her a hug but the thing that gets me most is her dementia.

 

She has no clue who anyone is, today she told me she had never been married and she is lost to the world. But she knows what she wants to say and you can see the pain in her face when she isn't able to say what she would like to.

 

I looked at her in that hospital room and thought what quality of life does she have? Conceivably she could last another 6/12 months but if I'm honest I left her today hoping for her sake she doesn't.

 

Does anyone else have any strong feelings either way?

[Guest The Big Green Bastard]

From personal experience i would have to say yes.

 

If the intended is consentual, i see no problem in it.

[lifetime fan]

I agree mate. I've said to the missus for years if she ever let me get to that stage I'd come back and fucking haunt her.

 

I'd definately have a living will making my wishes perfectly clear, I guess the difficulty is when a person goes past the point of having capacity.

 

I looked at my Nan this afternoon and she's a dribbling wreck, unable to recognise her own family, she doesn't even know she was married for over 40 years and you can see the pain in her face. Where is the dignity, care and compassion there?

 

I know this is a very controversial point but no one would let an animal get to that point, they'd free them from their suffering.

[Sugar Ape]

It is obviously a very complex and emotional issue; but I think it depends on the individual circumstances really.

 

If someone gets 6 months to live from cancer I have no problem with them saying once I am in constant pain / unable to think for myself then I want to be euthanized. The problem for me is when someone is unable to make the decision for themselves and they haven't left instructions on what they want to happen.

[George Costanza]

Yes

 

Totally agree with the Dementia aspect too. Its heartbreaking for all concerned.

[King Emlyn]

Yes, in theory.

[Dougie Do'ins]

Painful reading that LF. Without going into any details I know what it's like to want the end to come to someones life. When it did finally come it was such a relief. IMO, there should be a point of 'enough is enough' if the family wish it to be that way. I just do not see the point in prolonging a life if it's going to prolong the suffering. The suffering also extends as in your case to the family of the loved one.

 

Sadly, someone who's been fortunate enough not to go through the things you describe will be waiting to tell you how wrong you are.

 

Hope it ends as quickly and as peacefully as possible for you and your family.

[Guest San Don]

I've been to see my nan in hospital this afternoon and I can't stop thinking about euthanasia.

 

She is 86 and was always an extremely strong minded woman and fiercely independent since we lost my Grampher almost 24 years ago. Seeing her this afternoon was horrible.

 

In the last 18 months she has had 5 heart attacks, has lost nearly all her sight, is so frail you are scared to give her a hug but the thing that gets me most is her dementia.

 

She has no clue who anyone is, today she told me she had never been married and she is lost to the world. But she knows what she wants to say and you can see the pain in her face when she isn't able to say what she would like to.

 

I looked at her in that hospital room and thought what quality of life does she have? Conceivably she could last another 6/12 months but if I'm honest I left her today hoping for her sake she doesn't.

 

Does anyone else have any strong feelings either way?

 

Yep. Had to watch my dad lose his dignity in hospital when he had the 'C.' although the hossie did the best they could, he was drugged to the eyeballs on morphine. He thought he was working but couldnt talk.

 

It was heartbreaking to see.

 

We dont let animals suffer the way we let humans, our loved ones lose their dignity and suffer.

 

I can understand why people are against it. But, unless you have some strong religious views (which I dont get my head around) or havent seen the degradation your loved ones go through with terminal illnesses (and some others), people will likely not understand those who do agree with it.

 

It's where you draw the line and what circumstances.

[Hermes]

Not sure. I have little knowledge of the opinions of young Muslims.

[Steve Holt]

Yes

[a stoner]

Yes I do in the right situation.

Either with a living will or the person is of sound mind and can decide for themselves.

If I get diagnosed with something terminal I fully intend to take myself out.

[Rico1304]

It's a very rocky road and will have to backed by massively complex legislation but I think it's a sign of a sophisticated society. Keeping economics out of it is the tricky part.

 

I'm 39 now and think that by the time I'm 70 we'll have the option to make living wills that give the option to opt out when we want.

[Strontium]

I completely agree with it, and I don't see it as remotely controversial either.

[King Emlyn]

I completely agree with it, and I don't see it as remotely controversial either.

The controversy comes when somebody is unaware, or not of sound mind I would imagine

[The Special One]

Passive yes. Active raises a lot of concerns. I feel for you LF.

[jonnybastard]

Personally, I think if you can't wipe your own arse, you've outstayed your welcome. But, I am a cruel hard hearted bastard. Unless they're being force fed or otherwise kept alive against their will, then if someone really wants to die, they will fade and die. Let's not dress it up, or make it appear acceptable with extreme scenarios- let's just admit that sometimes they need a push in the right direction. Or down the stairs.

[Paulie Dangerously]

I hope by the time I lose the plot and become a massive burden of my family there will be forms you can sign whilst still compos mentis stating if you decline past a certain medical condition you can be put down whilst you still have a shred of dignity left.

[liverpoolsno9]

I lost by Grandad to Althzeimers, fuckin awful it was, he was like a cancer patient in his last days, on morphine etc. Never would have thought that with Althzeimers. Would have been much easier for him & us if he could of went sooner. My Mrs has lost her Mum & Dad to cancer in the last 6 years, jeez, the suffering they went thru, especially her Mum. Even the Mcmillan nurse said she'd never seen anyone suffer so bad and she suffered like that for the last 2 weeks. The Mrs is still traumatized with what went on & was on anti-depressants for 2-3 years afterwards, even her mum was begging for it to come to an end. To see someone suffer like that, the toll it takes on the family and the expense it must take to keep them breathing, surely its best for all concerned to end it.

[Dougie Do'ins]

Strangely enough this issue has been discussed on radio 5 Live this morning.

[lifetime fan]

Strangely enough this issue has been discussed on radio 5 Live this morning.

 

Yeah mate, as I got in the car this morning to come to work they were discussing the referendum in Zurich.

[Karl_b]

There's going to be a BBC documentary about the issue presented by Terry Pratchett soon. Apologies for not knowing the full details, I saw it in the paper the other day.

[Sugar Ape]

There's going to be a BBC documentary about the issue presented by Terry Pratchett soon. Apologies for not knowing the full details, I saw it in the paper the other day.

 

BBC News - Sir Terry Pratchett to probe assisted suicide for BBC

 

British author Sir Terry Pratchett is to participate in a BBC Two documentary about assisted suicide, it has been announced.

 

The Discworld writer will travel to a Dignitas clinic in Switzerland with a 71-year-old who suffers from motor neurone disease.

 

Sir Terry, who was diagnosed with a form of Alzheimer's in 2008, said he was "a firm believer in assisted death" and wanted to learn more about it.

 

The film will be shown in the summer.

 

Dignitas, the Swiss group which assists terminally ill people to end their own lives, was founded in 1998. Many people from countries where assisted suicide is illegal travel to its clinic to die.

 

In the UK, assisting suicide is illegal and carries a jail term of up to 14 years.

 

But more than 100 Britons have gone to Dignitas and no family members or friends have yet been prosecuted.

 

"I believe everybody possessed of a debilitating and incurable disease should be allowed to pick the hour of their death," Sir Terry said.

 

"And I wanted to know more about Dignitas in case I ever wanted to go there myself."

 

Last year, a UK inquiry into the issue of assisted dying was launched with funding from Sir Terry.

 

The BBC's commissioning editor for documentaries, Charlotte Moore, said: "Assisted death is an important topic of debate in the UK, and this is a chance for the BBC Two audience to follow Sir Terry as he wrestles with the difficult issues that many across Britain are also faced with."

 

The documentary will also see the writer explore how different European countries deal with the issue.

 

It is not the first time assisted suicide has been addressed by a television programme.

 

In 2008, a Sky documentary called Right To Die? showed 59-year-old Craig Ewert, who also suffered from motor neurone disease, end his life.

[lifetime fan]

On 5Live this morning they had a guy on there from Death in Dignity (iirc) and he claimed figures of 70% approval for euthanasia from members of the public with religious beliefs and 80% from the public in general.

[Kevin D]

Make a donation - Alzheimer's Society

[Newport]

I'm against asking a doctor, a nurse or any other health personnel to kill a person because you never know how they'll react to it. Their job is to make the lives of the patients as good as they can until they die.