The right to die
Offline So Tony Nicklinson, a stroke victim with locked-in syndrome, has lost his court case to allow him to die.
In order to die, he would have had to get someone else to physically kill him, as he is unable to move. He describes his life as 'a living hell'.
There has been progress on 'right to die' cases in Europe recently, with clinics such as Dignitas in Switzerland providing a euthanising service for people wishing to end their own lives. Several British people have used this clinic - but the law remains in the UK that someone helping them to die, even by facilitating travel or handing them the pills, could theoretically be convicted for murder or manslaughter. (This hasn't ever actually come to court yet, but the law remains).
People opposed to assisted suicide say that this may set a precedent where old and ill people feel a burden to others, and may be pressured into committing suicide because of this.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19249680
My personal view is that we should all be able to live a life free of pain and suffering, and if this is not possible, we should have the right to choose a quick and painless death - forcing someone to remain alive in this case is tantamount to torture. Of course counselling etc should be provided to anyone considering this option, but the ultimate decision should rest with the person whose life it is.
Thoughts? Comments? Your view?
Double topic post due to gateway timeout on submit - mods, feel free to delete this one - thanks
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Every time an Assisted Dying bill is proposed in parliament the House of Lords rejects it, last one I think was Lord Joffe’s in 2006 and why is that, because the Lords Spiritual consists of 26 bishops.
http://www.churchofengland.org/our-views/the-church-in-parliament/bishops-in-the-house-of-lords.aspx#WhichBishopsbecomeLordsSpiritual
A couple of years ago I read that Dignitas in Switzerland is in fact an empty flat in a seedy little block laden with graffiti, a courier on a bike turns up and gives you the phial and explains after you drink it you’ll die, they charge around £10,000 for this service which has probably gone up. It could be said it doesn’t matter if you’re dying but at that price they’re making a killing in more ways than one.
Real change will come when it is brought about, not by your ego, but by reality.
Tony de Mello
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I accidentally made a duplicate post due to site errors on gateway timeouts - this one is redundant - Could a mod please move lillith's comment to the other thread?
Ta
I have heard people use this argument before, but I really don't see where this fits. I don't think I see any evidence of people being pressured into their right to die.
I know that if I were to be paralyzed from the neck down or have 90% of my body burned away, or something equally horrible, I think that I would want the right to opt out.
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
SHIT.
I thought the other thread had been deleted. Damnit. I posted in the wrong one. Oh well. One beer too many.
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
I'm not particularly comfortable using the topic parser, but I have a solution anyway.
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Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.