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Make no mistake, if we have a system that kills patients then we ARE going to kill ones who don't want to die, no matter what safeguards are put in place. That's just how it goes; systems are not perfect and never will be.

But then, having a system where we refuse to kill people leads to many being forced to live who don't want to, often in considerable distress and pain. Is that any better?

I don't know if it's better - but the doctor shouldn't be dragged into that decision. If a person wants to end their lives, then so be it. The doctor should not be involved.

Why not? On a volunteer basis, whats the difference? If the patients doc isn't willing, then just call in a "specialist" that is?

Doctor or other specialist, doesn't matter. Either way, you're tasking a person to accomplish the death of another person, outside of warfare or self-defense. That's murder.

Mikey wrote:Doctor or other specialist, doesn't matter. Either way, you're tasking a person to accomplish the death of another person, outside of warfare or self-defense. That's murder.

Currently, obviously the law would have to be changed to allow such a system.

IanKennedy wrote:

Mikey wrote:Doctor or other specialist, doesn't matter. Either way, you're tasking a person to accomplish the death of another person, outside of warfare or self-defense. That's murder.

Currently, obviously the law would have to be changed to allow such a system.

Unless you happen to be Swiss.

My 18 year old cousin commited suicide a couple of years ago, he had the world ahead of him but "things" obviously got on top of him. I will admit I didn't know him well but I am incredibly sorry I didn't get to know him better. I know he was an intelligent young man but I do think he was an idiot to give up so easily, life is painful but its also beautiful. Thats my 2 cents.

Unfortunately, clinical depression is more than just sadness or a passing inability to "see the brighter side of things." It's a disease which causes one to indeed be able to see what the future holds - it's all just bad stuff. I don't think he "gave up," though some therapeutic schools do include the "suck it up and deal" approach - probably more for shock value than anything else. Trying to convince someone with depression to look at the great things the future might hold is like trying to convince a fish to stop swimming... it's not a matter of won't, it's a matter of can't. That's why all the AA-based programs include the philosophy of "one day at a time;" because if someone with an overwhelming psychological burden - like addiction or depression - looks much farther than that, it's an inducement to disconnect, not to reconnect.

I'm personally an advocate of choice. The risks are always that the person will not be in the right frame of mind to make a decision, and the person may well have had potential but ultimately its not my choice to make, its his/hers. A very callous part of me says that if they terminate themselves while under an influence of something...well it isn't going to matter, since they won't be able to change their mind anyway. I know, thats a horrible outlook but...Ultimately if they are uncomfortable enough with life or the way they are living, it should be their choice to do with their own lives as they wish. Their life is their own, and should not be under anyone elses dominion.

I'm with Reliant on this one. And honestly I don't even see it as that selfish. Yeah it sucks if someone wants to kill themselves but its their choice. I'm not really against it. Also no one mentioned suicide for honorable reasons. Mark kind of brushed up on it but if you did something really horrible you should take the honorable way out. Maybe I was a Samauri in a past life but someone that royally screwed up and embarassed his family should off themselves.

I'd be careful on that one, because I dont feel that everyone should feel some strange moral obligation. "I killed someone so I must die to" or "I slept around, so I must die to". For a start one of my greatest friends in the universe would be dead, and it was of no fault of his own. However, should the person in question feel the need to die honourably then, fine by me, up to them.

Monroe wrote:I'm with Reliant on this one. And honestly I don't even see it as that selfish. Yeah it sucks if someone wants to kill themselves but its their choice. I'm not really against it. Also no one mentioned suicide for honorable reasons. Mark kind of brushed up on it but if you did something really horrible you should take the honorable way out. Maybe I was a Samauri in a past life but someone that royally screwed up and embarassed his family should off themselves.

There's nothing honourable about killing yourself because you did something dishonourable. The honourable way is not to do the bad thing in the first place, the rest is just being too cowardly to face the consequences of your actions. That is it's self is dishonourable.

I see more honour in the person owning up his mistakes, then doing their utmost to make amends for it.

Reliant121 wrote:I see more honour in the person owning up his mistakes, then doing their utmost to make amends for it.

Yes, rather than just hiding from the issue by killing themselves.

Offing yourself is almost never the utmost you can do to make amends. In fact its just about useless to everyone.