Do the Terminally Ill Have a Right to Die?

Originally posted by sugarcookie1

Originally posted by die_another_day
mom told me to get her euthanized if she ever gets hemiparesis (runs in the family(.

Thank you for your post

The problem is, she's actually serious. She doesn't want to give the family trouble after seeing the previous generation suffering.

Originally posted by die_another_day

Originally posted by sugarcookie1

Originally posted by die_another_day
mom told me to get her euthanized if she ever gets hemiparesis (runs in the family(.

Thank you for your post

The problem is, she's actually serious. She doesn't want to give the family trouble after seeing the previous generation suffering.

Im sure she is serious, and what is hemiparesis and what are your feelings about it all?

Your all missing an important point. The dieing patient wants to commit suicide. Who carries the burden of killing him or her. What if the patient cannot push buttons. No one wants to live a life actually doing work where they kill people. People need to understand this aspect and no one here is talking about it. So what the patient dies but someone did it and its not fair on that person is it ?

reply to post by shroudnews77


I guess the doctors do it.

Originally posted by sugarcookie1

Originally posted by die_another_day

Originally posted by sugarcookie1

Originally posted by die_another_day
mom told me to get her euthanized if she ever gets hemiparesis (runs in the family(.

Thank you for your post

The problem is, she's actually serious. She doesn't want to give the family trouble after seeing the previous generation suffering.

Im sure she is serious, and what is hemiparesis and what are your feelings about it all?

It's paralysis of half the body. The family actually have vegetables as well.

How would you feel? Would you take care of a parent who can't even speak let alone move for 10-20 years? Is it better to end their life?

All this reminds of Terry Schaivo

Originally posted by sugarcookie1
reply to post by matrix99

 

never asked for your approval,I ask for opinions

You may not have asked, but that's what it'll all come down to. Special interest groups first want tolerance, then it grows into the rest of society being compelled to celebrate their issue. Don't believe me? Look at the gay issue.

Originally posted by die_another_day

Originally posted by sugarcookie1

Originally posted by die_another_day

Originally posted by sugarcookie1

Originally posted by die_another_day
mom told me to get her euthanized if she ever gets hemiparesis (runs in the family(.

Thank you for your post

The problem is, she's actually serious. She doesn't want to give the family trouble after seeing the previous generation suffering.

Im sure she is serious, and what is hemiparesis and what are your feelings about it all?

It's paralysis of half the body. The family actually have vegetables as well.

How would you feel? Would you take care of a parent who can't even speak let alone move for 10-20 years? Is it better to end their life?

All this reminds of Terry Schaivo

edit on 4/5/2011 by die_another_day because: (no reason given)

She needs a living will stateing what she wants..If a family member helps her to pass on they could be up on murder charges its against the law as I'm sure you already know..I don't know what to tell you..maybe you should sit down and talk to your mom about some of the things your bringing up that bother you comunicacion is a good thing and maybe she should talk to her doctor also..I don't know what advice to give you the Terry Schaivo case was a sad one i believe the Dr's should have done something better then let her die of thirst but that was a choice her husband made as you know her parents fought it to the end they wanted her to live i had a hard time watching all that on the news...hugs to you..

Originally posted by sugarcookie1

Originally posted by GypsK
this reminds me of a dutch documentary they showed on tv a couple of weeks ago.
It was about a young man who had cancer since age 17, I think he was 21 when he died from cancer. The journalist followed him in his last year.
He still lived at home with his parents and brother. He knew the last weeks of his life where going to be very painfull, but he also knew that his family wasn't ready to let him go. In stead of choosing death, he chose for sleep. A doctor assisted him in the whole process.

At his own home, he was put to sleep in his own bed. Each day the doctor would come by to give him more drugs that would keep him asleep and free from the pain. The boy specifically asked that he didn't want to wake up anymore and this would be continued untill his body desided it wanted to die. The family sat by his bed every day to watch him sleep peacefully and had a chance to come to terms with it all and say their goodbuys, untill eventuelly, he died.


I think his idea for choosing sleep was a good choice I'm sure that let the family see he wasn't in pain in his last days just in deep slumber till he passed and that would help the family come to terms with his leaving..thanks for posting this..

The boy himself was against euthenasia so he came up with the above because he didn't want to live on in so much pain either.

Thanks for referring to the story of Bart Verbeeck as presented in the documentary made by Phara De Aguire for VRT, the Flemish Television (so, while the language used is indeed Dutch (or the local version thereof), the documentary isn't Dutch).

Entering the following URL in Youtube leads to some videos that contain parts of the documentary:
www.youtube.com...

Everyone has a right to self-terminate. Don't believe it just extends to the "terminally ill" unless you include those with unberable emotional issues as well, but I do believe that should a person come to the final decision to step off this mortal coil they are obligated to do so in a way that doesn't endager the lives of others. Should it come to it for myself, I have a plan, and it ensures that no other person should have to risk they're own life in an attempt to prolong my own. If this is a question of your own mortality, never take the final decision without talking with the person you trust most in this life, or the spiritual guide you have the most reverence for. Anyway thats the way I see it. it's between you and your creator however you may see it.

Originally posted by CosmosKid
Everyone has a right to self-terminate. Don't believe it just extends to the "terminally ill" unless you include those with unberable emotional issues as well, but I do believe that should a person come to the final decision to step off this mortal coil they are obligated to do so in a way that doesn't endager the lives of others. Should it come to it for myself, I have a plan, and it ensures that no other person should have to risk they're own life in an attempt to prolong my own. If this is a question of your own mortality, never take the final decision without talking with the person you trust most in this life, or the spiritual guide you have the most reverence for. Anyway thats the way I see it. it's between you and your creator however you may see it.

agree with they are obligated to do so in a way that doesn't endanger the lIves of others i would never want any of my family involved in any part of me doing anything like that and Ive had a few family members step up and say id help..no way would i want any one of them up on murder charges over me..Thanks so much for your post

Originally posted by NeverSleepingEyes

Originally posted by sugarcookie1

Originally posted by GypsK
this reminds me of a dutch documentary they showed on tv a couple of weeks ago.
It was about a young man who had cancer since age 17, I think he was 21 when he died from cancer. The journalist followed him in his last year.
He still lived at home with his parents and brother. He knew the last weeks of his life where going to be very painfull, but he also knew that his family wasn't ready to let him go. In stead of choosing death, he chose for sleep. A doctor assisted him in the whole process.

At his own home, he was put to sleep in his own bed. Each day the doctor would come by to give him more drugs that would keep him asleep and free from the pain. The boy specifically asked that he didn't want to wake up anymore and this would be continued untill his body desided it wanted to die. The family sat by his bed every day to watch him sleep peacefully and had a chance to come to terms with it all and say their goodbuys, untill eventuelly, he died.


I think his idea for choosing sleep was a good choice I'm sure that let the family see he wasn't in pain in his last days just in deep slumber till he passed and that would help the family come to terms with his leaving..thanks for posting this..

The boy himself was against euthenasia so he came up with the above because he didn't want to live on in so much pain either.

Thanks for referring to the story of Bart Verbeeck as presented in the documentary made by Phara De Aguire for VRT, the Flemish Television (so, while the language used is indeed Dutch (or the local version thereof), the documentary isn't Dutch).

Entering the following URL in Youtube leads to some videos that contain parts of the documentary:
www.youtube.com...

Thank you so much for the extra videos!

reply to post by sugarcookie1


You are welcome. That is the whole thing though isn't it. People who don't need to choose just don't have the right to make a judgment over those who do.

Originally posted by Lebowski achiever
reply to post by sugarcookie1

 

You are welcome. That is the whole thing though isn't it. People who don't need to choose just don't have the right to make a judgment over those who do.

That's very true Lebowski, most have no idea what its like to walk in our shoes its a very difficult decision your lucky to live were you can make the choice were I'm at there choices make it impossible..My belief is..No government, religion or creed should be permitted to interfere with this ultimate personal decision.

I've never understood why we put dogs, horses, etc out of their misery because it's the "humane" thing to do- yet we don't afford human beings the same dignity........

reply to post by sugarcookie1

I am sorry to hear that you are in a similar predicament. I hope you want to share what is going on with you?

allow me to trow in a personal anecdote:

Over 10 years ago, my father died.
4 months before his death, the diagnosis was stated: a very rare cancer
(to give an idea: in the chinese population only 4 similar cases were documented)
no chance for recovery whatsoever

Luckily he found a bed in an hospice (if there are angels, they must be the people who work there).
I spent every single minute with him and my mother (they were divorced, but hey, that's how things work, sometimes).

The first day in the hospice he asked me to help him to get euthanasia.
Where I reside that's a legal option under very strict conditions (too strict for me but then again I can understand the importance to build in safety guards in order to stop greedy people from killing the weak).
Although the conditions foreseen by this law weren't met at all, I managed to get the doctors in line.

At the same time, he was shown a big syringe with an even bigger needle and was told how he would die.
The options weren't too nice to deal with, but that's reality, isn't it? He would either suffocate or bleed to death (the tumor was between his pulmonary artery and his trachea and was growing fast.

Then he was reassured that when the moment of dying was very close, that syringe was going to prevent him from suffering.

In the meantime, huge doses of morphine were administered. Actually he was given stuff so he could change doses himself. It broke my heart to see his mind disappear but while this happened, the pain went as well and he wasn't so scared anymore.

What suprised me was that after that moment, when he felt reassured, he never asked for euthanasia again (much to my relief as I didn't want to create a context that was potentially hurting my doctors).

One week after entering the hospice my father started dying for the first time. It was on Eastern day, he was sitting in a seat and "just went". My mother, who was a nurse all her life, recognized what was happening and in a reflex smacked him in the face. His dying stopped, he returned and started to make stupid jokes.

Yet another week later, blood appeared on his lips and the staff took that as a sign that the tumor took the pulmonary artery and administered the syringe. In normal circumstances he would have been death in 2 hours, but a triple bypass kept his heart running for another 24 hours.

I am glad to be part of a society where people are granted the right to die in peace. I am so sorry to see that still huge groups of people feel they have the right to tell others what to do (even if they don't impact anyone else). There used to be a time when I was optimistic and naive enough to believe in the end reason would win. Reason never wins. Fear wins.

And we all die.

Originally posted by shroudnews77
Your all missing an important point. The dieing patient wants to commit suicide. Who carries the burden of killing him or her. What if the patient cannot push buttons. No one wants to live a life actually doing work where they kill people. People need to understand this aspect and no one here is talking about it. So what the patient dies but someone did it and its not fair on that person is it ?

My grandmother before she died asked of me, if she falls down infront of me and she is dying dont call the ambulance until im dead. Well guess what.
She did fall, and i didnt call. My granny died. And to this day i do not regret the choice me and my grandma made.
I could not see her in the hospital again. She lived at her house attached to an oxygen tank, and there she would be for the rest of her life.
And all she wanted was to die with dignity. We couldnt see her in the hospital again with all those tubes sticking out of her. We couldnt see my beautiful grandma go through all that again.
I love my grandma, always will.
I have never felt i have done the wrong thing.
Yes it broke my heart, and yes it was hard. But it was harder seeing her struggling everyday.
My granny is at peace now.

Originally posted by shroudnews77
Your all missing an important point. The dieing patient wants to commit suicide. Who carries the burden of killing him or her. What if the patient cannot push buttons. No one wants to live a life actually doing work where they kill people. People need to understand this aspect and no one here is talking about it. So what the patient dies but someone did it and its not fair on that person is it ?

Good question, and without taking credit or blame, it is the nurse that gives the medications while in a hospital. So have I felt as though my actions killed people?? Well yes in a way. I was the one administering medications per doctor order based off of patient and family request........being a nurse and helping a patient die is what we do.....helping a patient heal is what we do....helping a family cope is what we do.....it is our calling to serve a higher purpose no matter the outcome, for life or death......it is what I do....

reply to post by Lebowski achiever


check your msgs please

Originally posted by NeverSleepingEyes
allow me to trow in a personal anecdote:

Over 10 years ago, my father died.
4 months before his death, the diagnosis was stated: a very rare cancer
(to give an idea: in the chinese population only 4 similar cases were documented)
no chance for recovery whatsoever

Luckily he found a bed in an hospice (if there are angels, they must be the people who work there).
I spent every single minute with him and my mother (they were divorced, but hey, that's how things work, sometimes).

The first day in the hospice he asked me to help him to get euthanasia.
Where I reside that's a legal option under very strict conditions (too strict for me but then again I can understand the importance to build in safety guards in order to stop greedy people from killing the weak).
Although the conditions foreseen by this law weren't met at all, I managed to get the doctors in line.

At the same time, he was shown a big syringe with an even bigger needle and was told how he would die.
The options weren't too nice to deal with, but that's reality, isn't it? He would either suffocate or bleed to death (the tumor was between his pulmonary artery and his trachea and was growing fast.

Then he was reassured that when the moment of dying was very close, that syringe was going to prevent him from suffering.

In the meantime, huge doses of morphine were administered. Actually he was given stuff so he could change doses himself. It broke my heart to see his mind disappear but while this happened, the pain went as well and he wasn't so scared anymore.

What suprised me was that after that moment, when he felt reassured, he never asked for euthanasia again (much to my relief as I didn't want to create a context that was potentially hurting my doctors).

One week after entering the hospice my father started dying for the first time. It was on Eastern day, he was sitting in a seat and "just went". My mother, who was a nurse all her life, recognized what was happening and in a reflex smacked him in the face. His dying stopped, he returned and started to make stupid jokes.

Yet another week later, blood appeared on his lips and the staff took that as a sign that the tumor took the pulmonary artery and administered the syringe. In normal circumstances he would have been death in 2 hours, but a triple bypass kept his heart running for another 24 hours.

I am glad to be part of a society where people are granted the right to die in peace. I am so sorry to see that still huge groups of people feel they have the right to tell others what to do (even if they don't impact anyone else). There used to be a time when I was optimistic and naive enough to believe in the end reason would win. Reason never wins. Fear wins.

And we all die.

Im very sorry to hear about your dad and his passing i know that must have been very hard and your very right we all die sooner or later...