Read the link then answer the question..

[DuckiesDarling]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5914526/For-the-love-of-my-mother


Would you do the same in his position?


For me personally, I would have to say yes.

[Gearbox]

NO! Not in either position.

[bityme]

Having had two wives who suffered through cancer and eventually losing them, my answer has to be yes.

I was fortunate that neither of them reached the point of asking me to help them, but if they had, I would have. In both cases, this is something that we discussed and planned for.

Having gone through the experiences I did, if I ever find myself in the position of the patient facing death, I plan to end it myself. I hope to never reach the point where I want to check out but am not able to do it myself.

My family and my fiance all know how I feel, but I hope that I will never reach the point of asking for their help. I wouldn't want them ending up facing criminal charges for having rendered assistance to me. I think we need to revise our system that as part of its recognition of the sanctity of life requires a cancer riddled patient to suffer when they want to die. There is no recognition that the rules were made long before the development of the medical treatment that prolonged their life.

I have attempted to avoid this, in part, by having a formal "Directive to Physicians" that specifically precludes the use of heroic or lifesaving equipment.

Pappy

[Hephaestion]

This is about euthanasia.

When an animal is suffering and beyond recovery then we accord it a merciful death. In our western farming practices we advocate and attempt to practice a humane death.

Why then not for humans where there is absolutley no doubt of the unaided outcome?

[Long Duck Dong]

I know the effects on the body from long term pain and suffering, so yeah, my answer is yes too....

I would have a animal put down to ease its pain and suffering and indeed my sister requested the same of me, when she was dying from aids.... it was a request that torn me apart, I valued my sister so greatly and saying yes, hurt me in ways I never believed possible..... but I also understood why she asked.....

in NZ, its a offense to aid / assist in a suicide ( its not regarded as euthanasia, in legal terms ), tho if it goes to trial, in most cases, the person is found not quilty......

I will not argue the ethics of euthanasia, cos often its the legal terms and other peoples feelings about what is right or wrong, that get argued, not how much suffering is acceptable to put a person through and why it is, that we will argue how torture is wrong, then do the same thing to a person we love.....

[darkeyes]

Would like to think so... me dad has sed when he is too old an dittery an too gaga he thinks he shud be "put down".. I know he has always sed that if he is so ill an in so much distress an pain he will top himself... an if he just isnt able to.. luff that ole bugga that much think I am honour bound 2 help 'im out... my mum, brother and sister all agree.. an stuff the consequences.. watched 'is dad go through hell.. am not lettin' mine go through the same..

Yas rite Heph.. is Euthenasia.. sooner it is legalised the better... so much misery and suffering will be saved..

[Realist]

MY mother died in 2009, after being incapacitated with arthritis and Alzheimer's. She was 93. She had lived the last 12-14 years in serious pain from deteriorating joints. You could actually hear her hips and knees when she'd attempt to walk!

By early 2004, she was lapsing into the darkness of Alzheimer's disease. By late 2004 she didn't know any of her loved ones.

My dad died of a cerebral stroke in 2004.

At his funeral, she asked, "Who died?" Five minutes later, "Who died?" Five minutes later...........

They'd been married 62 years, but she didn't remember who Dad was, didn't recognize me, or my sister. I moved home to help take care of Mom, in early 2008. I was appalled that she'd wake herself up in pain, when she tired to turn over in her sleep. She was in constant pain; the drugs had lost their ability to let her rest, she lost control of her bowels, drooled, asked the same questions over and over again and forgot the answers as soon as she heard them. It was absolutely pitiful!

My mother had always been very independent and I remember her saying many times that she never wanted to be a burden on anyone, especially family members. If it had been legal, when it was determined that her mind was gone and with the knowledge that she was in constant pain, I would have authorized her to be euthanized.

But, that's not legal, here........so Mom had to live out her last years in total confusion and unimaginable pain. It's bad enough to hear of this, but it's terrible for loved ones to witness.

In these cases, the doctors, home care personnel, and the drug companies, make fortunes from these poor, dying persons, while their quality of life is reduced to an existence of mental anguish and pain. The longer they could keep her alive, the longer they can make huge profits. Basically, it's a money-making situation that depends on their ability to keep their patients breathing.

I assure you, it's an extremely lucrative BUSINESS! While many are making fortunes, the patient suffers on and on.............they are the unintentional "Golden eggs"!

[rutemptedalso]

I've watched a few people die. One was had cancer and was begging to die. If it lasted too long I would have to consider it.

[lizard-lix]

I have also watched several loved ones pass.

In the same situation, I would like to think I would have as much love and strength as he did..

I do believe in euthanasia/assisted suicide in situations like that, when life has reached the point where there is no joy, only pain and the inevitable slide downward, we should all have the right to choose to call it over.

[Neonaught]

As a medical professional I have watched dozens of patients dying long, lingering and agonizing deaths. In the final stretch, they could not have asked for a merciful end even if they wanted to. I was struck by the fact that the care I was providing was prolonging their suffering.

I would have done the same as the gentleman in the piece...but I sure as hell wouldn't have publicized my actions like he did. This was a private matter and I'm sure the State would have stayed out of it were it not for the publicity. Governments don't want to encourage unregulated euthanasia but they will often turn a blind eye to it in circustances like this.

[swmnkdinthervr]

A simple yes...

[DuckiesDarling]

As a medical professional I have watched dozens of patients dying long, lingering and agonizing deaths. In the final stretch, they could not have asked for a merciful end even if they wanted to. I was struck by the fact that the care I was providing was prolonging their suffering.

I would have done the same as the gentleman in the piece...but I sure as hell wouldn't have publicized my actions like he did. This was a private matter and I'm sure the State would have stayed out of it were it not for the publicity. Governments don't want to encourage unregulated euthanasia but they will often turn a blind eye to it in circustances like this.

Interesting answer, I mostly agree but thing I thought of when reading the article was that his publishing it let others who may be in the same position someday know that others have been there, no matter what choice they make at least they know they weren't alone on that dark and lonely path. :2cents:

[sammie19]

My Gran's neighbour has recently been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's. She is not well off but her sons are seriously considering clubbing together and raise the funds to pay for her to go to Switzerland so that when the time comes she will be able to end her life at a time of her own choosing before she becomes too much of a burden on those around her.

Recently in a referendum the Swiss decided not to stop non swiss from being able to use swiss law for the purposes of assisted suicide. Swiss law states that assisting a suicide is legal as long as the motive is not selfish.

http://www.exitinternational.net/page/Switzerland

Out of a mistaken and selfish love we often treat those closest to us worse than we would treat a suffering terminally ill animal.

[elian]

I good friend of mine passed away from cancer, at first we thought she was doing really, really well but then it came back unmercifully. She was able to plan for her death in the way this man's mother did, and it actually happened the way she envisioned because the cancer was that quick acting..sad..but at least she met death on her own terms.

This is a horrible story, in more ways than one. The rational, logical side of me says that if she put it in her will that she wanted to die and it was legal for me to do it then I would at least consider it..if she really was bad off and there was no hope for a cure.

This is one of the questions a good friend of mine who is a nursing student got asked by her instructor - and she asked me too. "If someone was dying in the hospital, their death was putting a burden on the family and they wanted to die to alleviate that suffering, would you do it?"

I don't have an answer, if it was only a matter of money, there are ways of getting more money..but if it was a matter of quality of life?? What worries me is that someone who is in a deep depression may see nothing BUT death as an answer, and what if they are wrong?

But in this case, where she can barely eat, no hope of a cure, open sores, constant pain..I would get a group of people together and make a decision..if more than one person said yes, then maybe I wouldn't be the lone person being crucified by the law as an example of what is "moral" .. at least to have a witness to her saying 'Yes, I want to die".

Let's not forget about the "roving death squads" the conservatives trumped up as a boogeyman against universal health care in the US. Imagine that, a panel of people making decisions about whether somebody lives or dies..but wait..isn't that what PRIVATE insurance companies already do WITHOUT being held accountable to anyone?? I'm confused..

-E