Euthanasia

[Fuzzbucket]

No, I know what the intent is. And for those who need palliative care, that's great. I wouldn't wish a painful death on anyone (even on myself.) But far too often we are told that if palliative care were taken more seriously, those of us who are quite sunny about dying when the time comes wouldn't want to die after all, so there would be no need for euthanasia.. That it is so wonderful that we will be glad of it and not wish ourselves dead. Not so.  There comes a time when one may want an end to life - even a life of the "quality" offered by good palliative care. I would be very likely to commit suicide at the point when palliative care became necessary. It may be good - but the chances of it offering the kind of life I value would be very small indeed.

 

As I said in another thread, where I - among others - was lauding the state of Oregon for making euthanasia easier:

 

No-one has the right  to say what I can do with my own body.) If I have cancer - am I also to be forced to have chemo because life is precious ? Am I to have "life-saving" surgery because my life must be preserved - even if I don't want it to be ? That's a slippery slope too. How long would you (generic !)  FORCE people to live when they don't want to do that any more ? Are you saying my poor mother, who longs to die, shouldn't be allowed to stop eating (she almost has) just because her life is so precious to you - who have never met her ?

 

What right has anyone to determine the lives of anyone but themselves ?

 

What right has anyone to take away the choices of others who don't happen to agree with them ?

 

Way to go Oregon for allowing that choice to be made. (and yes, by relatives too; my family all know that if I EVER wake up to find that they were offered the choice to pull the plug on me and didn't say yes, pull it - their lives will not be worth living. For me, NOTHING is worth the risk of ending up in PVS or incapacitated in major ways. And far too many places WILL keep someone alive who has no actual consciousness, because life is precious. Thank you, no.

[hazeh]

I will always believe that euthanasia ("medically-assisted suicide") will always be a necessity, as it comes with freedom of medical choice. Having grown up with medical professionals as parents, I would always hear stories about families that kept people alive when they were suffering and the patient was begging them not to. No one should have that choice but the person themselves, imo. 

 

Good on Oregon for giving people their freedom back. 

[blah]

I listened to my grandmother pray in the bathroom for two years as she was begging God to please take her away. She suffered from severe dementia and while her body was still working okay, absolutely everything had become a chore for her, be it taking a shower, cutting her nails, getting dressed, getting up or sitting down... As a result she sat in front of the tv all day long until she was finally tired enough to go to bed. It was painful to watch but we never found anything to make it easier for her. Taking her to sit outside so she got some sunshine and could listen to the birds - with no distractions she only remembered that she wasn't doing well. Just chatting to her was exhausting for her because she couldn't follow even the simplest conversations (like what I had for breakfast or that I did the laundry earlier). Going on walks was painful for her feet, her hips, her knees, her back... taking her out for ice cream or the hairdresser was no fun at all because she only found it humiliating. She also always need a toilet nearby and hated it. She mostly didn't like her favorite foods anymore. The only thing she ever ate anymore was sandwiches with cheese or jam, anything else tasted funny to her and she was never hungry or thirsty. All of her friends and siblings were already dead and it made her feel anxious. 

 

We were very lucky that we had taken her to a notary and officially had my mother and aunt appointed as her caregivers and that she'd also specified very clearly that she did not wish any form of life prolonging measures. The only thing she wanted was fluids so she wouldn't die of thirst. It helped with our guilt and sadness and we could let her go easily when she finally had a stroke. So yeah, I'm all for it.

[Sazandora]

I have a grandmother who suffered from brain hemorrhage shortly after my grandfather died. This happened around 11 years or so ago, and she's still with us but has gone mostly blind (I think?) and generally seems to have difficulties even knowing what the heck is going on around her, like often mistaking my dad (her own son) to being one of her old friends from her youth or some other totally different person, so that my dad has to correct her and remind her who exactly he is. And every time we go see her, he has to do that several times in a single hour. I feel nothing but pity for my grandma as she's said in her more lucid moments how tired of life she is and she wonders how much time she still has left in this world, on the outside my dad seems to not really mind these visits but I can't help but to feel it's all taking a toll on him, too. I pity my old grandma so much and I just wish she could be freed and be reunited with her husband once more.

And to make matters worse, my absolute scumbag of an uncle shamelessly takes advantage of her dementia to steal money from her as she can't even manage that properly anymore.

 

So yeah, I'm strongly pro-euthanasia. I sure as hell don't want to live a life like that if I ever reach that age (unlikely).

Edited March 30, 2019 by Sazandora
what

[Fuzzbucket]

Why doesn't someone take over her power of attorney ? I'rn my mother's and no-one but me (and my partner, who she also named when she set up a Lasting POA years ago) can get at it at all.

 

Or has he already got it ?

 

Well, she can get at one of her accounts if she likes - I didn't want to take that from her  as she isn't dementing - but she never does as she never leaves her room these days.

[HeatherMarie]

I am very very strongly of the opinion that no one should be *forced* to live a horrible-quality life. No one should be forced to live, period. Life is a very very personalized thing... Some people have wonderful lives filled with people they love and situations that make them happy. Those people often can't understand the concept of not wanting to live. But some people's lives consist almost exclusively of pain, whether mental or physical... Sometimes there comes a point when you just say enough is enough, life is *not* worth living anymore. It honestly scares me, in a very personal way, to think of the possibility of not being able to say enough is enough, of being *forced* to live day after day in a state of constant agony... It's a really scary thought. 

 

[Fuzzbucket]

As far as I'm concerned it doesn't have to be any kind of state of agony. My mother isn't in pain; she is just very bored, lonely, and has had enough.

[Husky51]

On 3/31/2019 at 4:15 AM, Fuzzbucket said:

As far as I'm concerned it doesn't have to be any kind of state of agony. My mother isn't in pain; she is just very bored, lonely, and has had enough.

I agree with your statement, 100%, Fuzzbucket.