Should a person with terminal illness be able to end their own life ?

[GG_nick]

Ahhh this is a very sensitive topic and can quickly become a very heated discussion. Correct about some countries that allow mercy killing through euthanasia. This allows people to decide if they want to carry on with their life despite being in so much pain or having a terminal illness. For other countries that do not have this option, a sick person, especially one who can fall into a coma anytime or get a fatal attack, they can sign a DNR or Do not resuscitate that will allow natural death to happen.

And yes, under certain circumstances, I believe that a person who is in their right mind should be able to decide if he/she and family should still keep on fighting the fight.

[Scoobers]

Having watched my Father die slowly from cancer recently, I certainly think that this should be open to discussion between immediately family and the person concerned.

[Mariksa]

I think it would be even harder for your family if you kill yourself in this situation. They might blame themselves for your death, that they didn't look after you as they should have or something like that. All their lives they will have thoughts that you could have gotten better then.
You never know what will happen in your life. Maybe a sick person will get better? Or maybe he won't. It is not what we know. So in my opinion, it is better to stay in this life for as long as you live.

[tinyblue]

I once had an operation and for some reason, for weeks after I just felt the most absolute depression imaginable. It's was very interesting. Luckily it left, but I cannot imagine a person having to live with such a feeling.

Your friend's mom was suffering, it's only natural to want to see her suffering end.

[p4npos]

This is a very debateable topic. Health is a very beautiful thing. We should be thankful for it. I think that the entire decision should depend upon the patient himself. We all should realize that illness makes a man go crazy. We should be caring for the ill people.

[m.roth]

Nobody has the right to take life. If it is their own life or that of another persons life under no circumstances. Terminal illness do not give anybody the mandate to take life until nature takes it's course.Miracles do happen everyday and a ternlnally ill person can recover .

And why not? even if miracles happen, it is for the individual to decide if he believes in miracles or not.  But everyone should decide about his life for himself, ill or not! Even if you want to prevent those people from going to hell, we should interfere less with things which are non of our concern.

[SkyFlakes]

I believe that a person with terminal illness should not end their own life. First is that I also believe that we dont have the right to take away our own life. Yes ut would be drastic, but if we would just keep our faith on whoever god we believe to, then we would love to libe everyday. I believe that every struggles that we encounter is just for us tp be strong not be weak to just end our life. And for those who don't suffer like those, let's all be caring and understanding on what they are facing.

[KirunBarber]

condolences to your brother or friend ..
a destiny is very unexpected, today or tomorrow we can die. but do not make this make us not perfect, our job is life. as best we can, struggling without despair.
humans are given the brain to think, positive thinking moves forward with confidence.
and in the end God will understand what we want ...
good luck friend ....

[BADecker]

Why do people always bring God in to discussions like this? Your belief in a God should not allow you to dictate what others can do with their bodies.

We accept that forcing animals to live in constant pain is inhumane, but we don't extend the same reasoning to humans? Makes no sense, in my opinion.

Provided the person in question can prove they are of sound mind, or have a valid advanced directive, they should be allowed to die with some dignity.

The major reason why God is important is this. Nobody knows for a fact that God and His Bible are not the real thing.

If God is real, then it is important to follow what He says.

Got says to repent from unbelief in what He says - Jesus salvation - and from evil. Murder, even if it is self-murder, is evil. If a person commits the evil of self-murder, he might not have enough time to repent if he thinks better of it. So, it becomes an unforgiven sin in the eyes of God... a lasting imperfection. In eternity, the person will be thrown into Hell.

But even if self-murder is not a sin somehow, or is something that God condones in certain circumstances, there is, in the least, plenty of Biblical evidence that it might be totally wrong. Better to be safe than sorry.

Now, if anyone can prove that God doesn't exist, it's a different story. But the fact of the machine-like universe essentially proves that God exists. Machines have makers.

God is important in everything, but especially important in this because of the lasting effects of death. Not believing God doesn't make Him to not exist.

[BADecker]

Of course. If you have a dying animal, you'd be arrested for animal cruelty if you don't put it out of its misery. Yet for some reason some people insist that humans in that position should be forced to continue suffering. I won't even pretend to understand what goes on in the twisted mind of someone who would wish further suffering on the sick and dying.

People aren't animals. People are not wishing pain on someone else. Following God's command to not murder, just might be the thing that keeps a person out of eternal suffering in Hell.

[Impulseboy]

I think that everyone has a choice, or at least should have a choice on what they want to do with their life and their body. A few years ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with Lung Cancer and her children all wanted her to get chemotherapy and radiation but she refused any form of treatment. She told them to just let her die because she does not want them to lose money. Sadly, she passed away a couple of months later. It was hard for the entire family, but in the end it was her choice to not get treatment. Even though it was hard, we all know that she is at peace now.

The point is that life is short and that each of us has freewill to do whatever we want with our body and life. Whether it is refusing treatment and awaiting death, or trying to save our lives through treatments or technological singularity.

[BADecker]

If you don't have the ability, you don't have that kind of choice.

You might request it of others, or you might wish it, but if you can't do it, you have to depend on the response of others.

Is this thread really about your choice? Is it about your wish? Is it about your ability?

If you really have the ability, and you really wish it, you will do it. Otherwise you either don't have the ability, or you aren't really wishing it.

Maybe this thread is about how to get others to do for you, something that you are not willing to do for yourself.

[yatsey87]

I don't think this should be a choice based on anyone else but the individual person who is actually suffering. I've often seen a lot of people say that suicide is selfish, but I don't think it is, especially if you're truly suffering (and possibly already dying anyway), but you shouldn't have to keep yourself alive just for the benefit of your family who will miss you. I find that is selfish on their part.

Something that has always confused me though is the people who may or may not be terminally ill and/or those that have a very serious illness that makes their life misery who go to places like Dignitas to end their own life when they have the ability to do it themselves. I thought euthanasia clinics like Dignitas were for those people who were disabled or so ill that they were physically unable to take their own life, so need assistance, and they travel to Switzerland because assisted suicide is illegal in their own country and anyone who helps them there can possibly be charged with some sort of manslaughter or even murder.

There's a couple of videos of people on youtube who went to Dignitas and they were all seemingly able bodied and fully functional (even though they had illnesses that made their quality of life very low):

Michèle Causse : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfyxUO4ZsDo
Peter Smedley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXgkNxqYYQQ

Why didn't they just take an overdose at home or something?

[UconBit]

Yes. Definitely. We even put down our pets when they are terminally ill because we do not want them to suffer and want them to have a dignified death. Why can't we have the same option as well? Even if there are already studies to be digitally immortal, people who consider embracing it still question if there is an option to have their life ended just in case they want to end their immortality. We should all have that option.