Physician Assisted Suicide

I'm in favor. In fact, I've voted in favor of it twice, in the only state in the USA that allows it.

Yes, the laws are tough enough.

There are people that it discriminates against .... people who are mentally incompetent to request the assistance within 6 months of a terminal diagnosis. Even people who have advanced directives can't use the law if they become mentally incompetent before that window. It also discriminates against people who have the mental competence but not the muscle control to swallow the drugs.

I don't know how/if/why nurses would/could have a role.

As a person who quite hopes to die of suicide one day,* I hope to get assistance from a physician when I do. I also hope that my physician won't go to jail for providing it. So yes, it should be allowed. Yes, the laws in most states are too strict (never mind strict enough). No, nobody should be discriminated against. And yes, there's a role for a nurse there---nurses already anesthetize in operatons, so why shouldn't they anesthetize to kill?

_________
* No, I'm not suicidal, thanks for worrying if you did. It's just that we are all going to die someday of something. Among all those possible somethings, I dislike suicide less than most of the alternatives.

After Oregon, the State of Washington has legalized it, too. Good for you West-Coasters.

It sounds like a strain on the practicioner, so I would leave it to the doctors. They get the big bucks, and anyway, they have a stronger national organization behind them.

Yep. I remember when the dentist recommended I have my wisdom teeth removed and my Mom was interviewing oral surgeons, she specifically asked whether they used an anesthesiologist (M.D.) or a nurse anesthetist. She went with the M.D. -- just in case lol.

What Thomas said...with this addition:

If suicide is finally legalized, we don't really need doctors assisting with it. Enterprising individuals will be able to devise reasonable, quick, efficient kits so that the suicide can be accomplished easily and without all the mess of a gunshot to the head.

Means can be devised for people who are physically unable to use the kits to get the assistance of people licensed to do that kind of work.

The ways and means are not really a problem. The bullshit associated with "it is immoral" is the vast majority of what must be overcome so that we can finally get this issue behind us.

Or at least, that is my opinion.

I worked as a nurse for a few years... I was asked MANY times to help people die. Some would tell me that they would save all their meds if I could get them something to stop them from throwing up the day they took them all.
I had many ask me if I could give them someone elses meds....
Even a few who asked me to do some things that were a bit more extreme ( plastic bag/ rubber band..otc sleeping pills)

Some were elaborate in what they wanted.. some very simple.

As i told each one of them.... if it were not for the fact that it is a felony that would put me in jail for life for murder, I would help them. Period.

We make the choice every day to live. We have the power to end our lives at ANY time... there is no need for government, laws or any rules in place there. its no ones business but your own.

yes, your family will have to deal with the aftermath.. but, If I dont want to live... I dont have to and neither does any one else.

Unfortunately , religion wants to peep its head into that subject and make sure to insult the person who chooses to make that decision by calling them immoral, selfish and scared. Damning them to an imaginary hell and otherwise smearing them into the ground with anything they can. Its sad.
I truly believe if people were not made to feel like crap for making that decision, they could have a candid conversation with their families... close up all loose ends... and things could be as simple as possible for everyone involved. But no.. people feel like they have to hide, have to shoot themselves in the head, and other graphic, unnecessary and frankly damaging ( to all living involved) ways.

I have seen someone who shot off their own head. having to be the one who cleaned that up... I was pissed number one. Pills would have been cleaner.... Number 2, everyone who HEARD that shot gun go off and KNEW what happened had a really hard image/day/thought to deal with. 3) If he would have only spoke up... he could have had help.

its a tough issue. I can absolutely understand both sides.... but there ARE people out there ( Myself included) who would have no issue helping people commit suicide which would negate any argument about putting people in a position to DO so.. it really IS a useful assistance to give .
unfortunately.. the only people who understand that, are those much more advanced in their lives..

I have often thought about what people in your position must go through when being asked for help in ending an intolerable situation. It must be hell. Obviously, you shouldn't put yourself in the terrible danger you would by "helping", but I sure would not want ever to be placed in that position.

Unfortunately, many people actually are when loved ones ask for the mercy of death! And many have paid a dear price for their mercy.

it's ridiculous that we can spare the family pet it's suffering, but we let granny rot in the hospital

mandatory assisted suicide for all

okay, maybe not mandatory

Shewolf, will you marry me? (No hidden morbid agenda, honest.)

absolutely.



but.. you have to find your OWN pills...

I dont call it hell.
Remember, i was working with some of these people for YEARS... I saw them walk into a hospital, walk into their own rooms and almost over night, stop walking... have to wear a diaper.. lose their speech, not recognize their children... No. Being asked for help was not hell.
In fact, if I can explain it properly.. i didnt feel ANYTHING that was wrong when asked that. It , to me .. was pretty normal, pretty natural and not anything that rocked me.
When people would ask , I would shut the door and talk with them about it. I wanted to hear what they thought they would do.. WHY they thought they should do it and listen to their outlines for the last part of their lives. A lot of times I could get that random person on the phone that they needed to say something to and it helped.. even though I would not.

I can not lie and say I would NEVER help. If it were not a felony.. if it were not illegal, I would sign up and start doing it now. People know when they want to die no matter what WE think .

I see absolutely nothing wrong with a person ending their lives, but I see a lot wrong with those who want to interfere and tell them they are wrong for wanting to do so. The only emotional reaction I ever had was sadness. Sadness because what they were requesting was perfectly fine and something that COULD be done.. and if they could have done it them selves.. they would have.

i think.... being to the point where I have to ASK for help for something that private would be more hell than most anything else...

but i do understand what you are saying and yes.. there are people who being asked that simple of a question would devastate them for life. Not all people can look at a situation like that with out putting their own emotions on the front burner and trying to make the situation comfortable for THEM despite what the other person may need. Being able to do that is not easy especially when dealing with death.

I hope you understood that I called it Hell, Shewolf, it was because your hands were tied and it was difficult to give them the help they deserved and had every right to request.

We shoot horses, don't we! We put beloved pets down out of love and compassion.

But our hands are tied when a loved one needs that final assist. To help them and have it discovered could mean time in prison.

It sucks.

At some point, we have to turn the tables on whatever is keeping us in this ridiculous predicament.

Yes, it does suck, Frank.
That one can put a dearly loved pet out of its pain & misery, but one could become a "criminal" if the same compassion was applied to a fellow human being.

Me, I hope (& well before I decide I've had enough), that the means of ending one's own life will not be dependent any any physician's say so .... or put any loved one, or anyone else, in such a terrible position.

I'd hope that the means will be made available to ourselves to end our own lives when we have had enough.

That may be an optimistic position I'm advocating .... but who else should be in the position to make that decision? We should be in a position to gently & painlessly take our own lives & take full responsibility for doing so, surely?

ahhh.. sorry. I misunderstood what you meant when you said hell.
I was assuming you meant that it was hell to BE asked..

gotcha.

there are a few things that I know I will end my own life over no matter what. Number one being diagnosed with alzheimers. In fact I dont know how long after that diagnosis I would want to stay around because you lose so much so fast that you just slip away with no power and no memory..

Terminal cancer would be number 2. So long as it does not attack my brain, I will spend the rest of my life living as foolishly as i can until I can no longer function. I will tell EVERYONE in my life what I plan on doing so that they can all gather, say what they need and party over me while i am still living.

And .. its subject to the circumstance .. but if my kids died.. all at once, freak accident or something, I dont know that i would want to live through that either.

The means are already there and people end their lives every day. I don't see why we need a law or a physician to assist, unless we're actually physically incapable of taking pills and swallowing them.

My former MIL had a heart attack at age 85 and had a DNR bracelet on. The paramedics revived her and boy was she pissed. Now that pissed me off! Complete disrespect for her wishes. You are allowed to have a DNR request, so why didn't they respect that? My current MIL is a sweetie (age 87) and she's told me a few times she's tired of living and is ready to go. She is a lively, sentient person, but she has lived longer than most of us and she knows what she wants. If I were there when she had a heart attack and she asked me not to help her, I'd go for a walk and tell them I wasn't there at the time.

When I get to that point, I'm going to have DO NOT RESUSCITATE (sp?) tattooed right across my chest in large font And if someone ignores it, I'll give them a severe tongue-lashing and possibly a box on the ears.

I have end-of-life plans in the eventuality that I wind up with Alzheimer's or a terminal, painful cancer and nobody's going to stop me. My kids already know this, as well.

This is none of the government's business and the whole idea that it's 'illegal' is laughable to the extreme.

I think ordinary people may screw up the effort. They may think taking a bunch of pills will accomplish the suicide and only manage to make themselves vegetables. Having professionals give advice--and even assist in some way--seems reasonable to me.

That's what I was referring to when I said I hoped that the means (of ending our own lives) will be made available to ourselves.
Taking on the responsibility ourselves, so expert or other assistance is no longer a necessity.