Assisted dying discussion

Yearbyred said:
Yes it’s still an option. My mum was on “end of life care” back on August when they stopped all treatment and food and water.

I had 6 days visiting her and watched her slowly fade away. Incredibly difficult when you know they have no chance to pull through and you are just waiting for the end. Had lots of discussions with doctors, nurses and other staff on assisted dying during those days at mums bedside too.

What I learnt from the experience of both my brother and mum is that I’m not afraid of dying, I’m afraid of suffering.
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That's a powerful statement yearby...really impactive and thanks for sharing
 
GazC_MFC said:
As someone who lost their mam to suicide, battling lupus all her life I think the option of assisted death would have had a discussion point for the family. My man lived 2 hours away, locked away her problems and stuggles to get the correct help. If she told us that she wanted to end it legally, it would have done one 2 things I imagine

1. prolonged her life as it prompted the right help

or

2. Helped the family understand the pain she was in and help accept the death (still struggle 10 years on)
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Thanks gaz...that is a very moving sad story and one of the many reasons that i/we hope this bill becomes law
 
Ziggy said:
Yes and Yes.
Based on a negative and a positive event. My mother living, in pain, well beyond the time she wanted too.
The positive. A friend’s uplifting story of being with his wife’s family ( she’s Dutch) when saying goodbye to her father.
Although those two events just confirmed my long held belief.
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Thanks ziggy appreciate that)
 
tripleheader said:
Should be a personal choice, made, recorded and witnessed by a doctor and legal person after you have been assessed as being of sound mind.
I remember watching that TV prog. showing the very personal process the Campbell soup heir went through to end his life with the assisted suicide programme they sought abroad. The measured discussions he and his wife had, amazing. He didn't want her to see the hurt of his painful dying, she loved him so much and didn't want to see him suffer.
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One of the indignities of travelling abroad is that people are having to end their lives earlier than they would like because they need to be well enough to travel to dignitas... so that is just another cruel twist of the knife to that person's and their family
Hopefully this bill will become law and people will have the dignity of choosing to die in their own homes when they feel ready and wirh their loved ones around them.
 
BoroMart said:
Having watched my wife in severe pain for the last 6 weeks of her life, listening to her saying she's done, she wants to go. Watching her suffer for absolutely no gain to anyone. I just don't see why people shouldn't have the right to choose when to go.

Safeguards can be created, mental health checks, but if people are already terminal then morally it should have been no one elses business but my wifes, but some moral code created by grey men in grey suits says she had to suffer.

I'm 100% behind assisted dying, with the correct safeguards, of secondary medical prognosis of terminal, mental health checks, validation of no coercion, protection of life insurance status (because we know what they'll bloody do to gain more profit).
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Cheers boro mart....a painful story to recount but one of the many reasons why the law needs to respond to societys changing mood about this topic...it needs open and honest people like you to be able to get behind it
Please consider joining assisted dying in the UK on Facebook and getting behind it thank you mate and bless her
 
Given the demographic of the board I suspect most of us have a story to tell that is pertinent to this subject.

I, like most, am in favour of this in principle. However I suspect should it ever pass into law there is a bumpy road ahead whilst unintended consequences get ironed out.

Person a qualifies whilst person b doesn't, for example. What role would family play in this decision making process, as they shouldn't have any role, in my opinion.

What about younger people who are terminally ill.

It's a bit of a minefield for a government which I suspect is why it has never been tackled. You don't lose seats by doing nothing.

The right people would have to be involved in creating the framework and that should be a mix of healrhcare professionals, legal professionals and both advocates and adversaries of the idea. People who have lived through the trauma of not having this option should also be listened to, on both sides of the argument. People who are suffering now should be listened to also.

I am thankful I won't be involved in framingthis legislation should it pass.

One final point, just because its difficult doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, but we need to tread very lightly.
 
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I would vote yes for this after watching loved ones suffer for days on end and as BoroMart mentions I would want it monitored closely with the right checks put in place.

Unfortunately, the world is full of dreadful people who would try to abuse this for financial gain.
 
Surely one positive of this act would be a decrease in the rates of suicide. How many people end it before they are subject to suffering from an illness.
My parents died of cancer and dementia at the ages of 73 and 83, having lived healthy lives to this point.
I have no desire to reach a point where the quality of life diminishes, the prospect of rotting away in an old peoples home, singing songs from the war and playing bingo, just so the authorities can justify a greater length of life fills me with dread.
I live on my own and so have no one to care or help me in times of need.
I will make my own choice as to when I become a burden on the state. I dont need a doctor or court to sanction when this would be, as the only people to gain will be the solicitors.
 
Laughing said:
Person a qualifies whilst person b doesn't, for example. What role would family play in this decision making process, as they shouldn't have any role, in my opinion.

What about younger people who are terminally ill.
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The Dutch have the lower age limit at 12 and are discussing dropping it further. They've also killed a 29 year old woman that wasn't actually ill but didn't want to live any more.

As other people have said Drs already do it, my Gran had food & water withdrawn by the hospital and was left to die in barbaric fashion. There was no 2 Drs & a High Court judge signing off on that, so how long will those "safeguards" remain in place?
 
I'm all for this, but I don't think there needs to be a 6-month time limit or any time limit for that matter.

Letting people suffer, who don't want to suffer, through medical issues or disabilities which cannot have a reasonable expectation of being corrected/cured is extremely cruel. It should be assisted if the person doesn't want to live through that, or they've aired their views to others (probably in the presence of a doctor), even before becoming incapacitated, if that happens.

It needs to be sorted out, so they or their family members don't feel like they have to try and take matters into their own hands, which could be further unnecessary stress/ injury.

Feel sorry for all of you that have gone through it (I haven't), must be absolutely awful.
 
I'm very much for this and I agree with Andy, there shouldn't be a time limit on it and I don't agree on judges either. If a person is declared mentally sufficient, then its their life to do with as they see fit. If we have all the support services there to support people, if, ultimately they don't want to live, it should be their choice. I apply that to perfectly healthy people also, its my life and I can choose to end it when I want.
 
BaronSmoggie said:
I'm very much for this and I agree with Andy, there shouldn't be a time limit on it and I don't agree on judges either. If a person is declared mentally sufficient, then its their life to do with as they see fit. If we have all the support services there to support people, if, ultimately they don't want to live, it should be their choice. I apply that to perfectly healthy people also, its my life and I can choose to end it when I want.
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I can't see assisted suicide ever being agreed to. Someone has to supply the mechanism, and i can't see many doctors agreeing to do that.
 
I changed my mind when I watched me mam die. I was on the fence but seeing her hang on and hang on in not only physical pain but mental trauma too changed my mind.

My only reservation is that for people with Dementia - the ultimate decision would have to be made by a loved one.
 
BoroMart said:
Having watched my wife in severe pain for the last 6 weeks of her life, listening to her saying she's done, she wants to go. Watching her suffer for absolutely no gain to anyone. I just don't see why people shouldn't have the right to choose when to go.

Safeguards can be created, mental health checks, but if people are already terminal then morally it should have been no one elses business but my wifes, but some moral code created by grey men in grey suits says she had to suffer.

I'm 100% behind assisted dying, with the correct safeguards, of secondary medical prognosis of terminal, mental health checks, validation of no coercion, protection of life insurance status (because we know what they'll bloody do to gain more profit).
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Mart, sorry to hear your story. It is hard and painful to watch the one you love go through this.
 
I support this motion.
Dementia creates a massive problem.
My blind, double incontinent, bed ridden Mam has had advanced dementia for years.
She has been in a dementia nursing home for 4.5 years and it is soul destroying to see her physically waste away and mentally stall.
It is incredibly cruel she has absolutely no dignity or quality of life.
When she was more aware she begged Dad to finish things. He was torn and I understood his plight watching the woman he loves drift cruelly away.
I wish she could get relief.
I also get that it is a very difficult set of circumstances to legislate for.
Somebody stricken in agonising incurable pain should be allowed to go, but dementia is more opaque.
I know for a fact I will end things before dementia numbs me. It is horrendous for everyone.
 
There is far more dignity in dying at your own request than being kept alive against your will by people who don't even know you. Surely there are better achievements for the medical profession to pursue than proving how long they can keep somebody going in agony as family and friends bare witness? And as medical treatment improves, is the suffering of those who are at the end of their days going to be prolonged further?
 
Andy_W said:
I'm all for this, but I don't think there needs to be a 6-month time limit or any time limit for that matter.

Letting people suffer, who don't want to suffer, through medical issues or disabilities which cannot have a reasonable expectation of being corrected/cured is extremely cruel. It should be assisted if the person doesn't want to live through that, or they've aired their views to others (probably in the presence of a doctor), even before becoming incapacitated, if that happens.

It needs to be sorted out, so they or their family members don't feel like they have to try and take matters into their own hands, which could be further unnecessary stress/ injury.

Feel sorry for all of you that have gone through it (I haven't), must be absolutely awful.
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I too feel sorry for all the people with such sad news.
I also feel sorry for the surgeons and medical staff who have to sit by, hands tied, and watch all these poor people and their family suffer, knowing that they can't do anything to help.
It must tear them apart too.

A few years ago when I was on holiday back in England, I was reminiscing of days gone by with an ex school pal and I reminded him of the times
my dad would take us to watch the Boro and was laughing at how he used to squeeze the three of us in.
My pal started to well up and I laughed even more and put my arm around him and told him that I was sorry and that I didn't know that my dad
meant so much to him.
He told me that it wasn't that, but how lucky I was that my father passed quickly and that I could remember him with much happiness.
He told me that whenever he thinks about his dad, he only has visions of his dad in hospital on his death bed slowly dying of cancer and becoming unrecognisable.
His father had to have one leg removed and over time, the foot off the other and the doctors were now planning on taking the leg off at the knee.
His dad had pleaded with him and his brother to put him out of his misery and whilst telling me this, my mate totally broke down and so did I.

One can only imagine the suffering of the patient and the longer suffering of those left behind.
My heart goes out to all, that are, or have been in this predicament.
 
I think this is so important.

I've never lost anyone close in the circumstances above, but have worked in hospitals with people with no quality of life, who are simply waiting for the end.

Medicine, and the law can be inhumane at times and it doesn't have to be.
 
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