I had to start this thread cuzz its been a subject of debate in the med school i attend.

Euthanasia (a.k.a Hopital Humanism) is the process of painlessly helping a terminally ill person to die. Known also as assisted suicide or mercy killing. Generally, euthanasia is performed by lethal injection, using the same drugs as those on death row are executed.

Though Euthanasia is illegal for humans in the United States. Some folks (especially evolutionists) are actively in support of it.

Do you think its ok for doctors to keep performing Euthanasia.

If the patient did not explicitly ask for such 'help', I would see it as a murder. If the patient asked for such help, then it is assisted suicide.

Do you support murder of terminally ill patients? Do you support suicide of terminally ill patients? Those are the two separate questions you are actually asking and I would like to advice forumites to approach them separately.

The fact that the kiling is done by a doctor doesn't make a difference. What makes a difference is the consent of the person being mercifully killed.

i'm neutral on this matter.
I first learned about that last year ,(through some history assignment)

Only thing i know is that Netherlands is the first country to legalize it but the doctors have to go through a lot of steps.
As Seun mentioned, they have to get patient consent or if the patient isn't capable of communicating e.t.c, a close relative's consent is needed.
you also can't put pressure on the patient to give in to it.

maybe other countries will follow suit, idk. but i know Netherlands is a very very liberal nation.


info on Netherlands and euthanasia http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1904789.stm

A patient may require "mercy killing" from a doctor when he/she is in a very critical or pitiable condition, in my own opinion, the doctor should not just go ahead and consent to the plea...i think it will be wise for him to let family member's of that patient know about what he/she is asking for..if the family member's agree, then he can go ahead..if possible the doctor and the family member's should sign an agreement to show that they actually gave their consent, but if on the other hand they refused to allow the mercy killing, then the doctor should forget it no matter the plea from the patient..he should just go on administering treatment in the best way he can. The doctor should not just carry out the mercy killing without any agreement whatsoever.

I'm all in favor of it. A person has ultimately owns his own life.
Of course, if you need the help of someone in one way or another, this complicates matters seriously. That's why the systems that have been implemented in Belgium and the Netherlands offer sufficient protection for the individual undergoing euthanasia, as well as for the doctors assisting in the euthanasia. It is important that the demand for euthanasia is well examined and that it is the result of a thorough reflection as well as a sustained demand.
Obviously one can never force a doctor in assisting in euthanasia is this is contrary to his or her convictions.

Terminally ill people that suffer horrendous physical or mental pains should not be forced to live against their will.

We should be very careful in setting up these systems though, so that e.g. the pressure of the family in one direction (e.g. waiting for an inheritance) or another (religious conviction does not allow euthanasia) does not influence the process

Personally,I don't support it because it is suicide.You don't have the right the right to take life,not even your life.

snazzydawn:

Personally,I don't support it because it is suicide.You don't have the right the right to take life,not even your life.

So basically, you're imposing your religious belief on me or am I misreading you?

Though my religious beliefs don't support it,I personally don't like it,and no,I am not imposing it on you.Its called assisted suicide,and suicide is a crime too punishable by law.See?

The question is whether or not is should be a crime. There are no reasons, except for the ones springing from a religious morality, why suicide and in extension euthanasia should be considered a crime.

I own my life, nobody else does.

Euthanasia is a crime punishable by law.It is called suicide.The punishment for attempted suicide is hanging!!!!funny though,but goes a long way to show that it is frowned at by the law.But you see my point: How can suicide be illegal, given that the perpetrator can't be punished? Nonetheless it has been, and until quite recently in some places (Ireland repealed its law in 1993). This seems absurd, but as with many of our more curious laws, we only see it that way now thanks to evolving ideas of morality.

snazzydawn:

Euthanasia is a crime punishable by law.It is called suicide.The punishment for attempted suicide is hanging!!!!funny though,but goes a long way to show that it is frowned at by the law.You don't have the right to take life,not even your own!!!

Shows just how stupid laws can be.

Don't know why, but this makes me think of a scene from Monty Pythons 'The Holy Grail'
http://www.mwscomp.com/movies/grail/grail-05.htm

that is hilarious!!! but you see,c'est la vie!!!

Yeah i am surport of it since the person at that point is no longer useful to humans.......i am against suicide though cos the person can be convinced not to kill his/herself and still contribute +ly to humans affair..

@larger20: I have to disagree with you ooo

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many docs were applying euthanasia to patients for fear that they had no chance of survival. It had nothing to do with their usefulness to society; it was a panic-driven decision which they will inevitably be punished for.

In my humble opinion, euthanasia is analagous to murder and the word 'euthanasia' is just a fancier name for it.

j

We should get our terminology straight. Euthanasia is euthanasia only [/b]when the ending of the persons life is done [b]on his or her own request.

So, nferyn, Terry's Schiavo's case was not euthanasia?

nferyn:

We should get our terminology straight. Euthanasia is euthanasia only [/b]when the ending of the persons life is done [b]on his or her own request.

Wrong there. I guess you are forming your own definition for it. Euthanasia is simply "assisted or mercy killing". It does not involve who requested it.

all of these are just changing or word in english language..the point remains that people who are in this state have something in common..they are so bably deriled that they cant competently be regraded as rational human beings..so the best hting is just to take the life of the person irrespective of wheather it is his or her request to end the life

IAH:

Wrong there. I guess you are forming your own definition for it. Euthanasia is simply "assisted or mercy killing". It does not involve who requested it.

I was assuming that the definiton in Dutch (my mother tongue) and English was the same. It seems that the definition of euthansia differs between Dutch and English.

From the Dutch Van Dale [/i]dictionary (most authoritative dictionary in the Dutch Language area):
eu·tha·na·sie (de ~ (v.))
1 het op hun eigen verzoek bewust doen [i]eindigen van het leven van patiënten die ondraaglijk en uitzichtloos lijden => levensbeëindiging
http://www.vandale.be/opzoeken/woordenboek/?zoekwoord=euthanasie
Translation: The conscious ending of the life of patients that are undergoing and unbearable and inescapable suffering at their own request

So indeed, I may have gotten it wrong in English, as the Oxford English Dictionary defines euthanasia as:

/yoothnayzi/
• noun the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable disease or in an irreversible coma.

Seun:

So, nferyn, Terry's Schiavo's case was not euthanasia?

It was, according to the English definition. It's not entirely certain according to the Dutch definition. As she, although not in an explicit will, made it quite clear that she did not want to continue living in a vegetative state.

Some people take out living wills in America to plan ahead and communicate to healthcare providers what should happen to them if they happen to be in such a situation.

They do not ask to be euthanized, they simply request that in the event that their heart stops beating that the medical staff resuscitate or not.

Yeah i am surport of it since the person at that point is no longer useful to humans

My brother, I hope that your loved one or close friend will never be in such a way.


My mother was terminally ill and I would have put my foot sooooooo deep in someone's butt at the mere suggestion of euthanasia. Although my mom suffered much pain, never once did she request such a horrible thing. It's wrong, wrong, wrong and that's the bottom line! Anyone who partakes in such decisions should be dealt with as those who commit murder

I already made up a specific medical will (I'm 32) that states that if I ever end up in a situation where there's no prospect of recovery or if I suffer horrible pains, they should commit euthanasia on me. I see no point in suffering for suffering's sake.

@ snazzydawn
"Though my religious beliefs don't support it,I personally don't like it,and no,I am not imposing it on you.Its called assisted suicide,and suicide is a crime too punishable by law.See?"
.
Hello
what do they do then, when he/she has committed suicide bring them back and then hang them so that its legal?
Impossible surely??

hello,
I am a Muslim and i hope that people do not get the wrong ideas about Islam,
as for the subject on euthanasia, according to my book it is a wrong thing to do cause life is a test and from God and it is not for the person do decide when to get rid of it.
The main reason i joined is to ask u people if u know a country called Armenia? cause I'm now in MUN and i need to know Armenia's stand on this issue,
thanks.

@Islam


http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/armenia/index.shtml


There you go, says people are desperate enough to commit suicide and who can blame them, what a situation to be in!
nothing about yoofenasia sorry( though it might be advantageous considering the state they are in!)

Apologies if this sounds flippant and I take what you say serously I just dont get this bit and why in that case Armenia is so important so please explain?

"The main reason i joined is to ask u people if u know a country called Armenia? cause I'm now in MUN and i need to know Armenia's stand on this issue,
thanks."

What on EARTH is MUN?
google gives so many variations, none of them seem remotely connected with Armenia!

MUN: Model United Nations, an activity that requires u to research for nfo on a country u r representing and u also must find what the country u r representing thinks about a particular subject

@Islam

I see well I guess that means that you represent Armenia
I dont know what Armenians think about Euthanasia, if they were allowed to post on a forum such as this you could ask them.

I think its a good idea personally and Id help anyone who asked me to help them unless it was a doctor or nurse trying to make more hospital beds available

I would hope someone would help me if I was desperate enough!
I know there are some evil people around but if it was allowed then the ones that were above board and genuinely helping their loved ones wouldnt have to sneak around so much if they stated their intentions openly then that fact could be checked with the recipient to see if they had any clue about it all then if not well, obvious eh?

i think nferyn sounds like the devil @ times.

i've been caught up in the midst of these many times now.
i cant really juxtapose if its a helping hand or otherwise.

helping hand.