glenshena wrote:I am lucky enough to live in a country that if you are diagnosed as being terminally ill or have Alzheimers disease, you have the right to choose to 'pass' onto the next world immediately, by means of an injection. This has to be agreed with the doctor while you are still mentally aware, i.e. compus mentus, and you have to advise of course your immediate family. I don't want to be a burden to anyone, so if there's no hope, that's what will happen to me!
Like any other law it will get abused.
SC
“He that has no fools, knaves, nor beggars in his family, was begot by a flash of lightning.” Thomas Fuller
Meg wrote:I would fight and fight and fight - never going "quietly into that dark goodnight" to misquote Dylan Thomas. If nothing else worked I'd even try the witch doctor and some pointing of the magic bones
You go girl! I respect your choice. Thanks for contributing.
Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
glenshena wrote:I am lucky enough to live in a country that if you are diagnosed as being terminally ill or have Alzheimers disease, you have the right to choose to 'pass' onto the next world immediately, by means of an injection. This has to be agreed with the doctor while you are still mentally aware, i.e. compus mentus, and you have to advise of course your immediate family. I don't want to be a burden to anyone, so if there's no hope, that's what will happen to me!
Wow! Brave choice. I on the other hand would just keep living my life..family would not be involved and when the time came that pain was unbearable, I'd just swallow all the pain pills I'd saved just for that occasion and go quietly into the night.....leaving a long goodbye note with full explanation to the family, of course. Might sound selfish on my part but I too would not want to be a burden to anyone.
Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
I think when you have a 12 year old being granted the right to end his life, then that is abuse of the law. No we don't have it in Scotland ,but I am expressing my opinion.
SC
“He that has no fools, knaves, nor beggars in his family, was begot by a flash of lightning.” Thomas Fuller
Yes Morag, That caught my attention too; (female reactions).
Here in Holland they are more liberal about such things. (BTW; Where do you live Glenshea?)
We have an organisation called the NVVE (Dutch Association for Voluntary Euthanasia). I have been a member for some years. Prior to that, I had a solicitor draw up a formal legal document setting out my wishes for my assisted death, (Living Will). Such a will was only valid for 5 years and needed to be re-stated through the solicitor, (actually a Notary Public)'
I was told that NP's could no longer validate such LW's and I should apply to the NVVE. There, I was confronted with a protocol based on a form which made the tax-return look simple. It had to be filled in in quintuplicate with detailed reasons as to why and under which circumstances I wanted it to be carried out. One copy had to be filled out for for the Association, one for next of kin, one for a testator/executor, one for my GP, and of course one for myself. Discussions had to be held with all parties, (except the association).
My reasoning behind my decision to decide on the circumstances of my own death, - as far as that is possible are :-
For the religious minded; it is my life, I have free will and if I have to answer for my actions, then I'm prepared to stand up for what my conscience tells me.
I have seen several close relative suffering prior to an unpleasant death and refuse to accept that.
I will not be a long drawn out burden to my loved ones. I want to leave them in a dignified way, where we can all accept it and have peace with it.
The legal aspects of people being coerced into doing it can be allowed for. Dutch laws have built-in protections to prevent this; ref. the detailed forms and procedure which are required. Three medical opinions are required before the process can be carried out.
Last thoughts; you would not consider not puting your pet out of its misery.
The Hippocratic oath is about preserving the quality of life, not simply life as such.
Hoping I've restored the balance a bit.
Hi Bonzo.
Just checked that out.
By law, the doctor attending the death will fill in 'death by natural causes' on the death certificate.
Euthanasia which follows the legally prescribed procedure, is legally accepted as natural causes.
In any case, legal or not, the insurance companies cannot dispute the doctor-patient secrecy covenant and have to accept it.
Taking the discussion a bit further, doctors are not in any way compelled to carry out the patients' wishes and there are not a few who refuse to do so, for a variety of reasons; mostly ethical/religious.
When I discussed it with my own GP, while he did not decline to cooperate, he looked me in the eye and asked, 'could you do it John?'
That stopped me in my tracks, I can tell you.
