Legalized assisted suicide

[TexasWife25]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunit...ing-down-of-canadas-assisted-suicide-law.html

"The B.C. Supreme Court's decision on Friday to strike down Canada's laws on assisted suicide was a controversial one, of course, and members of the CBC Community have deeply held beliefs on the topic.

The most commonly held opinion - and the one most agreed with - was that this is a good legal decision for the court."

Thoughts?

Should the US follow suit?

Personally I think the fact that suicide is illegal in the US is silly and I think people should have the right to assisted suicide as well.

Edited- because TorontoBoyWest wants credit for sending me this story

 

[badbabysitter]

actually its more or less in legal limbo for a year..and its only here in BC

so if she decides to end her life, she only has a year... and she currently has no plans are her quality of live is still currently livable

 

[TexasWife25]

actually its more or less in legal limbo for a year..and its only here in BC

so if she decides to end her life, she only has a year... and she currently has no plans are her quality of live is still currently livable

So she has a year to end her life, even though she really doesnt want to do it now and if she doesnt do it soon, the decision could be reversed and she loses her shot?

 

[badbabysitter]

Pretty much, but it could change in a matter of months... and when the year is up it will be fought some more

this isn't the first time we've had this debate in BC.. back in the early 90's a woman named Sue Roriguez fought for her right to die with dignity...she lost and killed herself anyways with the help of a local politician...

it's been a huge political hot potatoe since

 

[TexasWife25]

Im always confused why its illegal in the 1st place. I suppose you have the moral side, "people who kill themselves go to hell". However Ive never heard an argument, that didnt tout out god, against a persons right to die.

 

[badbabysitter]

Im always confused why its illegal in the 1st place. I suppose you have the moral side, "people who kill themselves go to hell". However Ive never heard an argument, that didnt tout out god, against a persons right to die.

interfering with someone else's right to chose almost always comes from religous bullshit

 

[dolf]

watch a few slow, lingering deaths before deciding.

 

[TexasWife25]

Few things are more heartbreaking than watching someone you love suffer and die slowly.

 

[badbabysitter]

Few things are more heartbreaking than watching someone you love suffer and die slowly.

but that's what Jesus wants

 

[dolf]

but that's what Jesus wants

if the fucker isn't down here, handing out cures, then he can butt out.

 

[TexasWife25]

So suicide is legal in Canada but theres some waffling on assisted suicide?

You dont have the right to kill yourself here, and if you do it incorrectly the 1st time, most likely you will wind up on a 72 hour hold in a padded room.

 

[badbabysitter]

So suicide is legal in Canada but theres some waffling on assisted suicide?

You dont have the right to kill yourself here, and if you do it incorrectly the 1st time, most likely you will wind up on a 72 hour hold in a padded room.

Nope, it's illegal....assisted suicide is quasi legal in BC only

 

[Joeybagadonuts]

The laws allow people to commit slow suicide in so many different ways but the laws don't allow for suicide in one single act.


I support the right to die.

 

[Sean]

I'm generally in favour of the whole assisted dying thing but I'd want some serious legal safeguards in place before I changed the law.

 

[warrior queen]

There are already quasi forms of assisted suicide available here.
For example, I can legally draw up a Living Will in which I state that in the event of me not being able to make decisions for myself (ie. coma) that no heroic measures are to be taken to prolong my life, or that I do not wish to be tube-fed, etc.
So long as I get the document done while I still have all my faculties, my wishes will be adhered to.
The only drawback is that if I do not give a copy to my caregiver, then I need to have someone trusted who will produce it should I find myself in that position.

 

[TexasWife25]

There are already quasi forms of assisted suicide available here.
For example, I can legally draw up a Living Will in which I state that in the event of me not being able to make decisions for myself (ie. coma) that no heroic measures are to be taken to prolong my life, or that I do not wish to be tube-fed, etc.
So long as I get the document done while I still have all my faculties, my wishes will be adhered to.
The only drawback is that if I do not give a copy to my caregiver, then I need to have someone trusted who will produce it should I find myself in that position.

You can do that here as well, however for many diseases, it's a very long painful process to get to a point where that would even come into play.

 

[warrior queen]

You can do that here as well, however for many diseases, it's a very long painful process to get to a point where that would even come into play.

Most of those kinds of illnesses would be where you still have enough decision making ability to end your own life before it gets to the point of incapacitation though.
Like alzheimers, etc.
And so far as I know, taking your own life is also still legal.

 

[KRCummings]

So suicide is legal in Canada but theres some waffling on assisted suicide?

You dont have the right to kill yourself here, and if you do it incorrectly the 1st time, most likely you will wind up on a 72 hour hold in a padded room.

There are no laws against suicide that I'm aware of. Failed suicides are taken to the hospital and see shrinks but are almost always free to try it again.

 

[TexasWife25]

Most of those kinds of illnesses would be where you still have enough decision making ability to end your own life before it gets to the point of incapacitation though.
Like alzheimers, etc.
And so far as I know, taking your own life is also still legal.

So suicide is legal in Australia?

 

[TexasWife25]

There are no laws against suicide that I'm aware of. Failed suicides are taken to the hospital and see shrinks but are almost always free to try it again.

Your right, I was mistaken. The last of the states that had suicide listed as a crime, decriminalized it in the 90's(according to wiki).

 

[semen4her]

What about Mandatory Suicide?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a444oGYCWmY

 

[Joeybagadonuts]

There are no laws against suicide that I'm aware of. Failed suicides are taken to the hospital and see shrinks but are almost always free to try it again.

I googled that and was surprised to find out that there are no serious laws against suicide in the states and to me, that makes laws prohibiting assisted suicide even less logical.

 

[KRCummings]

I googled that and was surprised to find out that there are no serious laws against suicide in the states and to me, that makes laws prohibiting assisted suicide even less logical.

Laws against assisted suicide are based on a long standing tradition of primum non nocere and all the legal entanglements that would certainly crop up if just anyone were allowed to help out. It needs very strict rules and when you do that then it becomes too much like execution and it scares people off. A strange circle of life. Or death. Whatever.
The states that have it I think do well enough but I'm sure their rules lay down exactly how it has to be in order to be legal and even then I'm sure they get some challenges.

 

[Comshaw]

Laws against assisted suicide are based on a long standing tradition of primum non nocere and all the legal entanglements that would certainly crop up if just anyone were allowed to help out. It needs very strict rules and when you do that then it becomes too much like execution and it scares people off. A strange circle of life. Or death. Whatever.
The states that have it I think do well enough but I'm sure their rules lay down exactly how it has to be in order to be legal and even then I'm sure they get some challenges.

I feel lucky to live in one of the states that have a death with dignity law. There are only three so far: Oregon, Washington and Montana.

KR is right about the rules, they are stringent, to avoid legal challenges. The way they are setup has already been reviewed by the courts and declared legal.

Here's a link to the Washington Department of Health with some information on the Death with Dignity act.

http://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/IllnessandDisease/DeathwithDignityAct.aspx


Comshaw

 

[Bukkake_4_U]

The coup de grace.