The Right to Die

I am in the mood for a contraversial question and i don't know if this one has been done....

Do you believe in ones right to die?
What are your thoughts on Dr. Kevorkian (sp?) ?

Re: The Right to Die

I think that you shouldn't have someone assist you in your death...as with the Dr.

However, if you have a terminal illness or in a vegetated state...I believe that you have a right to say yes or no to your own death. It should be known before an illness gets worse.


My own opinion....I hope I don't start any conflicts or drama....

Re: The Right to Die

i feel if you are deathly sick or whathaveyou and you want to die, you should be able to! people shouldnt have to make you suffer.
eta: but i can also see that if we have this legalized (Kevorkian style) then every depressed/suicial person in the world will want to do it! There should be rules about it.

Re: The Right to Die

I work in a hospital and have seen such sad cases where the person is suffering but the family refuses to 'let them go' for their own needs. This is why Advance Directives and Health Care proxy;s are so important, and it's important to complete them when you are well rather than a time when you and your family may be in crisis and not thinking ethically. Tough issue though, I hope to never have to deal with it, I want everyone I love to die in theisleep at 95 years old.

Re: The Right to Die

Re: The Right to Die

---

Posted by emilain

I work in a hospital and have seen such sad cases where the person is suffering but the family refuses to 'let them go' for their own needs. This is why Advance Directives and Health Care proxy;s are so important, and it's important to complete them when you are well rather than a time when you and your family may be in crisis and not thinking ethically. Tough issue though, I hope to never have to deal with it, I want everyone I love to die in theisleep at 95 years old.

---

I was just going to post the same thing. It is such a poor quality of life some people lead because others can't bear to part with them.. it is so sad how many times I see families put feeding tubes into semi comatose old ladies

Re: The Right to Die

I still don't believe in assisted death..
I also don't agree with excessive assisted living either (breathing/feeding tube)

And although there is that proxy...what about all the other people assisted deaths can apply to

Re: The Right to Die

---

Posted by oct.2004bride

I still don't believe in assisted death..
I also don't agree with excessive assisted living either (breathing/feeding tube)

And although there is that proxy...what about all the other people assisted deaths can apply to

---

Who do you mean?

Re: The Right to Die

i told fh, that if i am in a vegatative state or coma and there is no chance that i will survive, he needs to pull the plug. but thats me, i don't know what i would do if one of my parents was in that situation.

Re: The Right to Die

I believe that people with terminal illnesses who are suffering or those 'living' in a vegetative state should have the right to end their suffering.

Re: The Right to Die

---

Posted by Moehick


Who do you mean?

---

Well IMO once you open this book a lot of people can fall into this category
People with terminal illnesses
Alzheimers patients
It can really balloon into a big way..

I think it is VERY difficult to define 'quality of life'
A little to subjective!

I have had parents of some of my clients tell me they wish they could put their child out of their misery...since 'according to them' they have no quality of life!

Re: The Right to Die

---

Posted by Jax430

I believe that people with terminal illnesses who are suffering or those 'living' in a vegetative state should have the right to end their suffering.

---

when would that be though

my aunt has cancer..that can be terminal...should she be able to legally end her life?
At what point to they get to die?
When they find out?
When they start suffering?
WHen they can't make decisions on their own?

TO many unanswerable questions imo

Re: The Right to Die

I believe in natural death. No artificial assistance in dying or life support for an extended time period

Re: The Right to Die

---

Posted by oct.2004bride

---

Posted by Moehick


Who do you mean?

---

Well IMO once you open this book a lot of people can fall into this category
People with terminal illnesses
Alzheimers patients
It can really balloon into a big way..

I think it is VERY difficult to define 'quality of life'
A little to subjective!

I have had parents of some of my clients tell me they wish they could put their child out of their misery...since 'according to them' they have no quality of life!

---

The term quailty of life is definitely measurable, our Performance Improvement Committee at my hospital deals with it almost every day. It has to do with past functioning compared to present functioning. If the things that one person enjoyed are not able to be enjoyed, or the person cannot find any activities enjoyable, this is defined as 'poor quality of life'. Alzheimer patients or patients who are terminal but find 'new' activites enjoyable still have a good quality, but let's face it, if you're incontinent, cannot speak, cannot move, cannot eat, that's universal poor quality of life.

Re: The Right to Die

---

Posted by emilain

he term quailty of life is definitely measurable, our Performance Improvement Committee at my hospital deals with it almost every day. It has to do with past functioning compared to present functioning. If the things that one person enjoyed are not able to be enjoyed, or the person cannot find any activities enjoyable, this is defined as 'poor quality of life'. Alzheimer patients or patients who are terminal but find 'new' activites enjoyable still have a good quality, but let's face it, if you're incontinent, cannot speak, cannot move, cannot eat, that's universal poor quality of life.

---

Still not liking that definition either...
What about TBI patients...should they be put to death...?
What about someone with major depression?
Their quality of life DRASTICALLY changes..sometimes they can get out of it...sometimes NOT!

Most alzheimers patients don't find their life entertaining, they DO NOT find enjoyment

IMO ...this term is still WAY TOO subjective..even after reading the above

And again...Do YOU think that a person who slams their head through widows, bites holes in their arms, scream on and off that they want to go home...for the majority of the day...Do you think that is quality of life?

Re: The Right to Die

---

Posted by oct.2004bride

---

Posted by emilain

he term quailty of life is definitely measurable, our Performance Improvement Committee at my hospital deals with it almost every day. It has to do with past functioning compared to present functioning. If the things that one person enjoyed are not able to be enjoyed, or the person cannot find any activities enjoyable, this is defined as 'poor quality of life'. Alzheimer patients or patients who are terminal but find 'new' activites enjoyable still have a good quality, but let's face it, if you're incontinent, cannot speak, cannot move, cannot eat, that's universal poor quality of life.

---

Still not liking that definition either...
What about TBI patients...should they be put to death...?
What about someone major depression?
Their quality of life DRASTICALLY changes..sometimes they can get out of it...sometimes NOT!

Most alzheimers patients don't find their life entertaining, they DO NOT find enjoyment

IMO ...this term is still WAY TOO subjective..even after reading the above

---

It's not my definition, it's the AMA's (American Medical Academy), this is the defintion the top doc's in the US have come up with. we debated this as well and one of the docs stressed 'no enjoyment and an inability to have no insight into performing any ADLs'.

Re: The Right to Die

---

Posted by emilain

It's not my definition, it's the AMA's (American Medical Academy), this is the defintion the top doc's in the US have come up with. we debated this as well and one of the docs stressed 'no enjoyment and an inability to have no insight into performing any ADLs'.

---

Well i'll tell ya this..according to that definition half of my clients can be considered to have poor quality of life and possibly subject to death!
So although there is a definition out there...imo it really can not be used functionally with the human race when putting someone to death is the subject!

Re: The Right to Die

---

Posted by oct.2004bride

---

Posted by emilain

It's not my definition, it's the AMA's (American Medical Academy), this is the defintion the top doc's in the US have come up with. we debated this as well and one of the docs stressed 'no enjoyment and an inability to have no insight into performing any ADLs'.

---

Well i'll tell ya this..according to that definition half of my clients can be considered to have poor quality of life and possibly subject to death!
So although there is a definition out there...imo it really can not be used functionally with the human race when putting someone to death is the subject!

---

You're right, it is definitely a tough issue, there are so many different issues to look at, but I can tell you, when you're sitting in that hospital room with someone who is being 'kept alive', you can really feel it, you can feel the 'death watch' and you have no doubt that this person should be given the right to 'move on'. The smells, sounds, sights, they are all ques.

Re: The Right to Die

---

Posted by emilain

You're right, it is definitely a tough issue, there are so many different issues to look at, but I can tell you, when you're sitting in that hospital room with someone who is being 'kept alive', you can really feel it, you can feel the 'death watch' and you have no doubt that this person should be given the right to 'move on'. The smells, sounds, sights, they are all ques.

---

although i have been through a lot
grandparents and an aunt having died of cancer
An aunt with cancer right now
my aunt who died in dec of alzheimers
An unlce with TBI
and my clients
I definately feel for these people. It isn't easy....but i gues my issues with this subject is the definition itself...
Who falls into this category
when does someone be able to make this kind of decision
WHO gets to make this kind of decision

Look at the whole Terry schivago (sp?) situation...
Husband v. family
feeding tube v starving to death

Re: The Right to Die

---

Posted by oct.2004bride

---

Posted by emilain

You're right, it is definitely a tough issue, there are so many different issues to look at, but I can tell you, when you're sitting in that hospital room with someone who is being 'kept alive', you can really feel it, you can feel the 'death watch' and you have no doubt that this person should be given the right to 'move on'. The smells, sounds, sights, they are all ques.

---

although i have been through a lot
grandparents and an aunt having died of cancer
An aunt with cancer right now
my aunt who died in dec of alzheimers
An unlce with TBI
and my clients
I definately feel for these people. It isn't easy....but i gues my issues with this subject is the definition itself...
Who falls into this category
when does someone be able to make this kind of decision
WHO gets to make this kind of decision

Look at the whole Terry schivago (sp?) situation...
Husband v. family
feeding tube v starving to death

---

Good topic, thanks for starting an intreresting debate. It really makes you think. It's a sticky topic and it seems that everyone is truly insightful about it, I appreciate everyone;s thoughts, you've sparked my interest in discussing this further with my committee.