111 people died under California's new "legalized suicide law"

[Torgent]

What do you gain by forcing people to face torturous suffering for months?

Their souls are more pure without the suicide pills. Much like chickens without antibiotics. Let them die of natural causes and mmm mmm mmmmmmm!

[Wyrt]

We live in a society that doesn't know what it wants.

On the one hand we want to raise awareness of suicides (especially among teenagers, young adults in the twenties to early thirties, and mothers) who experience depression and as a result are at much higher risk of suicide. And yet on the other hand we want those who are experiencing debilitating physical conditions to have the choice, often times even encouraging, medically assisted suicide.

Lol so we want to save those who are suffering psychological pain and want to die, yet we want to let those suffering extreme physical pain to die prematurely. The irony is unbearable.

It's almost like the 2 situations are entirely different!

[Pantalaimon]

It's almost like the 2 situations are entirely different!

Not really. In both situations the people involved generally have their lives and perception of happiness severely hampered. As a result both parties (to varying degrees) want to die.

[Machismo]

Not really. In both situations the people involved generally have their lives and perception of happiness severely hampered. As a result both parties (to varying degrees) want to die.

In one case, people are already about to die. In the other, people could easily live long and happy lives with a bit of help.

[Auxora]

Plus this is one of those things that's already happening. It's just that making it legal puts numbers around it. Like marijuana, you might say in a state like Colorado where it's legalized now look at all the people smoking. Well, guess what all those people were smoking they were just growing it in closets and smoking in their living rooms. I guarantee there are many terminal patients towards the end in massive pain with them and their families begging for them to die where the doctors help them to peacefully pass more officially instead of now where it's done quietly around the law.

[Rusken]

We should do what we can to make their final days as peaceful as possible. Not give them the means to end their life. That's not right!

Have you seen brain cancer? I'm guessing not otherwise you would know that there are no peaceful final days with a brain tumour. If you're lucky it'll be a quick couple weeks of debilitating seizures, no control over your own bodily functions, unable to feed yourself, or even take yourself to the bathroom. If you're not so lucky it's months of that. I watched my father slowly die over the course of a year thanks to brain cancer, and I can 100% guarantee you he would have ended it earlier if he could. Unfortunately there are no programs like this in Australia just yet, so he had to suffer for a year until his body couldn't fight anymore.

So who are you to say what's right or wrong in any context but your own body? What little humanity do you have to say people should suffer these horrible diseases that they have no chance of beating? These diseases that strip them of all quality of life and dignity? Would you prefer to spend your last 6 months in a wheelchair, drooling on yourself and having multiple seizures a day, finally ending in a hospital bed covered in machines and wires? Or would you rather spend them walking and laughing with your family, then peacefully going to sleep surrounded by all your loved ones? I know which I would.

[Zeta333]

So if someone has chronic lower back pain you're okay with it. Wow...

who are you to dictate someone elses life?

[Wyrt]

Not really. In both situations the people involved generally have their lives and perception of happiness severely hampered. As a result both parties (to varying degrees) want to die.

Depression is a treatable, non-life threatening condition.

Terminal cancer is fatal and torturous in the last few months.

If you think these are in anyway equivalent then there's just no point in trying to discuss it with you.

[Putin-Chan]

A health problem like heart disease or cancer is not torture.

Living hooked up to a machine with liquefied bones sounds like torture to me.

[Deleted]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/28/health...-bn/index.html

Rather disturbing. We can only hope public opinion changes so that the law can be reversed. Why in the world are we encouraging this?

Weren't they the last hope of Canada to still believe in US?

[Putin-Chan]

who are you to dictate someone elses life?

Don't you know Tennis is our moral authority because we're too stupid to decide for ourselves?

[Pantalaimon]

Depression is a treatable, non-life threatening condition.

Terminal cancer is fatal and torturous in the last few months.

If you think these are in anyway equivalent then there's just no point in trying to discuss it with you.

Depression is debateably treatable. There is no one size fits all treatment for the various effects and forms of the condition. In fact some of the "treatments" actually end up aggravating the depression the moment they are taken (see warnings for the plethora of depression medication when used with teens and some young adults). Some 'treatments' end up not having negative side effects immediately but due to physical or psychological changes within the person's body they may end up having adverse reactions later down the line.

You can say that depression is treatable all you want, acting like everyone just takes a pill and it goes away (though that is extremely naive), but for many with depression it may be the psychological equivalent of having a form of cancer (ie spending many years trying countless 'treatments' that are supposed to work and reduce or eradicate the depression.

[Schattenlied]

We should do what we can to make their final days as peaceful as possible. Not give them the means to end their life. That's not right!

It IS right if they are in pain and suffering. The only way to make that peaceful and comfortable is to end it... If they are terminally ill, they should have every right to end it.

Would you rather they purchased a firearm and blew their brain out(or got a blade and opened an artery), or died peacefully via pills? If they can't do the latter they will do the former.

[Machismo]

who are you to dictate someone elses life?

That's exactly what most people seek to do (you, as well).

[Jakexe]

Tennis hates freedom, we already know this.

[Forgettable]

No thanks. You can leave if you want though.

You are a disgrace to the rest of the compassionate people living here, and your morals don't align with us. Go start your own country if you feel so strongly about these issues you're constantly posting about.

[Pantalaimon]

In one case, people are already about to die. In the other, people could easily live long and happy lives with a bit of help.

Yet not everyone who wants to advocate for medically assisted suicide are wanting to give the option ONLY to people with fatal conditions that are at death's door. Many individuals and groups want to have a much more open option to allow medically assisted suicide to be granted to anyone who receives a fatal diagnosis of just about anything (though cancer is the most common), even if they are not going to die for years to come.

Those who want to die do not just consist of those who are just about to die.

[Tennis]

Tennis hates freedom, we already know this.

I am against suicide. There's a lot of people who think similarly. Most of the world I reckon if we look at the legality of this.

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You are a disgrace to the rest of the compassionate people living here, and your morals don't align with us. Go start your own country if you feel so strongly about these issues you're constantly posting about.

Wrong. A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian. Your hateful comments are not what this country is about.

[Schattenlied]

I am against suicide. There's a lot of people who think similarly. Most of the world I reckon if we look at the legality of this.

Legality is irrelevant, people will always commit suicide whether you want them to or not, you can't do a damn thing to stop them... Again, would you rather they opened their veins and bled themselves out, or shot themselves in the head? Or would you rather they died in the least messy, least traumatizing way for their families?

[DoctorDoomkin]

I do not see how this is morally wrong.

They are allowing the Terminally Ill to choose how their life should end. This is basically those who have no other option than to eventually get hospice care and die in a hospital bed, assuming they are lucky. Terminal Illnesses do not often end peacefully on their own. Instead, the patent's family often pays for a crap-ton of medication to dull the senses, and hope the staff is knowledgeable to work the equipment to prevent further harm. Sometimes, it works. Often times, it does not, and the patent still dies in pain.

When I was growing up, I had a grandfather that was passing away. As much as I wanted him to live, I learned that I should respect his wishes. If he felt he needs to go, he should go. It was selfish otherwise to keep him here on this Earth in pain just because I wanted him to stay for another day or so. It still sucked that he left us, but I knew he was no longer suffering. Same thing for both my parents when their times came. My father from terminal bone cancer, and my mother from Cirrhosis of the liver caused by Hep.C. Both died in pain due to their bodies constantly fighting to stay alive, despite medical treatment to end their suffering.

If the California law was allowing mentally ill patients, there would be a lot of gray area that needs to be address. However, this isn't the case. Depression, which from personally experience really sucks, is not a terminal illness. It may take a long time, but it can be cured. Cancer is only curable to a certain point. After that, it leaves the patient in major pain until death, more-so than others depending on where it is located.

I personally do not see the issue. It is giving them plenty of time to think it over TWICE, to ensure that the patient is confident that is the way he/she should end their lives. Living with a terminal illness not only gives them the lack of dignity, it can financially harm the remaining family. This way, the whole family is covered: The family does not endure suffering as their loved ones fights on, they save money. Resources goes to those who can actually benefit the medication. The family has a smaller bill, And more importantly, the patient themselves makes the conscious decision to end his/her life on their own terms with the dignity they deserve.


Again, if this was set up that if a person who feels like shit wants to end their life, I'd have a problem. However, in no way does this bill allows that. The government in California is allowing the terminally ill to choose their death. I see no problem.