Should euthanasia be legal?

[Shakari]

I was reading a discussion about humane ways to kill people on death row. Apparently Nitrogen is the most humane way, causes no pain, and is euphoric. The reason it's not used is pro death penalty advocates feel it's TOO humane.


When asked if nitrogen would be a more humane way for the state to kill, the leading voice of the American pro-death penalty movement, Professor Robert Blecker, strongly disagrees. "If the killers who smash their victims on the side of the heads with hammers and then slit their throats go out in a euphoric high, that is not justice." What makes any method perfect is completely subjective, says Mr Portillo. "For the pro-death penalty lobby, using a painless method of execution is inhumane to the victim of the crime.


Ok that's fine (not really). But wouldn't it work perfectly for euthanasia clinics? Legal places we can go to end our lives when the pain becomes too much? As far as I know, beyond religious debates the reason suicide is illegal is to help the person who is suicidal. If you are killing yourself, the police don't need a warrant to enter your house. They can kick the door down and get to you because of this.

Should euthanasia be legal? I would love clinics set up, where you can say goodbye to your loved ones, watch a movie with beautiful images and go out peacefully. I mean just in the US alone there are almost 40,000 suicide deaths every year. That's a lot of people that decided to end it in a horrible way, be it jumping off bridges, taking pills, cutting wrists, using a gun, hanging etc. Having a stigma attached and it being illegal is not stopping people from doing it. Shouldn't there be a safe painless place for it to happen? Shouldn't people in pain dying of a disease have a nice option? You could even have suicide help professionals speak to each client first as a last ditch effort. Could even have lawyers on hand for a will.

Inb4 using the body for soylent green.

Michael Portillo did a documentary on this subject and when he asked an American politician why it was not used in the US he was told that execution should not be painless and that the condemded should suffer because the victims had...

Its more about vengeance than justice it seems in the US rather than justice.


But as for suicide or assisted suicide I don't see why is should not as long as its very heavily legislated and monitored.

[Deleted]

It is legal in Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. It is illegal everywhere else so perhaps rather than being a jerk you should answer the topic question.
On topic I feel in some cases yes, it should be legal. If you are diagnosed with some shitty disease you should be able to go out as you like. If you have mental issues and feel depressed and are only doing it to run away from life then no, I do not.

Well let's hope Obama had a fun talk in our little Belgium, so perhaps he changes some shit around. Welcome to 2014.

Also, serious mental issues are diseases. Some of these people would simply be better off dead.

[obdigore]

Of course it should. Suicide shouldn't be illegal either.

Oh, and we should encourage people with mental health issues to seek help for them and not do things like put it on their public record.

[Sliske]

When asked if nitrogen would be a more humane way for the state to kill, the leading voice of the American pro-death penalty movement, Professor Robert Blecker, strongly disagrees. "If the killers who smash their victims on the side of the heads with hammers and then slit their throats go out in a euphoric high, that is not justice." What makes any method perfect is completely subjective, says Mr Portillo. "For the pro-death penalty lobby, using a painless method of execution is inhumane to the victim of the crime.
.

What a moron.

Justice isn't another way to say 'revenge'. There isn't a legal system in place for victims to get revenge. When a drunk driver runs someone down and kills them he isn't losing his licence so as revenge for killing the guy, hes losing his licence because hes too dangerous to be allowed to drive. Likewise, when a serial killer is killed on death row, he isn't dying for revenge for killing people, hes dying because hes simply too dangerous to be kept alive. Revenge is what happens in the middle east, where they cut your hands off for stealing. That's revenge. This isn't the wild west, as the person quoted in the OP seems to think so.

It is quite alarming to hear that a leading voice in pro death penalty and a Professor to boot thinks that the legal system is in place for revenge rather than for the immediate and future safety of the people it protects.

The death penalty is in some cases just a horrible deal with it scenario. 'nobody' wants to put people to death, except the very zealous and the emotionally stricken victims and their families, however in some cases it just simply isn't worth the inevitable out come of repeat offenders ending more lives or other heinous shit. The death penalty is to scare away potential offenders and to stop offenders from repeating their actions again.

I don't think this Professor Robert Blecker guy has ever seen real violence. Has he ever seen a man being beaten to death, stabbed to death, burned alive, etc? I doubt it. I can tell you that out of the people who advocate the death penalty right now (myself included) VERY few would continue to do so if the method of killing was beating them to death with hammers or something similarly violent.


The people who have seen videos like 3 guys 1 hammer etc will know what i'm talking about when i say that, and before you google it, i do not recommend it at all.

[Disciples]

The Netherlands. Not 'Holland;' we've got more than just those two provinces.
My being a jerk served an obvious purpose, but was not actually a part of the topic. I went into the actual topic as well; this was just a side point to the mindless phrasing I find just about everywhere.

What was mindless was you assuming I was from the US when I'm not. You're welcome to add "should it stay legal" if it offends you so much.

[Hraklea]

For the sake of argument lets imagine a person suffering 3rd degree burns on 30% of his body, yet there is 99% chance of making it and living still somewhat high quality life, but in that moment of recovery which I imagine is just horrific and agonising, I dont think one can make a clear judgement about his/her situation, it already narrows,squeezes the angle of perception.

And you're free not to kill yourself when you get 3rd degree burns.

The thing is that thinking someone can't make a clear judgement doesn't mean you should forbid them to make decisions.

[Darkis]

It should be legal. I saw people in permanent vegetative state, and it's not life. If it was me - i'd say pull the plug with both hands.