[Golden Legacy]

Yes, another significant, relevant, and (hugely) sensitive topic of mine. I thoroughly enjoy the intelligent debates and posts on such topics, and this is worth creating a topic about.

My school held a forum on the issue last year. In a nutshell, Euthanasia is the taking of a life because the patient is perceived as being "not living"; they may be locked in a coma-like state, where sometimes the patient may not be aware of his/her surroundings, or may be "living by a thread"; that is, all bodily functions may exist, but no conscious is present.


I'll admit this is a woeful attempt at explaining the issue, so I'll provide the following useful links.

http://en.wikipedia....sia#Terminology
http://www.religious...rg/euthanas.htm (I highly recommend this one; scroll down the page and you'll see an excellent reservoir of links and summaries)

[gsninja]

Euthanasia, eh?

I look at euthanasia through a moral standpoint, and I think that it isn't right unless one positively knows his/her patient wouldn't mind it. If that isn't the case, then I say the patient should have the right to live and should be left alone until other situations arise.

[Hotshot101]

If you mean by taking a person off life support. Then all I can say about it is that its up to the person. Its not really suicide, because you can't really do much else in life.

[Neo]

Here in Holland Euthanasia is a much discussed subject, and at this point I am still not really sure whether it's legal or not. No doubt that it happens, though. We hear lot's of stories of patients who pledged Euthanasia without even consulting one of their family-members; Yes, you hear it right, they were not coma-patients.

I personally agree with Euthanasia, but only when one's coma-like status has reached the extreme. With that I mean that their is or no change of waking up, or if he or she is suffering pain during this phase. Coma patients who have a change of waking up in the upcoming years may not do Euthanasia, in my opinion.

The thing that bothers me most is that the patient him/her-self isn't aware -- wrong word, he is aware, but he can not interfere -- with the desicion of euthanasia. The family decides. And what if the patient does not want to die, that he is aware of his surroundings and that he can hear what is going on. What if he does not want to die, yet his kin decides that he simply will die. A horrible idea.

[Split Infinity]

There have of course been rare but miraculous cases where a coma patient slowly regains control over themselves, not as fully as before, but enough to make their lives worth living.

[PDM]

I believe that it is the decision in the veggie-like-state. I know they can't make it themselves at the time - but my father always said (while healthier) that if he were hooked up to machines to keep him alive, he wanted the plug to be pulled.

We never believed he was serious, though. You could never tell.

But in 2004 he went into critical condition, put in the ICU on life support. For 2 monthes he was in there, and all the doctors would look in the obituaries for his name in the morning. One day, he just sort of woke up, and lived for two years. :X Which makes me believe that there's always hope.

[Aquamarine]

I mostly agree with Neo and PDM's father. If I were in a coma or a veggie-like-state(for the lack of a better word I'll use PDM's expression) I certainly would want the plug to be pulled. Many people say that death is the worst thing that can happen to a person, but I totally disagree. I think it would be even worse to live in constant pain, and I'm not talking only about physical pain.
Of course, there is no denying that letting the patient die can sometimes be a horrible mistake...

[Hotshot101]

well depending on what you believe there are worst things then death. As for me I could live with myself if I was lying on a bed all day hooked up to a machine. I wouldn't be able to do anything. technically people on life suppor are about an inch away from death. most won't revive. Pulling the plug would bring them to heaven (again depending if you believe in that sorta thing). To me it would be God calling me home.

[Golden Legacy]

I'm sure many of you are aware of the Terri Shiavo case a few years ago.

A woman in Florida was on life support for sometime; until the decision was made to remove her feeding tube, and she died of starvation.

Your thoughts?

[Hotshot101]

SHe may have been better off, but if it wasn't her desicsion so I don't think it was quite right.

[Golden Legacy]

But that's the issue; she can't make a decision, she was in a Persistent Vegitative State, meaning she was alive, but only physically; she had no conscious, she didn't react to external stimuli, etc.

I'm not saying I agree with the decision, I'm just presenting the other side of the argument.

[Hotshot101]

I would guess then it is sorta a stalemate. Still she she may have been better off cut.

[Golden Legacy]

Now then, who has the right to make the decision in that situation?

Better yet, should anyone have the right to make a decision like that?

[Hotshot101]

well I guess now it would depend. Does she have any hope of recovering. If she doesn't okay. If she does no. So in other word I would let fate decide.

[Split Infinity]

She should have been given a chance anyway. Do you know how often doctors can be wrong? Our medical knowledge isn't perfect, and it's the reason we now have such diseases as AIDs.

[Elliott]

I'll just say this, the choice is placed solely on the individual, much the same as abortion. If someone wants to end their life on their own terms, and their family / friends agrees and wants to assist, then that's fine by me. Though there should probably be some sort of legal system whereby the person consents to have their family / friends assist in their voluntary termination, as that would avoid all the subsequent legal issues that follow after the person has passed away.