Should active euthanasia be legal?

**Brockbfball1563** · Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 3245 Location: Rochester, NH

Edit: Changed topic title to "active euthanasia" instead of "assisted suicide" for clarification.

Active euthanasia - A deliberate act to end another person's life. Generally it is understood that the intentional act of killing someone who would otherwise suffer from an incurable and painful disease. "Passive euthanasia" is simply waiting until the incurable and painful disease kills the person.

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Original Post

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPS3pZGthw0&fmt=18

There's been news stories recently about whether or not assisted suicide should be legalized in the UK. Helping someone to kill themself is not usually viewed as a good thing, but what if it's to help someone be put out of their misery? Do you think people shouldn't take the easy way out and just die a natural death?

Should this act be legal, and if so, under what circumstances? The person is in physical pain? Causing emotion pain to the family? Or maybe even he/she is causing extreme financial problems for his/her family just to stay alive?

How do you feel about this situation?
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**cobainage1994** · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 2020 Location: Whitewater , WI

I think the only circumstance should be if they are in a state in which they have 0% chance of recovery, more or less "Putting them out of their misery."

**CrackerRiley** · Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 3085

No. What? I'm just answering the topic title!

**Romanczuk** · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 879 Location: Ross Island, AQ

Earlier this month it became legal where I am.
It's called the "Death with Dignity Law".
Basically, if you're terminally ill (no chance of making it) and you're just sitting around suffering, you can appeal to the doctors with a relative to back you up and if you get the recommendation from at least two out of three Doctors then you can be prescribed a lethal dose of medication to be put out of your misery.
Seems fair since the doctors and relatives requirement is there to make sure only people who really need it get it.

**doubleornothin** · Joined: 30 Aug 2006 Posts: 266 Location: South Jersey

I think as long as it is done like in the video(or close to it) then assisted suicide should be legal.

**Whitt333** · Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 1535 Location: Minnesota

No. That is my view on this, and nothing will change. I do agree however, that if you need to depend on machines or medicines to stay alive that you should be able to request to stop using them, or have it in your will.
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**pryan37bb** · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 251

I think once you try to legalize it in some situations, it opens the floodgates for people trying to find any justification to do so, and eventually it might as well be legal in all situations (see the Pandora's Box or Slippery Slope arguments).
Personally, I'm against suicide altogether, whether assisted or not. I think someone who wants to commit suicide is someone who is suffering from mental or psychological complications such as clinical depression or bipolar disorder, because who in their right mind would want to take his or her own life? Obviously, not everyone falls under this criterion, eg people in constant pain or with no hope of recovery, as mentioned before, but the line must be drawn. And certainly it's regrettable that people have to live in such situations, but it's better than what would happen if all assisted suicides were legal. People who should be looking up a psychiatrist in the phone book would look up Dr. Kevorkian instead.
EDIT: I agree with the person who posted before me. If you're dependant on machines with no hope of recovery, you should be able to have a proxy, or put it in your will, take you off the machines. But active euthanasia is something that I can never feel comfortable with.

**Deak2112** · Free Bird since 11/9/2009

**rkcr** · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 2518 Location: Minneapolis

I have trouble with just saying "no" when situations like this one come up. I don't think that anyone wants someone else to choose to take their own life, but there are simply circumstances in which letting a person choose when to go is better for them.

**thecaptainof** · Joined: 04 May 2007 Posts: 7571 Location: ¯\(°_o)/¯

**Metalteeth** · Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 1131 Location: Columbus, OH

What the girl in that article says is correct.

Why is it that, if she was a dog, it is considered the "right thing to do" to put then down. As soon as it is a human, we are required to suffer the pain and die in ways we may not want to (like vomiting your own shit....)?

If God truly wants humans to be happy and peaceful, in situations like this, I believe that he would approve of suicide.
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**pyrobob** · Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 8:04 am Post subject:

The person doesn't want to live any more. Who has the right to tell someone their not allowed to die?

We have waivers for other things in life, why not write out a quick note with both signatures on it or something saying he was given permission?
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**Antezin** · Joined: 10 Dec 2008 Posts: 8

**altairian** · Joined: 25 Jan 2008 Posts: 593

Death is inevitable. It's unreasonable that someone in the situation described in the article linked above cannot choose to die peacefully. I think that requiring the support of a family member and 2 doctors is an entirely reasonable and fair method for approving euthanasia. That will pretty much weed out the cases of mental illness influencing the decision and keep it for only the people that are about to suffer a horrible fate that they don't deserve.
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**directshot999** · Joined: 16 Oct 2007 Posts: 3838 Location: Birmingham, AL

If they are speaking on their own account (aren't drunk, doing drugs, or anything that would inhibit regular judgment) then yes, they should be able to die. They're going to find a way out of life anyways, and the other options might not be as pretty as a syringe going into their arm.
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