This is a bit of a hot topic at the moment, so I would be interested to know what people’s opinion is on the issue.
In case you are not aware, I am referring to the plight of Debbie Purdy, a 45 year old multiple sclerosis (MS) sufferer, who is attempting to get the law on assisted suicide clarified so that she knows under what circumstances her husband, Omar Puente, is able to help her end her life without being arrested, seeing as it is a crime to do so and punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Unfortunately she lost her case at The High Court this morning, but has been granted the right to an appeal.
ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7697200.stm
So, where do you stand on this issue?
It might be a hard question to answer, but what would you do if you ever found yourself in a similar position?
Personally for me, I find it utterly unbelievable that the law cannot be at least ‘clarified’ on its position, and also why aren’t laws made clear enough before being past by Parliament, what controls are in place before a law gets past?
I have a lot of sympathy for Ms Purdy because its not as though she is asking for the law to be changed to allow her to end her life in this country, all she is merely asking for is for an understanding as to what extent her husband can/cannot help her, and the ruling given against her case this morning said that it cannot be granted until the action has actually been done!…:mad:
For more information, visit: http://www.carenotkilling.org.uk/?show=204
By: Joglo - 30th October 2008 at 09:01
It shouldn’t be a crime to assist with someone’s death if they have a good reason to want to die, IMLO!
When crunch time arrives, I’ll do what my father did, just lay down and die.
Assisted death is an everyday occurrence with cancer patients being given morphine.
By: chuck1981 - 29th October 2008 at 20:29
Personally, at this point in time I dont stand on either side of the issue. This is a heartfelt, painful issue that can not simply be decided by any legislature. I for one believe it is up to the person, with ample moral support from family and doctors. The question arises when someone is incapable of making a decision for themselves, or unable to communicate their feelings/needs. For this instance is one where I go completely against my usual judgement and feel there should be lengthy investigations into the decisionmakers, whether they be family or doctors. This shouldn’t be an issue that lends itself an answer in a quick manner.
However, my main problem with the whole idea though is, where do we stop? Where as a society, a culture, stop allowing people to literally off themselves. How sick must one be? This case hits home for me, as I had an aunt with MS. I grew up watching her body slowly decaying. She lived for almost 40 years with the disease, being diagnosed at 18 years old. When she decided it was time, she left us and was at peace.
My question is, living with this disease for 40 years, could/should my aunt have decided, at lets say 28 years old, that she no longer wanted to live? It’s obviously up to the individual, but when do we, our society, need to stand in, or should we at all? I feel there comes a time when we should, but who can make that judgement?
This is one of the many slippery slopes I believe exist within the lawmaking process, and therefore should be treated with the utmost scrutiny.
By: J Boyle - 29th October 2008 at 20:00
There is a measure on the state election ballot here to make it legal in this state.
It simply gives people the legal choice to do it if they need to.
The anti-abortion lobby is going nuts over it.
They make it out that old folks will be required to step in front of a train or will be pressured to end it all.
The proposed law requires a mental health eval and 2 or 3 doctors to sign off on it. It seems very well thought out.
Martin Sheen does a TV ad for opponents of the measure…it seems he’s liberal on everything else…except this.
I don’t see the harm in it…
People (with their doctors help) do it now, but not “officially”…
Time to end the charade and give people the same compassion we show pets.
By: Arabella-Cox - 29th October 2008 at 19:12
I believe it’s still murder or assisted self murder – even if the other person wants to die – and a clear violation of the Ten Commandments. God grants life and He alone should determine that it’s another person’s time to go.
Ryan
By: heslop01 - 29th October 2008 at 18:35
For me, I would personally say that to end one’s life is a very hard decision to make, i’ve came across people my age who’ve wanted to make this choice and I think it’s very unfortunate and stupid when these particular people (teenagers) choose this for a stupid reason, whereas, people like Ms Purdy have a solid reason – she wants to end suffering, and, despite me being highly against ending one’s own life, I would say that if we put ourselves in her shoes and seen what she had to go thorugh, then, we should be able to accept the fact that this person wants to quit now and rest peacefully in no pain, rather than continuing her life in what is most likely peril and hurtfulness.
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October 29, 2008 at 11:53 am