34 year old assisted euthanasia

I know Annie. Bad enough with a brother but a child. It's horrendous.

Thank you Katie yes your brother x

Assisted dying , thinking more of this, thank God I have never
had a loved one face an agonising death, if my daughter had a terminal illness could I accept her decision to end her life but
I could not have accepted her decision do so when the bipolar
struck ?

My heart has always gone out to you Annie. My 24 year old brother did the same.

Allsorts thank you, yes it broke me . What matters to me is people become more tolerant and understanding of mental illness, understandably not always easy but it is important.
At times a suicide attempt is a cry for help, this makes me question assisted euthanasia for mental illness

Annie, I remember your daughter dying. It’s hard enough when it’s natural causes but suicide breaks the people left, like you her mother. Assisted suicide when terminally ill is understandable. I agree with User, she makes very valid points about people with severe depression, they don’t get the help they need.

Oh yes.
Not that bugger!

With the exception of Harold Shipman MissA.

I agree too, Lucky, but just as there are physical illnesses that can't be cured, there must also be mental illnesses (and our brains are part of our physicality anyway) for which there is no treatment however much we'd wish there to be.

The sad story anniebach tells seems to illustrate this.

Agree Luckygirl

This is difficult for me but - my darling daughter who took her
life 6 years ago had attempted the same 7 years ago, when she came out of hospital I held her tightly and we talked about it,
She said
- I don’t want to die Mum but I don’t want to live

To hark back to the "golden days" it seemed so much better when peoples gps saw babies into the world, and helped patients out of it, for all the right reasons.

Such a choice is to be respected, but it would be better if that were in the context of a caring society and good services for both mental and physical health and for care.

Mental pain can hurt just as much as physical pain, if in a different way

If someone is in that kind of mental or physical agony, has tried for a long time to treat it and nothing alleviated their suffering... I'd respect their choice

Exactly Luckygirl3. Excellent post

Euthanasia cannot be discussed in a vacuum; it is always in the context of the society around. If that society does not value the proper care of people both at the end of life (with high quality terminal care) or the care of people during life (quality mental health services, specialized pain relief) then the idea of euthanasia is totally different to a society where these things are prioritised and valued.

Of curse people will want to end their lives if care services are poor, if pain relief is poor, if mental health services are poor.

And that is what we have now. The NHS is dwindling: end of life care is farmed out to to voluntary funded hospices; mental health services are not fit for purpose; people live in pain awaiting surgery; pain relief is sporadic and falls far short of what is medically possible; care for those who are disabled is fragmented and lacks dignity.

If we create a society where those in need are respected and helped, there will be less need to seek life's end. We do not have a magic wand to wave away all ills, but I am damn sure we can do better than this - it is a question of will.

Farzanah, my principles chime with your own . Would you agree that challenging anecdotes such as the original post are good for urging us to arrive at reasoned decisions as to safeguards?

Caleo

If this young woman is untreated bipolar she can't be expected to be reasonable. Once her feelings of sadness and hilarity are more level she will be in a better emotional state to make big decisions.
Again, in the present dire state of mental health care under the NHS a suicidal individual can't take care of such a big decision as to end her life.

The woman in question isn't from the UK.

If this young woman is untreated bipolar she can't be expected to be reasonable. Once her feelings of sadness and hilarity are more level she will be in a better emotional state to make big decisions.
Again, in the present dire state of mental health care under the NHS a suicidal individual can't take care of such a big decision as to end her life.

Assisted dying is such an emotive subject, and I think if (when) it is allowed in this country, there will need to be strict safeguards in place.

I generally agree that if we are “of sound mind” we should have control over how we leave this world, One of the dangers is of course that elderly and the chronically ill may feel a burden to their families as they become more frail, and governments (and families) could in future see assisted dying as a solution to the costs involved with social care!

I hope we will remain a caring and compassionate society, but that is not always apparent even now.

I am a humanist with no religious beliefs and as an organisation humanists are strongly in support of assisted dying.

Galaxy

I am not judging her. I am judging a society that thinks legal euthanasia wont have implications for the most vulnerable in our society.

It could have terrible implications.

Anniebach

But assisted dying for mental illness sufferers l?

Why do you perceive mental health suffering to be less than physical suffering Anniebach

I totally agree, Iam64. I know that if the option had been available for both my mother and mother-in-law, they would have chosen it rather than endure the long, drawn-out deaths they did. As you say, we do not let our beloved pets suffer in this way, so why should humans not have the option to pass with peace and dignity?

But assisted dying for mental illness sufferers l?

There may be implications for the most vulnerable of course but currently, the opportunity to safely, legally and peacefully end this life is unavailable.
We were blessed with good staff on the ward where my husband was receiving end of life care. They were kind, considerate, skilled professionals. We had a tiny side ward so a level of privacy. My husband was kept reasonably comfortable. By day 5 one of our adult children wept for her dad. She said we wouldn’t let one of our dogs suffer like this.

I am not judging her. I am judging a society that thinks legal euthanasia wont have implications for the most vulnerable in our society.

Truffle43

I don’t feel able to judge this young woman.After seeing someone I know in dark places from being a young child and going into adult life with depression and always having this overwhelming sadness within them is hard. This person is well loved has received many years of mental health help but the darkness never leaves them. Watching the pain this person has suffered for years and the pain they go through daily makes me not want to judge anyone who feels this is their only way out.

I agree.
I wouldn’t presume to judge what makes life worth living for someone else.