Assisted dying bill

I fail to understand why some people have the nerve to play with people's needs.Until you've walked in their shoes ,someone in pain, terminally I'll or disabled needs help.The will to live is strong but maybe there comes a time when it's just not enough and to have a choice to be released in peace must be a great comfort.

Luckily being called a bigot is meaningless these days.

Anyone who doesn’t agree with assisted dying is a religious bigot ?

Religious bigots must not be allowed to defeat the Assisted Dying Bill. I wish to exercise my choice when the time comes.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I am in favour of this having watched 2 parents suffer long miserable deaths. I don’t want that for me or Antone i love.

My late DFiL was terminally ill and when the doctors told us they estimated he had 6-9 months to live, he died 4 weeks later. He was cared for at home by my DMiL, my DH and a wonderful group of McMillan nurses. His pain relief was well managed until the day he died, my DH had to try and get a prescription for morphine filled, which took several hours and then only by the kindness of our local hospice did he get the medication he needed. Watching his beloved Dad suffer traumatised my DH so much so he lost the capacity to speak for a week and we had to get help from a psychiatrist afterwards. So I’m hopeful this bill would help stop others from suffering as much as my DFiL.

Suicide is hot and miss. Often violent too. To say that people can kill themselves if they no longer want to live is not the way to go about it. Have a heart.

I hope this bill goes through before I feel the need to die before the pain & indignity of terminal illness does kill me! This has been thought through so that only the terminally ill can be helped. There have to be at least two doctors in agreement. I could give you many more points that have been covered but we would be here all day reading, agreeing & disagreeing. My friend is catholic & is against the bill simply because she has been told at church that she must be! This is a very personal thing for those of us that have watched someone in so much pain beg to be allowed to die because the meds are not strong enough to stop the unbearable pain! Think & research before you make a decision please?

the majority of people have said they want this bill, a fair majority have watched people they love suffer. Other countries have successfully implemented this so why do we keep stuttering over it.

Of course there us, that's why groups representing those with disabilities opposed it, the feminists who work with women in abusive relationships, but those groups don't have much power in society.

There is no fear / concerns for anyone being persuaded to die ?

As I do not live in the UK I neither can nor will comment on the proposed bill there, as it obviously is not my business.

However, there are some ethical points that have to be considered, and which I do not think are necessarily understood by all who favour an assisted dying policy.

One is the salient point that someone may be too ill to do what is necessary physically to end their life. Or may no longer be capable of clearly expressing the wish to die.

Are these people to be left to suffer, if no-one is legally allowed to administer the drug that would end the patient's life?

Another point is that someone may well have written down and discussed with their family and doctors that they do not wish to be left to die a lingering death. On the face of it, if such a document exists the way is clear. But is it? The dying have been known to cling to life and to be unwilling or afraid, or unable to let go. What do we do if we as the family or attending physician deem this to be the case? Ignore it? And live the rest of our own life knowing we perhaps killed someone who was not ready to die?

No-one knows and can tell you how soon a fatal condition or illness will kill you. An experienced doctor treating the particular disease will perhaps be willing to make an estimate, but it is not possible to state that anyone is likely to die within X numbers of weeks or months.

What about the patient with a terminal illness and a deep depression? Is the depression to be allowed to determine that the person dies now, or alternatively used to refuse the patient's request on the grounds that he or she is not mentally competent to make the decision?

How do we, the general public, law-makers or medical or spiritual advisors make absolutely sure that the patient him-or herself really wishes to die now, and has not been pressured into the decision by relatives or carers who have carefully insinuated that "you are a burden to yourself and to us?"

Some unfortunate people have been hurried out of this world by family wishing to inherit. How can we be sure that an assisted-dying law cannot be misused to facilitate this?

This bill is neither terrible of rushed and the safeguards will mean it’s not abused. It’s a disgrace that someone with mental capacity who is experiencing intolerable suffering doesn’t have the right to die. I know Catholics who agree with the proposed bill BTW.

What do you mean exactly? I am confused.

Stepgranonabroomstick

Macadia

Yes, Keepingquiet. That should not be allowed. It would have to be a self administered method.

Suicide is not a crime. Anyone can end their own life. This bill is for those who no longer have the capacity to end their life.

I understood it will still require the person to 'press the button' or whatever, it is not going to be activated by a third person. That rules out the paralysed.
As in the case of Granniesunite's husband those without the mental capacity to request this end will not benefit from it. And children are excluded their pain and distress is to be endured until the end.
I have great misgivings about the whole bill, I'm not convinced there will be enough safeguards from misuse. Didn't one of those who spoke at the hearings say it wouldn't really matter if a few grannies got pressured by their families into ending it sooner rather than later? You know sacrificed for the greater good.

Granniesunite it's an awful situation for you and your husband.

I'm not going to go into detail here because even now it's too painful...my mum was diagnosed with a particular disease, despite a regime of various medications, it was confirmed that the disease was 'drug resistant' and her condition was terminal. It was suggested to me that she could be transferred from the hospital to a hospice, after talking to her, we both decided that being at home was the best thing...at that point her prognosis was 4 to 6 weeks. She died 8 months later and I'm convinced that being at home, helped us to have that extra time and I truly cherish all of it.. nothing was left unsaid.
However, her death was utterly appalling and she died screaming at me to help her, she was absolutely terrified and there was nothing I could do except hold her. This wasn't pain...it was something else.
In the aftermath of it all, I spoke to the Doctor and asked why nobody had told me about what could happen, he explained that death didn't always occur in that manner with her condition but even if she'd have been in hospital etc, there was nothing that could have been done for her.
In the final weeks of her life, she often spoke to me about wanting things to end, mentally it destroyed her......
So, while I totally agree with the argument for good palliative care, even that, in some cases isn't enough and while I appreciate that some people have a strong religious belief, I also believe they have no right to use that belief to cause distress and suffering to others....

Macadia

Yes, Keepingquiet. That should not be allowed. It would have to be a self administered method.

Suicide is not a crime. Anyone can end their own life. This bill is for those who no longer have the capacity to end their life.

I personally am in support of this bill and have lobbyed my "useless" member of parliament. I do not want to go into care as did several of my family I want the choice. If catholics do not agree then they can can choose their own way to spent their last days/years in ill health, terminal illness etc. It should be down to each individual. I would never let a pet suffer the way my parents/relatives did and I definitely do not want the same fir myself. I gor one will cheer when/if the bill gets passed.

I support the bill wholeheartedly but do also agree that high standard palliative care should also be available to those who want that route.

I totally agree Madgran.

Any Assisted Dying Bill should be alongside a national strategy on funded full palliative end of life care available to all. That provides proper choice between those two options. So many people dont have the choice of high quality palliative care. Shocking!

Granniesunite

Totally agree with Nanato3. The cruelty of people who can’t face their mortality.

If I'm right I think this bill is only for terminally Ill people.
Why ? Everyone should have the right to end their lives if they can't cope with their illness anymore.

Leaving people in terrible pain and a slow death is barbaric.

I’m torn on this one. I’m watching my poor husband die every day with Alzhimers and it’s been years.

Some days he’s in torment and can’t get peace. Wandering around the house exhausted but he can’t sit down pacing pacing pacing til we’re both so exhausted.

I have every activity known to man to encourage him to settle for a while. Some days it works others not.

He’s non verbal he’s just makes sounds but I feel he’s trying to say something to me and he’s is so distressed at times it’s heart breaking.

Would he agree to this bill?

I think I he would. But it won’t help others affected by this illness.