Poll: Terry Pratchet what the...

Euthanasia?

  • I'm in favour of assisted death for anyone who chooses it

    Votes: 252 41.4%

  • I'm in favour provided the person is suffering from a terminal condition

    Votes: 301 49.4%

  • I'm not in favour of assisted death

    Votes: 31 5.1%

  • I hold no opinion about it

    Votes: 25 4.1%
  • Total voters
    609
TheBigCheese said:
There is no way I could watch that programme but for those that have, I was rather shocked to read that he was asking for water, from what I've read of the subject I thought people just went into a deep sleep and that was it...I think I'm going to regret asking this but is it more drawn out than that?
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I wouldn't say it was as bad as people are making it out to be. He took the stuff and then asked for some water. He didn't seem in pain as such, I think the drugs maybe dry your throat out. He kinda looked like he was drunk, they held him for a bit then he passed out and started snoring. Then his breathing and heart stopped.

I watched my grandad die and would much rather take the drugs than go through what he did.

I hope they do make it legal for assisted deaths for people that have terminal or debillitating, painful illness. I know that if anything happens to me I wouldn't want to be a burden on my family or life a life that's no life at all.

I know it has already been mentioned but it's shocking that we can give our animals a semi/painless death but we can't do it for our human loved ones.
 
I'm in favour of assisted death for anyone who chooses it.
was rather harrowing to watch, but what i will say was the guys wife was very strong for him.
 
I think all people should be able to do whatever they want for their death, as long as the process is drawn out enough that impulse decisions are avoided, and maybe also all sorts of mandatory counselling and medical comments for people that want to go through with it.

I would be in favour of a variety of methods being available - I would choose the 'jump out of a plane at altitude' option, or if that's too expensive then firing squad (maybe automated). Why not, after all? It would only be my life, and by the time I'm thinking about that kind of thing I doubt there would be much potential for me earning much more, so the rest of the country probably wouldn't lose my precious taxes - but even if they did, I think everyone should have the option to die before suffering massive amounts, or maybe just if they cba with life. Ending it all in the shed with a length of rope or a paracetamol OD is just a little less satisfying, more difficult, and also risks incriminating anyone who helps you if you happen to be disabled.
 
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I don't mean to sound flippant, but by the time his illness has progressed enough to have made his quality of life deteriorate enough to justify assisted suicide, surely he'll no longer be in a position to take that decision anymore? I mean it's one thing for a terminal cancer sufferer in pain to ask to die, but if Pratchett is sound enough of mind to make an informed decision to die then surely by definition he's still well enough that that decision is very hard to justify! And if you wait until his condition HAS deteriorated to that point, then he'll no longer be corpus mentis enough to make his wishes known!

I'm not against assisted suicide, I'm a big fan of Pratchett and I think he's a very wise and eloquent man, but for this specific issue he's probably the worst possible spokesman they could've gotten.
 
britboy4321 said:
The problem is actually that inheritance-hungry relatives will start persuading granny to choose the option. Or choosing the option will become the expected norm..

as in

'Well Gran, so you want to hang around pooing your pants for 4 years for no reason ..and you consider that dignity? I never considered you a selfish person, but I guess you are. God I hate you - why can't you just do the decent, dignified thing that everyone else would do, for once?'

'So Gran, it says here on the internet you're going to cost the NHS £690,000 in treatment because you arn't choosing the decent option -- euthanasia. OK, I'll pay my taxes, so you can lie in pain all day moaning to everyone eh? Selfish cow -- why don't you just die with dignity? Everyone else chooses to .. I certainly would in your shoes - but I guess you think you're better than everyone else??'

'So Gran, 18 people on your ward have chosen Euthanasia -- I can't understand why you'd want to suffer so much for no reason .. why arn't you choosing the 'normal' option -- assisted death? Why choose the 'strange' option? Haven't you had enough attention?'

'Great Gran - I've got to visit you for another 5 years because you haven't got the decency or the bravery to choose Euthanasia? And if we don't have your inheritence within 6 months your grandchildren are going to lose the house they live in because I lost my job. Is THAT what you want? You just hanging around to enjoy seeing us homeless? Great .. just bloody great ...'

etc. etc. and don't tell me it wouldn't happen. Within 3 years they'd be threads on this very board saying 'Cancer victim scum costing us £1.2m a year because he refuses to have a dignified assisted death .. and then has the gaul to complain that he is in immense pain all the time .. what scum'. etc. etc.
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If I were mod this is where I would insert a mod challenge.

*Source your information or show examples where this has been an occurrence in anything other than a freak example or face a 2 week suspension*

I say this because of how silly it is, considering its been legal in the Netherlands for over 7 years and over 10 years in Switzerland and this has not even begun to be a problem let alone threads on Netherland or Swiss computing forums complaining about relatives not wanting to die.

It is this kind of misinformation due to either stupidity or because of some alternative evil motivation that causes massive problems for people wanting to advance society using logic.
 
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sammo62 said:
So far 127/134 forum voters are for it... that's pretty resounding.

Britboy - I'm kind of with what you're are saying - there is definitely room for abuse, and for societal norms to change, however I try and think somewhat selfishly about what I'd prefer in that situation and I think I'd rather have children moaning at me and the right to choose, than be in insufferable agony and not be allowed a way out.
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He is talking absolute nonsense, provided no sources, is demonstrateably wrong and frankly, is an idiot when it comes to this. Look at the facts presented by social scientists based on real life not some fantastical evil fiction invented by an anonymous idiot behind a computer screen. Safe guards have been more than put in place, let alone with the understanding that any attempts to circumvent them have been both instantly recognised and few.

Compare that with the amount of suffering that Euthanasia not being legal is currently causing and the cowardice of our current leaders and media is disgustingly apparent.
 
arc@css said:
Peter was so brave, may he rest in peace.
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Indeed.

I'm not one for getting too emotional at all over things like this, but I found that very unsettling to watch. Peter was a real gentleman and he makes me very proud to be English.

I think it really puts into perspective all the stupid little things most of us worry about from day to day.

Rest in peace.
 
I am not sure I will be that brave when my time comes... I can see why this would upset people though, heck it upset me.

But I admire what Mr Pratchet is campaigning for, people should have the choice if they are terminal, or losing who they are, mind or body... Its just not right that we cant cure them, so they dont have to make said choice.

Jcb33.
 
So who thinks people should get the choice to die if they're terminally ill or not? Surely if they were healthy and wanted to die then you could say they're not in the mental position to make such a decision...
 
If they were healthy it wouldn't have to be assisted death? It would most likely just be suicide which is another debate entirely.
 
Peter is amazing, I'm not sure I could go towards my death like he did. It obviously shows that he has completely made up his mind, and is comfortable with the idea of death.
 
PermaBanned said:
So who thinks people should get the choice to die if they're terminally ill or not? Surely if they were healthy and wanted to die then you could say they're not in the mental position to make such a decision...
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Completely. As long as it is their own choice I think people ought to be able to be free to make it. There should be a means for people commiting suicide that does not wreck other peoples lives and is as pain free an exit from the world as possible. I think perhaps people condemned to life in prison should also have the option - as long as it is verifiably completely their choice... not 100% sure about this but think it is probably not a bad plan.
 
PermaBanned said:
So who thinks people should get the choice to die if they're terminally ill or not? Surely if they were healthy and wanted to die then you could say they're not in the mental position to make such a decision...
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What if their condition wasn't terminal, but incurable and extremely painful? The only people who would be assisted would be those with medical conditions that adversely affect their lives, which is why they need assistance. You're acting like any angsty teenager can wander in and be put down like an animal.
 
There is a 50% chance that I have Huntington's disease. If I do have it and develop full symptoms, I would want to have the option of ending my life in a a legal way and without having to go abroad to do so.

There are way too many people on this planet and letting a few go of their own volition just makes complete sense to me! I'm voting 1, but I'm somewhere between 1 and 2.

I haven't seen the program but may watch it.
 
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