Euthanasia need to be considered in UK?

Caporegime
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Euthanasia wouldn't change anything for people unable to give consent, and the ones who can consent have options like travelling to switzerland or somewhere else

Watching my partners mum die of stage 4 cancer and what the family went through was grim. She begged for the end. But obviously wasn't allowed.

The have to watch as their mental state deteriorates. They lose who they are. Everyone left behind going to see them daily. But they aren't there. Just suffering.

Its brutal.

If be surprised if many who've see this don't support it.


Edit
I'll add. I've always supported right to choose. But I'd never seen this first hand. It went on for months too.

This isn't a disability. It's terminal. No ambiguity. She wanted to end it when she was of sound mind. It can't really be anymore clear cut for me.
 
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Soldato
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I do know of at least one person who has written her own DNR and it resides in her bedside cabinet. She is 89 years old and would not like to end up in hospital or in care having lived independantly for so long.
 
Soldato
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It was at least a month for my mum to die, however she didn't seem to know she was going to die until a few days before when the doctor told her. That seemed to break her spirits. In some cases it's not going to make a lot of difference, but we should be allowed to ask for and get a quick end. It's just backwards at the moment.
 
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Associate
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Euthanasia wouldn't change anything for people unable to give consent, and the ones who can consent have options like travelling to switzerland or somewhere else
The problem with Switzerland is, even if you can afford it, it robs you of the precious time that you have left. To travel to Switzerland you have to be well enough to travel, and if that's the case then its likely that you don't want to die just yet.

Take my Dad (and the disease I'm at a greater risk of dying of - genetics suck). Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis kills you by suffocation. Your lungs become so scarred that you can't get enough oxygen and you die. But before that lies weeks and week of being in a terrible condition. You know that feeling you have after sprinting hard and you're really out of breath, you can't get enough air into your lungs? Now imagine that you're in that state 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Breathing oxygen doesn't help because the reason you're out of breath is your lungs are completely shot. There are no drugs that alleviate the symptoms - painkillers don't help, as its not pain that you're suffering from. Every movement is a huge effort and makes things worse. You can't sleep, don't want to eat and just want the end to come. That's the point you want to go to Switzerland, but you're far too ill to go. So you have a terrible choice to make - you want to avoid the terrible, terrible end phase so you can't leave it too late, but going too early robs you of some of the precious life you have left. The quandry is a terrible one - do I leave it another week? Another week of life, with my loved ones? Or I can't risk being too ill to travel, so I'll end it earlier than I need.

My Dad didn't go to Switzerland. He suffered terribly in the last weeks and there was absolutely nothing that could be done. He was beyond medical help, but not allowed to die. Thanks to crappy genes I may be in that situation in a few decades. If Switzerland is the only option, I'll be the one making that calculation as there is no way I'm going to let myself go through that. Do I lose precious time with the family? Or risk it another week and hope I don't deteriorate.
 
Caporegime
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See post above ^^^^

What about the people that cant afford to go there?
then they will be claiming benefits from the state no?
surely then people should petition that the government should pay the 7k-10k it seems to cost, in the event someone cant afford it themselves.

it would save the government money, I guess theres just ethical hurdles to jump through

The problem with Switzerland is, even if you can afford it, it robs you of the precious time that you have left. To travel to Switzerland you have to be well enough to travel, and if that's the case then its likely that you don't want to die just yet.
Switzerland is literally a 1h50min flight even if you fly from Newcastle.

from London it must be about 1.5hours



I wouldn't trust the NHS to do it.
 
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Soldato
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"We calculate that the total number of UK citizens who ended their life in Switzerland from 2015-18
was 233 - more than one a week."


The numbers are very low, it's only for the privileged few.
 
Associate
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The slippery slope is a big problem, it's far too easy for the state or even relatives to abuse such access. I don't think the law should be involved with an individual who does it to themselves but it certainly is dangerous to have the law fecilitate it.
 
Soldato
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then they will be claiming benefits from the state no?
surely then people should petition that the government should pay the 7k-10k it seems to cost, in the event someone cant afford it themselves.

it would save the government money, I guess theres just ethical hurdles to jump through

confused-confused-math.gif


Can't you just admit you made an error rather than have us all spectators in the games that are the "Arknor Mental Gymnastics Tournaments"? :confused:
 
Soldato
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Switzerland is literally a 1h50min flight even if you fly from Newcastle.

from London it must be about 1.5hours



I wouldn't trust the NHS to do it.

Are you being this insensitive on purpose? Posters have explained how travelling isn't viable for their loved ones. Its easy for you to get to Switzerland but you are healthy. Also some people would like to die in their own home surrounded by the things and people they love. I hope you never have to watch a loved one die in pain and even worse prolonged pain or suffering, its brutal and completely unnecessary in 2024.
 
Soldato
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Are you being this insensitive on purpose?

What it shows is not to engage in a discussion with him as it will be pointless - regardless of any well reasoned point you make, they will never take it on board if it goes against their initial opinion either because they are unable to have critical thinking or are unwilling to admit they have made a mistake... Arknor:

dumb-dumber.gif
 
Caporegime
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That's the problem. You want to go when life isn't worth living.
At that point it's probably nigh on impossible to get there.

That's the crux of it. If you can get to Switzerland you still have enough quality of life to battle on.

When you want to go things are really bad. You're probably bed bound. Or in so much pain travelling may be impossible.
 
Soldato
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My grandad died of lung cancer age 95 , from
diagnosis to death was about 3 months. In his final weeks he slept mostly and would wale up startled and would try to leave the bed. Also he tried to play with his dick a lot ( whats going on there?!)

One day the nurses put him on this thing called a pilesdriver syringe and he died later that day so isn’t kind of like euthanasia jtself?
 
Soldato
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I can make the decision for my pets, but not myself. Have seen too many friends/family die in pain, drown internally in their own fluids etc. It’s ridiculous that we still don’t have the choice, based on some archaic made up story in a book that a load of people in the UK used to believe in.
The Yellow Pages?

Aside from dying in drawn out agony because you are too debilitated to fly, there is the issue of mental decline. By the time your dementia has got to the point where you would really want to opt out, you won't be capable of making that decision or undertaking international travel. So if you want to avoid the indignity of finishing your days as a drooling vegetable who has forgotten their own family, you currently have to end it early, possibly by years. Far better if people could make that decision whilst they still have their faculties, to then be actioned once appropriate independent experts judge you have reached the stage at which you indicated you would rather have a clean exit.
 
Soldato
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My grandad died of lung cancer age 95 , from
diagnosis to death was about 3 months. In his final weeks he slept mostly and would wale up startled and would try to leave the bed. Also he tried to play with his dick a lot ( whats going on there?!)

One day the nurses put him on this thing called a pilesdriver syringe and he died later that day so isn’t kind of like euthanasia jtself?

There is certainly stuff that already goes on to hasten death, such as stopping the supply of liquids or loading people up with morphine. But of course in those situations the decisions are being made by the Doctor and not by the patient. And it would seem far kinder to end it all quickly and cleanly with an injection, than to let someone slowly die of thirst.
 
Man of Honour
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My grandad died of lung cancer age 95 , from
diagnosis to death was about 3 months. In his final weeks he slept mostly and would wale up startled and would try to leave the bed. Also he tried to play with his dick a lot ( whats going on there?!)

One day the nurses put him on this thing called a pilesdriver syringe and he died later that day so isn’t kind of like euthanasia jtself?

They did similar with my Nan. Basically she was on the way out, so they sped the process up with a morphine overdose. Was surprised they could even do that.
 
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