What is your general viewpoint on Assisted Suicide?

My Stance is that I, personally, see nothing wrong with it.

It dépends on thé situation. If someone is on a little depression he should not do suicide. If someone watt to Die because they are quadraplegic then why not. I don't know if you understand my point.

Your life is your own, and you can do with it what you will. If you are physically unable to do what you will then you should have the facility to legally request assistance in self-termination.

I'm not opposed to assisted suicide.

On the other hand, I personally would not assist anyone in killing him/herself. That person's desperation to end his/her life would be equally matched by my desperation to find some alternative to make his/her life more bearable.

-- Nephele

What Nephele said. It's their body and their life, they can do what ever the hot stones in Hades they want with themsleves. I won't do it for them, but if they can find someone else, I'm all for it.

Although one should take into account the feelings of those the person in questoin would leave behind. There is always that angle.

This is an interesting topic... I think everyone has the right to choose what to do with their lives, including when to end it. I get what you mean, PtWQ, about the feelings of people left behind, but in an ideal world, where everyone's comfortable with that choice, then grief would probably be tempered with respect for the choice made by the deceased.

We'd probably all be more comfortable with the idea of assisted suicide, come to that.

I think that people should have an option to end their lives when their suffering is more than they can handle.

The most unfortunate aspect of assisted suicide and suicide in general is that it is such a taboo topic and people who are considering aren't always free to let their loved one's know about their decision and the reasons for their decision.

Another concern is regulation.. how to make sure that people aren't being murdered for convenience, out of spite or for inheritence. I know that these are ugly thoughts but there are some pretty ugly people out there.

I think that it is worth it to take the time to work out the kinks to allow people this option so that they don't have to suffer and have a shitty quality of life.

Ape Descendant : I can completely see your point and it is understandable. Sometimes a person will be all to quick to use something for their own gain and take advantage and that hurts though how truly believe in it as a way of helping and taking control.

I'm reminded of a recent story I saw on the news about a Uk man who posed as a nurse and encouraged depressed teens to commit suicide. While I stand by my proclamation of being 'pro-choice/pro-suicide' that does not mean that I would ever encourage a troubled person to do themselves in. I think taking advantage of vulnerable, mentally ill individuals is one of the sickest things ever.

Having said that: I will never-I refuse to be one of those insufferable people who gets mad or stays mad at a friend who has committed suicide. It's completely selfish of these people to not care or take into account the fact that, obviously, their friend was in a tremendous amount of suffering and they're being selfish pricks by whining about how 'they didn't think of ME when they were doing it! They're SO SELFISH" Get the fuck over yourself.

My grandmother chose to have her pain ended sooner rather than have it draw out for weeks while she clung to a life whose quality waned as her pain waxed greater. I supported her decision and if they hadn't allowed her to die I loved her enough to have helped her if she had wanted.

Sounds good to me.

If it is a mercy killing, basically a la Dr. Kervorkian, to end the inevitable agonizing death sooner, I'm all for that.

If it is for a mentally broken person who has snapped or lost the will to live from a bleak outlook, then I'll have nothing to do with assisting that. A close friend of mine gets this way from time to time. Thankfully I am able to talk him out of it and cheer him up, instead of wrestling steak knives out of his hands.

If someone I cared about knocked themselves off, I'd be crushed and hardcore miserable, but never mad or condemning. In todays' world, I can usually understand.

@ wolfmammy - thats a fucked up thing about the guy posing as a doc. =\

I totally agree with that! This sort of attitude makes me rage every time I hear people debating over topics like suicide and assisted suicide. I also find it revolting when people try to save their suicidal friends'/loved one's life by calling the poor, already depressed as hell person selfish and weak, then they start explaining how they couldn't live without said suicidal person... Blargh!


Well, as for assisted suicide... Personally, I think of it as more of an act of mercy or even love, than murder. But nowadays death is such a taboo topic that a lot of people can't even imagine that there are worse things than death, and there are worse crimes than ending the life of someone who already decided to die.

It all depends on the situation, if there is absolutely nothing that can change for the better and that person can not do it by her/him-self, I think it is right.

But I would never be the one who helped. But if all hope was gone for my part, I would probably be happy with that option available. Especially if I was not physically able to do it myself.

After having watched two of my relatives suffer slow, painful deaths (I mean MONTHS), I do favor assisted suicide. If a person has an obviously terminal illness, and their suffering is unbearable, I feel it's cruel to deny them assisted suicide because of some stupid laws and mores.

I agree. People are so fearful and even hateful of death that anything concerning it or brings it 'prematurely' is either something to feared or it is wrong. I seconded you exactly with you saying that there are fates worse than death, and that there should be no harm in allowing someone to die who as already decided on it. Whether you help or not- it will be done if it is the course that they choose.