Was he right is trying to give the right of choice to suffer or die with dignity?
Our dogs had to be put down- they didn't understand what was happening. 30 second shot, and their sufferig was over. My poor lab had cancer, again. took friend who s nurse antheistist with me to vet, Cab put his head on our kness and just laid there. Very peaceful and dignifieid. Very much loved, went with us everywhere.....Pets our our family too.
For me it's not even about dignity. It's about, if I ccan't be alive in all ways, then I don't want to do this anymore....My kids know how I feel, know that it is my choice and will be by my own hand.... I will not expect them to participate....
I would not encourage or discourage any one that wanted to end their life..... just as my journey has been personal... so my exit will be.
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I think any of us watching our parents decline, or ourselves having been really sick or in pain, know that it's better to die with dignity and in your own surroundings rather than having strangers yell, pull, push, stab at you.... I believe in letting a person "be comfortable", and letting the heart give out, peacefully.
I am opposed to extreme medical interventions which cause us to linger and suffer.
The problem comes with regard to where to cut this off. I had watched the Kevorkian film and I can't remember this, but I think he did try to be careful that the person really did understand and could make the decision. I think there needs to be some kind of way to make sure that it's not a whim, that the person really understands what they're doing, and that their situation is truly serious-enough to warrant this.
Unlike a pet, where we (hopefully) make an informed decision for them, in a human being's case, they are making the decision for themselves and I think we have to be extra-cautious not to let someone have a suicide merely because they're depressed, for example.
But I also think it's a hard issue to involve a doctor in. A doctor could most easily understand how to put a person out of their pain, but I have to wonder if that really does push them away from their Hippocratic oath. That's an ethical discussion for someone else to pursue as I'm not sure how to address that, myself.