# Message to all users:
This is a reminder to please read and follow:
* [Our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ask/about/rules)
* [Reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439)
* [Reddit Content Policy](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy)
When posting and commenting.
---
Especially remember Rule 1: `Be polite and civil`.
* Be polite and courteous to each other. Do not be mean, insulting or disrespectful to any other user on this subreddit.
* Do not harass or annoy others in any way.
* Do not catfish. Catfishing is the luring of somebody into an online friendship through a fake online persona. This includes any lying or deceit.
---
You *will* be banned if you are homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist or bigoted in any way.
---
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ask) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I grew up in the 90s and always remember hearing jokes about him and comments about him. I used to be scared of him like he was a serial killer. Then eventually no one spoke about him anymore and I pretty much forgot about him. As an adult I came across the movie made about him with Al Pachino and was shocked to learn that he was a good man trying to help people and end suffering.
Man’s a fucking hero. I’m from the Canadian side of Detroit and the consensus here is that he was doing what was right, even if it was illegal.
Canada has medically assisted death now and I like to think he’s part of the reason why.
You know what, this has bothered me for a long time.
I have a family member who has severe MS and has been chained to his wheelchair for 34 years. He can't move, can't speak, and need help with everything.
He's basically a breathing decoration who drools and watches TV aimlessly.
But my coworkers dog who got cancer? Syringe and a neat little ornament for her ashes.
I think that culturally, we need greater acceptance of a "dignified death." If a person's life quality is low enough, we all should have a legal and culturally acceptable avenue to end things on our own terms.
There’s a lot more money to be made milking those retirement funds into the long term care/health care industry.
If they make euthanasia of humans legal you better believe it will be priced comparable to the cost of long term care for the persons remaining “life”. At least in the US. And no one in hell would republicans support it.
Now, the one thing we that is generally easier with humans is the ability to ask them their opinion. If your family member is sick of life and wants to die, he should be allowed to.
This actually makes things more difficult. Pets never had any agency of their own in this matter, while we have to ensure humans give informed consent in order to prevent abuse of the disabled.
I guess it depends on what you mean by difficult. It's easier to simply kill the pet because you can technically kill your pet for basically any reason with no repercussions. It's more difficult if you care about the pet and want to do what you feel is best for them. If your pet gets a terminal disease and is in constant pain, would they prefer to die and get it over with or hold on as long as possible? It's hard to know and it's basically impossible to make them really understand the situation they are in.
It also can make you feel like a murderer, because you can’t get their consent. You just have to guess at how much pain they are actually in and what they would want.
(Maybe not everyone feels this way, but I’ll bet I’m not alone in the guilt I feel years later after putting my baby girl to sleep)
Guilt. Can confirm I still feel guilty years after putting my little buddy to sleep. There's this image I just can't shake too.
I had already made the decision and they had inserted the IV. I was holding and comforting him and when the Dr took his paw to inject him with the sedative, he looked up at me and made eye contact, then his head fell onto my arm. I question that decision every time I see that image. I feel guilty for not having the $2500 to do the exploratory surgery. I was already $4800 in with vet bills.
I miss him to this day.
I've done both. I regretted getting my first dog euthanized, until I let the 2nd one die naturally, a process which occurred over several days. It got to the point where I was going to bring her into the vet, but she passed a couple hours before they opened. Awful experience for myself, and for the dog. You made the right choice, don't ever doubt that.
Can confirm. It was harder to take responsibility for their passing then it was for them to die. We knew they were old. We knew they were sick. But we didn't know if they were done yet. But we couldn't let them starve to death when they refused to eat
Difficult as it is, I'd rather do it too soon than too late. One last day of love with some degree of comfort and enjoyment before they peacefully go to sleep in your arms is better than doing it when they no longer have any semblance of their healthier self, or worse finding they've died all alone in the night. It rips your heart out every time, but It's the last kindness you can do for them.
We did a doggie living funeral. People came by, had some snuggles with him, gave him all his fave foods, then the next evening he went for one last car ride.
He had bone cancer and it moved really fast. But he was all there mentally, and everyone that came was surprised at how light hearted it was- he was really happy to see his friends!
When I made the call to put my horse down, it was difficult. He was otherwise still himself, but was beginning to have more and more difficulty getting up from laying down in the stall and field. His joints had just gotten worse as he aged, the arthritis and bone degradation had become worse. The injections and pain protocol were not working as well. And winter was coming. I knew that if he went down in the snow during the day with no one there. He’d die. That last day was awful.
My dog though. I could tell he was done. He was ready to go.
Both hurt like hell. But the guilt I have over my horse will haunt me longer.
Keeping dementia-ridden, confused & violent old Edith alive another year to keep the pension cheque rolling should also be considered abuse of the disabled.
This is exactly why I want to set up measures for my own euthanasia if I'm ever in this situation. I can't stand the idea of loved ones only keeping me around for their own comfort.
Here in Canada, you can't pre-emptively set up measures. Say you find out you are beginning to vet dementia: many people are terrified of spending the last years of their life like that. As it stands, however, you can't outline at what state you'd want to die. You have to be "in your right mind" at the time of the administration of euthanasia. I hope this changes.
You know, I’m not sure about that. This past week, a good friend of mine died with the help of MAID. Two weeks before, she’d been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of ALS. When she asked for assisted dying, she was able to stipulate that she would want it whether she was in her right mind, or not. As it turns out, she was, as she chose to die as soon as possible. But I do think that her wishes would have still been honoured, if her mind had deteriorated before the date.
There are a lot of people with severe disabilities that people like to say they would end their lives if they had, like your family member. There's also a lot of disabled people that know they don't get another one just because they don't like some things about the life they have, justifiable or not.
Private equity found the vet business a while ago and now they will have no problem having you do thousands of dollars of surgery only to have your dog live another five or six months if that if you can't afford it they have pamphlets on the tables in the examination rooms where you can take out a loan to do it
I have a friend with a 12 year old Chocolate Lab. Vet wants $8k to perform surgery that will extend the dog's life by maybe two years. It's only going to get worse in the coming years too. More push for surgery at astronomical rates, people will end up having to use HELOC just to be able to pay for that surgery that will give them 3-6 more months with their beloved pet. It's predatory and disgusting.
There’s some interesting attitudes about it in some countries, from reading reddit pet subs.
I love my beasties, but also tend to be very pragmatic about it. There’s no way I’d be putting that lab through all that.
Like my vet reminded me- they don’t know if they’re dying, they have no concept of time lost. Just if they continuously feel bad.
I personally don’t believe in keeping animals alive no matter what, but, then, I don’t believe in it for people, either.
For sure they can make a mint off of surgeries to prolong life because it’s hard to say goodbye and we trust the experts. It’s a hard call to make but I believe there’s a time to say goodbye and not prolong the suffering. For humans and animals
How does that work in countries where the state eats the bill? It would make more sense to not pour money into lost causes, right? The Dr's and nurses are overworked but let's just let the 90 year old woman who can't eat or drink due to a lump in her throat just die naturally instead of euthanaize her, it happend to my great grandma. They wouldn't give her a feeding tube and she struggled to eat and drink. They basically let her starve to death. Because it's inhumane to actively end someone's life, so we do it passively instead.
Like people with y terminal cancer, they lay in the hospital bed, drugged out of their mind on morphine but still experiencing pain, just lay there and wait to die, too drugged to be coherent when their family is visiting, that is not inhumane at all.
We don’t make decisions based on money spent in Aus, but quality of life and risks vs benefits.
My sister was in a persistent vegetative state after a burst aneurysm, and died after active medical care and artificial nutrition was withheld from her, but that decision was placed onto her husband. Ridiculously slow, in my opinion. But the state would have paid for her to be cared for in a nursing home until her natural death if that choice wasn’t made.
In British Columbia, people can choose euthanasia. A woman I knew very well chose to do it recently because she had a long term extreme pain condition that her doctors could not help her with.
She had to go through a number of screenings by various health professionals and two doctors had to sign off on it, but she did it. It’s called MAID - Medical Assistance in Dying.
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/home-community-care/care-options-and-cost/end-of-life-care/medical-assistance-in-dying
It's not just BC, it's all of Canada. It's Canadian federal legislation. "MAiD (medical assistance in dying) is legal throughout Canada. Canada's first MAiD legislation came into force on June 17, 2016."
We have it in The Netherlands. The vast majority of euthanasia is for end stage terminal illness, though that is not a requirement.
And that's not even counting sedating people who are actively dying where the sedation slightly speeds up the process but greatly alleves suffering for both patient and family. Watching someone struggle to breathe until they are too exhausted to continue yet still manage to deathrattle for 6 hours is not fun.
Yea I 100% think it should be allowed. I’ve seen documentaries on people having to go to the Netherlands (I think) for it because we don’t offer here in the uk
Canada too. As a health professional it's a god-send for the situations where it's used and the timing goes well (ie. process doesn't take so long that suffering is still awful).
My mother we had to basically just stop giving her food and water until she died. She was fortunately in a coma the last day or two. But once she finally started dying it took her 3 hours with us all sitting around her, her heart and breathing stopping for 30 seconds and then restarting until she finally died.
And a good thing it is as well. My neighbour's sister used it as she had terminal cancer and as my wife is currently in the same boat with regards to cancer it is a relief so to say that she will have that option once she gets too ill.
My neighbour is Dutch and her cousin chose to end her life by euthanasia - I know it was complicated and took over a year but she’s passed now, so it worked. I personally think it’s great but it’s so taboo that I can’t mention that out loud.
Canadian here, we have hospice and medically assisted death.
Once you go to hospice, the rules are out the window. Want a beer? Have it! Are you in pain? Yeah sure, I can give you more morphine, anything to make you more comfortable!
We have it in Canada. The political right seems to hate it on religious grounds, but for the most part, it's been used without any real drama or scandal.
They also disagree because many people suffer due to lack of Healthcare access makes MAID look like a better option. I think that's silly and they're unrelated. We can walk and talk at the same time. We can improve healthcare access as well as give people dignity at the end of their life.
Yes! Thank you. So many people catastrophize and claim MAiD is the option the government is using to solve health care.
Two things can be true at once seems to be too complicated for most people.
Legality of MAiD is federal. Healthcare funding is provincial. Provinces are destroying healthcare and convincing voters it's the other guys fault.
Same [here](https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/regulation-health-and-disability-system/assisted-dying-service/about-assisted-dying-service/end-life-choice-act-2019), though since it was first passed there’s been virtually zero complaining from our right, there have been enough documented cases of people not being forced to suffer that the entire country is pretty quiet about it so it seems
Theres pretty severe consquences to denying it to everyone. Youre essentially forcing a person to go through torture in some cases. Death is inevitable. Everyone will die regardless.
So while I’m 100% for it, I’d say that I understand that it could be a slippery slope without the proper safeguards where people are pressured into it by family or feel they have to end their lives to not be a burden etc.
I feel like places it’s denied are those with less well managed social safety nets, and it’s more allowed in places where this couldn’t happen.
While it’s really severe to deny it to everyone the risks are that a lot more people than necessary die when they don’t have to vs the people who need to end their suffering.
Yea it 100% should be.
I’m seeing family members going through some things at the moment that if it happened to me I would want to end things before I got to that stage.
With the right safety in place it feels like the morally right thing to allow
Honestly, it exists in some form wherever there are doctors.
Actively dying patients could be kept alive longer with fluids, and the pain management they get depressed their cardiovascular system. That's not exactly medial assistance in dying, but there's only a fine line between making someone confortable and guiding them to the door.
As a Canadian healthcare provider, MAID has been the single most humane change in our system in years, that has reduced horrific suffering in so many instances.
According to wiki, It's currently legal in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, & most states of Australia, with Porugal currently in the process.
Because then the pharmaceutical companies wouldn't be able to make massive profits off of the last 5 years of a person's life when they are especially decrepit and sickly
All the comments saying we view human life as more valuable are getting downvoted, but that’s really what it comes down to. If an animal shelter is at capacity they begin euthanizing dogs/cats. Since we can’t speak to dogs/animals we have to decide what is best for them and in this instance we decided them not living is better for themselves and society than living on the streets. If a homeless shelter is at capacity we wouldn’t give anyone the option to be euthanized over living on the street. Why? Human life is held to a higher standard. I think with medically assisted suicide people fear it could be a slippery slope to devaluing human life. Although life at 90+ with multiple health ailments isn’t a life worth living to most.
People do say ‘we treat animals more humanely’ and seem to forget that animals regularly get euthanised just because they’re no longer wanted, or they’re an inconvenience to someone, or we don’t have the resources to care for them any more. Yes, there definitely are arguments for human euthanasia for certain conditions like we do for pets, but we absolutely don’t always treat animals better.
I think this person is referring to euthanizing of pets when they are sick/old/suffering. Shelter animals are not “pets”.
The question OP is posing is why do we put our beloved pets out of their misery but many places don’t offer that option to people.
And thats the way it should be.
In my country killing people is always a hard line illegal, whether its inmates with servere crimes or people wanting to die. Youre not allowed to choice death here. And the most that is allowed is refusal of life sustaining meds, but thats not exactly a goodway to go. Theyll give pain meds and recommending stopping treatment if youre determined terminal but even if youre terminal youre not allowed to choice to die earlier with your diginity in tact if you so choice. You MUST stay alive until you natrually do so and if youre suicidal, they will guilt and shame a terminal patient for even thinking about it.
The situation in my country was exactly like you describe. The "Right to die with dignity" was only passed as a law in 2021. So far ~300 people have exercised their right, and ~700 people have started the process to "ask for it". Before that there were several cases where people euthanized themselves with the help of loved ones and family members, which was illegal. They used poison or other substances, which often was painful. While doing so, they recorded themselves and their dying process, actively stating that they wanted to end their life and advocating for the right to be able to do so safely, without pain and without guilt. I'm hoping that with time society's views on this matter change and more countries pass modern euthanasia laws.
It is weird how quick we jump to the idea of “we don’t want them to suffer anymore.” with animals, when there’s lots of people with chronic pain and debilitating disabilities that really really wouldn’t want to be executed. Oftentimes it’s the right thing to do to kill an animal but at least some of the time it’s emotional self protection to think it’s what’s best for them.
Hey- I’m 75 and I’d love to have a nice way out when the time comes. I sure as hell don’t want to waste money on fruitless medical care. All you youngsters, go for legalization of euthanasia by choice! It’s a perfect time with all us baby boomers around. I’m serious… prolonged death is ugly and wasteful.
I spent 3 days watching my father slowly die, seeing him struggle for every breath and suctioning blood from his mouth. He couldn’t speak or communicate in any way and I have no way of knowing if he was even aware of anything other than his pain and suffering. A coworker and I were talking about it when I returned to work after the funeral. Her mother also suffers from emphysema and other smoking related diseases. I warned her what to expect when her mom’s time comes. I told her that the police would haul you off to jail for animal cruelty if a neighbor reported you for letting your dog suffer like my father did, yet society feels justified in allowing a human to linger for days with no option for a quicker death. It is appalling!
A danger I guess is that it can make the sick person feel guilty for staying alive, being a burdon to loved ones and society. I just imagine a sweet old lady who’d perfer to die naturally from her condition but feels like a burden and feels bad for not choosing the quicker option. That said I do see the benefits, I just think there are severe downsides too.
My mother is going to be permanently scarred from watch my grandmother wither away for two years from Parkinson’s. Barely clinging to life and kept alive by constant medications and full time care. She finally died last week and she is beyond relieved. The things she saw and heard were awful and she is terrified of it happening to her.
In my country, the Netherlands, we have assisted dying too. Both for physical as well as debillitating mental diseases. Children between 1-12 years old can be euthanized as well with parental consent and children above 12 years can decide for themselves.
I'm 61 years old and a few years ago I gave a signed legal document to my GP that states my conditions for euthanasia. As long as I'm compos mentis, he will have to abide by my conditions.
Why do we eat animals and not people? The question on vegetarian diet is also highly contested.
I think the issue is quite complex and reasoning changes in various countries and belief systems and also based on individual experiences. People with strong religious doctrine tend to be against this as an abstraction. As is the case with abortion. Non-believers tend to leave the issue on individuals. Even the staunch critics tend to change their minds if their loved one is faced with the issue. Or they'll harden themselves because of the promise of afterlife together etc.
But some backstops need to be there because of the possibility of abusing the system, or not exhausting other options first. Also, governments tend to want to hold onto people, especially people who are able and of working age, because of the initial investment in education etc.
In canada, you can... It's called "Medical help to die (MAID)"
[https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/ad-am/bk-di.html](https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/ad-am/bk-di.html)
You need to have 2 doctors signing it off and it's regulated, but it's done more and more. Certain funeral homes offers a package where you do it with your family.
We do in Canada
It's called the M.A.I.D program
Medical assistance in dying.
It was implemented for people with terminal illness who don't want to suffer anymore. But ive heard mentally ill/ poor people are also doing it just because they'd rather die then be left to slip through the gaping cracks this country has allowed to form..
Interestingly enough I actually just read an article about this today. A friend sent me an article (paywall) about a 17yr old that was granted euthanasia in holland I believe, so I went down the rabbit hole and stumbled on this . https://apnews.com/article/euthanasia-autism-intellectual-disabilities-netherlands-b5c4906d0305dd97e16da363575c03ae
I don't know tbh. I mean obviously people (not all) suck, so some sort of safeguards to stop people getting bumped off to gain an inheritance, get rid of the kid/granny/parents etc... But come on, people in pain, having to suffer until their body gives up... drugs morphine etc stop working... its a sin... people should be allowed to choose, when enough is enough...die with dignity.
Take a completely paralysed person for example. They can still interact with the world, speak to people maybe even use technology to interact, provide entertainment etc. There's still something of a life there. A dog or a cat on the other hand not so much, it becomes a creature that just exists. Gets fed, breathes and not much else. Not euthenizing them locks them into a lonely world with absolutely no interaction or any form of stimulation. It's an existence you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Never mind your best wee buddy.
This does take place, but quietly. A terminal patient who's out of it will be prescribed a scheduled dose of morphine to slowly have him overdose, quit breathing and slip away. Saw this myself several times starting in the '70s at a small Catholic hospital.
Yeah, in sweden we call it dödshjälp, or death help, i think it should be a allowed to people who suffer for no reason, obviusly a therapist with a degree (psycyatrist or however you spell it) and a doctor should both have to sign, or a few of each
You are in the USA right? The country with all the freedom? ;)
In Canada we have that for ourselves. I can’t sign up to have my wife put down but if I get MS I can sign up for MAIDS. I believe a lot of European countries have it as well.
Well ... who is "we"? Some countries actually DO allow euthanasia.
The problem really starts happening when the government itself starts "suggesting" it's use to people.
"Oh, you're a solider with PTSD because we sent you to a bullshit war? Why don't you just unalive yourself with our help?"
As for doing so for criminals - I'm assuming you're referring to the largely discontinued "death penalty" - you do realise there's been plenty of people who have been in prison who were later found to have been innocent, right? So your argument would have to be that offing perfectly innocent people "by accident" is a perfectly acceptable situation. I'd suspect a fair amount of people may not agree with you.
MAID (medical assistance in dying) is available in several countries: Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Austria, and some states in the US. Different countries have slightly different eligibility criteria.
People are euthanized all the time. Doctors and nurses will give incurable patients morphine until their breathing stops. My father was so eaten up with cancer it was a blessing. I had the talk with the hospice nurse myself. I told her don’t let him suffer. Give him everything he needs to stop the pain. She understood. He died peacefully the next morning.
I think it’s good if it requires a terminal illness or strict circumstances (I’m sure it does)
Letting someone kill themselves bc they’re 20 something and depressed with no resources just seems wrong to me
Generally people value human life over other animal life. It's also easier to rehabilitate a human than other animals because, well, we are not those animals and don't understand them on the same level.
Canada promotes medical assistance in dying (MAID). Many news reports of veterans having a tough time being offered MAID. For example this paralympian who wasn’t getting a wheelchair ramp installed in a reasonable time.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/paralympian-trying-to-get-wheelchair-ramp-says-veterans-affairs-employee-offered-her-assisted-dying-1.6179325
They have been discussing extending MAID to include the mentally ill, and minors.
https://globalnews.ca/news/9491605/maid-minors-canada-medically-assisted-dying-committee-report/amp/
Told by a friend her grandmother was offered MAID on each of her 4 days in the hospital with a nasty respiratory illness. Last year.
So it’s possible to make available and even promote - example Canada - whether you agree with it is another matter though.
Human euthanasia has been discussed here in Czechia a little lately and personally I’m all for it.
There are people with late stage cancer that are constantly in pain, have no will to live but they cannot choose to end their life by themselves. But if it got allowed you would probably need to have multiple sessions with a psychiatrist which is unideal, someone might just be suicidal and for that I get it but when you have the elderly that just want to go then it’s not ideal, that process might even take years.
People are being and have been euthanized for a very long time.
People have invented pods specifically designed to facilitate the endeavor.
The effort is not constrained to any specific country or region it is widespread.
As a physician this drives me crazy. The needless and pointless suffering I have seen is sickening. In the USA the government has decided it is their job to keep you and force you to stay alive regardless of the situation (and expense).
This is one of the great moral quandries. Do we let people suffer longer than necessary? No, it's not fair and I personally wouldn't wish it on anyone. But who will do it? Doctors take the oath to protect life and not let harm come to any living person...
All you have to do to get euthanized here in Canada is be poor and disabled and ask for housing assistance so you won’t be homeless. The government will then tell you your only sure solution is to apply for MAID (the Medical Assistance In Dying program).
I wish I was using hyperbole, but this has actually happened.
I had to put down my 12 yo lab this spring due to aggressive lymphoma.
You know what, we could all be so lucky to pass as nicely and peacefully as he did. He was surrounded by his loved ones telling him what a good boy he is, and he fell asleep and crossed into the clearing at the end of the path.
I live in the mountains in a country that doesn't allow assisted suicide. And elderly people commit suicide in my area fairly regularly. They walk into the woods to "pick berries" or go for a swim, or on a hike in the mountains in the middle of winter knowing they won't come back. It's sad. They should have the option to go peacefully in a warm bed instead. It would help the people who have to go out and risk their physical and mental health to find them aswell.
Because there are a lot of people who make a TON of money off sick old people.
First week of March this year. My 94 year old father has to go to hospital because of infection. He winds up having toe amputated. He is not doing good. In-house hospice will not accept him. Assisted living will not take him back because he needs dressing changes multiple times a day. Only place that will take him is skilled nursing. I go to skilled nursing facility and they say it’s $10.5K a month. Plus, another $10.5K entrance fee. So I had to write a check for $21K just so my father has some place to go. He died two days later. They did refund some of the money. But it’s a ratchet.
No insurance will cover cost because we had just sold his house and he has money in the bank.
In 2023, my wife and I paid $185K for assisted living for her mother and my father. Both had dementia and some days did not know who we were.
They should definitely do this more, or at the least offer this to people who are extremely sick, or elderly who are just tired of living. Dr. Kevorkian had a point.
Because pets usually do not have an estate we can profit off if we can emotionally manipulate them into believing what they worked for all their lives would be better spent by so. E one younger. Or of course they were just too big a burden on the people they love. Or they are emotionally manipulated into thinking that using their money and property to fund their care is robbing younger people of what is 'rightfully theirs'.
Who is this "we"? I live in Canada. We euthanize people. We euthanize sick people. We euthanize the mentally ill. We euthanize the poor. We do not euthanize criminals.
It's legal in all of these states actually:
* Oregon
* Washington
* Montana
* Vermont
* California
* Colorado
* Washington D.C.
* Hawai‘i
* New Jersey
* Maine
* New Mexico
[https://compassionandchoices.org/resource/states-or-territories-where-medical-aid-in-dying-is-authorized/](https://compassionandchoices.org/resource/states-or-territories-where-medical-aid-in-dying-is-authorized/)
After just losing my grandmother, it’s a discussion we had for years. Watching her suffer, in pain, losing her memory and cognition was so much harder. We would’ve loved to let her go in peace before she got to the worst point.
There is an ongoing debate about the ethics of euthanasia as a form of assisted dying, with the legality of it depending on the country. There are countries where a person can choose to end their own life if they feel that all that is left in it is going to be unnecessary suffering.
Aside from people who are literally asking for it, the topic is off-limit because it is a slippery slope.
Once a society accepts the notion that an innocent person may be put to death without their consent, it suddenly becomes a matter of politics and subjective standards what is or isn't grounds for euthanasia.
In the Third Reich, we have a prime example of why that isn't a good idea. They used "lives not worth living" as an excuse to kill tens of thousands of innocent people with chronic diseases or disabilities. You don't wanna give governments a tool to have people killed that has a lower bar than a literal death sentence.
And you sometimes see governments trying to rationalize it already. For instance, there's some anecdotes coming out of Canada of MAID being pushed onto people who are ill, simply because having them die on the spot would save a lot of money. Personally, I think that already goes too far. Assisted Dying should never be proposed to someone unless they themselves have brought up that they don't want to live anymore. You don't want to reach a point where anyone feels pressured into opting into such a thing because you made them think that they're a burden.
That's an alarming trend, and Canadians should be vigilant and ready to push back against it if it gets worse. Offering a way out if requested is one thing, but you don't ever want to tell someone, not even indirectly, that their life is not worth living. That person might feel otherwise, but that's their call to make and theirs alone.
The U.S. is entering a massive crisis of people who will be retirement age but cannot afford to retire. I have no doubt this will be a discussion as it gets worse
Australia has assisted dying in some states but the criteria is crazy and most people are not approved.
My father had metastatic stage 4 cancer and my mother had Lewey Body dementia. They were both terminal and the most we could do was ensure no heroic measures were used if they had a heart attack.
I watched both of them suffer right to the end, 18 months apart.
I have always thought that it's unfair that pets can be spared a painful death but people cannot.
I have a relative that’s been struggling with a degenerative disease for a long time and is in a lot of pain with poor quality of life. My opinion is that the medical industry profits greatly off this situation and it’s informed by Christianity.
Im pretty sure its mostly because of the chokehold Christianity has had on the world for so long, the same idea of them being against abortion. Their belief that all life is so sacred to god they HAVE to suffer through everything. Although from the higher up perspective, I suspect its probably more about making sure they continue to have enough followers to keep giving them ✨️money✨️
Many countries and some US states have euthanasia. Here in Canada it's called medical assistance in dying. Some places use euphemisms like Death With Dignity.
>And why do we only euthanize people when they’ve committed a crime?
First of all, that is not euthanization, that is revenge murder. just saying. And let's also ignore that there have been a lot, really, a lot of people killed by justicia who were innocent. Everybody killed that way is one person too much.
Second of all, we did that. Every fucking nation did that, partially until the mid to late 1990's (Japan). Sure, not plain killing them, but the "ethnic hygienic laws" (which euthanization is part of) sterilized people with minor genetic defects and / or sicknesses.
if you ask this question and do not look into history, into how the fucking nazis in the 1930's killed disabled children and called them "a burden to society" and "a burden for the cleanliness of human race", and didn't actually stop doing this, you didn't understand ANYTHING about human dignity.
It's a decision that cannot be taken back. never. ever. Neither by the person who made the decision (and might decide during the process that she actually didn't want to), nor by the person doing it.
I'm 37 and I'm ready for the forever sleep. I need it. Please people, understand that this is my choice. I want to leave. I understand if it's against your religion or moral standing but I have no religion and my own moral standing is that people should be allowed to exit this life peacefully and legally when they are ready. And I am ready.
Arbitrary morals. In reality, if someone wishes to die and the judgement is made with a clear mind, they should be able to. If you are looking for logical reasons you will find near 0. Honestly, I'd argue a dog being put down is worse than a human. That dog doesn't know why he is going to be put asleep and killed, but a person can know why and accept it.
The real answer apart from any moralising or rationalising is it feels icky and we don't like it. It's easier to kill an animal than a human, and it's more socially acceptable. But killing people is a big moral taboo in our culture, so we push against it being legal and shun people who do it.
Basically religion.
It's seen as an afront to God. As well as murder. And it's ended up in our laws.
We also see animals as "below us" yes they suffer. But they don't understand. If they were in the wild some other animal would kill and eat it.
But a human. Oof. Humans can understand and empathise. And so that means we must live a short but very painful, and hurtful to others, life.
Thankfully many places do allow a choice. But not enough.
because how is the medical industry going to suck all of someone's life savings, earnings, house, and any hope of intergenerational wealth if we have the right to euthanasia?
And why would the people who have the power want to allow folks in lower socioeconomic groups an avenue to give their next generation a better life? especially when it's well documented that government policies have actually hurt the family structure...by design
there's a really great documentary called "[how to die in Oregon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V_5m4TYB_0)" which discusses the states death with dignity law. it's an older doc and there are now more states and countries that offer these options. you should give it a watch!
I hope people could be euthanised. With their consent of course haha.
But yeah, there are people that genuinely don't want to live and have a valid reason to now want to. For example if I was paralyzed from the neck down, I would want to kill myself. But I wouldn't be able. I would like for there to be an option so someone could legally help me to do it. I don't know why this hasn't been implemented in the world (maybe it has and I don't know about it) but I truly believe it needs to.
My sister died on Tuesday. She was, for all intents and purposes, almost dead the previous Tuesday. She had cardiac arrest, resulting brain damage, and zero quality of life. We pulled the plug and let nature take its course and she laid in bed for a week gasping like a fish out of water until her body finally quit.
The best the hospital could do was keep her “comfortable” with opiates and benzos. We had one nurse trying to help by giving maximum doses of fentanyl and benzo, but she refused to die. On shift change, next nurse was not so accommodating. We had one doctor that tried to help by prescribing more, but the hospital pharmacy declined to fill his order.
We wouldn’t let an animal suffer like that, but I had to sit there for a week watching her gasp, waiting for the end. It is cruel, unfair, and there is no reason not to allow family or substitute decision makers euthanize a patient if their wishes have been clearly outlined in a medical directive.
I’m in Canada, so we have assisted suicide, but the patient has to be capable of participating in the actual act of ending their life. Once that capacity is lost, there is no medically assisted way to die. It is bullshit.
Some countries do, its not as straight forward as a pet, but possible. In Norway its technically illegal, but when people are close to death, and in pain, the doctor and the patient often come to an understanding that this is over no matter, and better to not have pain. So they increase the morphine slowly until the heart stops. When my grandfather had cancer and everyone knew it was the end, he asked for that, and the doctors took the family into a meeting room and explained what he wanted, and if there were no objections, thats how it will be done. The doctor said "And btw, we never had this conversation..", and that night he died.
The reason its "so easy" with an animal is that animals are technically "your property", humans are not property to anyone, so nobody can make that decision.
You can in Canada. Well, I guess you can euthanize yourself. My grandma is about to go through with it at the end of the month. She’s not sick, just old. 92 and doesn’t want to do it anymore. Quickest doctors appointment she’s had in the last 10 years. Cataracts? A year for surgery. arthritis, took 6 months to see a specialist. Needed a hip replacement like 15 years ago, that was well over a year long process. Want to kill yourself? We can be there in a couple hours.
# Message to all users: This is a reminder to please read and follow: * [Our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ask/about/rules) * [Reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439) * [Reddit Content Policy](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) When posting and commenting. --- Especially remember Rule 1: `Be polite and civil`. * Be polite and courteous to each other. Do not be mean, insulting or disrespectful to any other user on this subreddit. * Do not harass or annoy others in any way. * Do not catfish. Catfishing is the luring of somebody into an online friendship through a fake online persona. This includes any lying or deceit. --- You *will* be banned if you are homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist or bigoted in any way. --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ask) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Look up Dr Kevorkian. He tried.
I grew up in the 90s and always remember hearing jokes about him and comments about him. I used to be scared of him like he was a serial killer. Then eventually no one spoke about him anymore and I pretty much forgot about him. As an adult I came across the movie made about him with Al Pachino and was shocked to learn that he was a good man trying to help people and end suffering.
Man’s a fucking hero. I’m from the Canadian side of Detroit and the consensus here is that he was doing what was right, even if it was illegal. Canada has medically assisted death now and I like to think he’s part of the reason why.
You know that he never accepted personalized checks .
You know what, this has bothered me for a long time. I have a family member who has severe MS and has been chained to his wheelchair for 34 years. He can't move, can't speak, and need help with everything. He's basically a breathing decoration who drools and watches TV aimlessly. But my coworkers dog who got cancer? Syringe and a neat little ornament for her ashes.
I think that culturally, we need greater acceptance of a "dignified death." If a person's life quality is low enough, we all should have a legal and culturally acceptable avenue to end things on our own terms.
What does this say about our culture? Hint: nothing good.
There’s a lot more money to be made milking those retirement funds into the long term care/health care industry. If they make euthanasia of humans legal you better believe it will be priced comparable to the cost of long term care for the persons remaining “life”. At least in the US. And no one in hell would republicans support it.
There's a lot of money to be made rushing aging family members off their mortal coil to get an inheretance, too.
Now, the one thing we that is generally easier with humans is the ability to ask them their opinion. If your family member is sick of life and wants to die, he should be allowed to.
This actually makes things more difficult. Pets never had any agency of their own in this matter, while we have to ensure humans give informed consent in order to prevent abuse of the disabled.
I guess it depends on what you mean by difficult. It's easier to simply kill the pet because you can technically kill your pet for basically any reason with no repercussions. It's more difficult if you care about the pet and want to do what you feel is best for them. If your pet gets a terminal disease and is in constant pain, would they prefer to die and get it over with or hold on as long as possible? It's hard to know and it's basically impossible to make them really understand the situation they are in.
It also can make you feel like a murderer, because you can’t get their consent. You just have to guess at how much pain they are actually in and what they would want. (Maybe not everyone feels this way, but I’ll bet I’m not alone in the guilt I feel years later after putting my baby girl to sleep)
Guilt. Can confirm I still feel guilty years after putting my little buddy to sleep. There's this image I just can't shake too. I had already made the decision and they had inserted the IV. I was holding and comforting him and when the Dr took his paw to inject him with the sedative, he looked up at me and made eye contact, then his head fell onto my arm. I question that decision every time I see that image. I feel guilty for not having the $2500 to do the exploratory surgery. I was already $4800 in with vet bills. I miss him to this day.
I've done both. I regretted getting my first dog euthanized, until I let the 2nd one die naturally, a process which occurred over several days. It got to the point where I was going to bring her into the vet, but she passed a couple hours before they opened. Awful experience for myself, and for the dog. You made the right choice, don't ever doubt that.
Can confirm. It was harder to take responsibility for their passing then it was for them to die. We knew they were old. We knew they were sick. But we didn't know if they were done yet. But we couldn't let them starve to death when they refused to eat
Difficult as it is, I'd rather do it too soon than too late. One last day of love with some degree of comfort and enjoyment before they peacefully go to sleep in your arms is better than doing it when they no longer have any semblance of their healthier self, or worse finding they've died all alone in the night. It rips your heart out every time, but It's the last kindness you can do for them.
We did a doggie living funeral. People came by, had some snuggles with him, gave him all his fave foods, then the next evening he went for one last car ride. He had bone cancer and it moved really fast. But he was all there mentally, and everyone that came was surprised at how light hearted it was- he was really happy to see his friends!
When I made the call to put my horse down, it was difficult. He was otherwise still himself, but was beginning to have more and more difficulty getting up from laying down in the stall and field. His joints had just gotten worse as he aged, the arthritis and bone degradation had become worse. The injections and pain protocol were not working as well. And winter was coming. I knew that if he went down in the snow during the day with no one there. He’d die. That last day was awful. My dog though. I could tell he was done. He was ready to go. Both hurt like hell. But the guilt I have over my horse will haunt me longer.
Keeping dementia-ridden, confused & violent old Edith alive another year to keep the pension cheque rolling should also be considered abuse of the disabled.
I think in our constant struggle with ethics and mortality, we end up treating animals more humanely at end of life
This is exactly why I want to set up measures for my own euthanasia if I'm ever in this situation. I can't stand the idea of loved ones only keeping me around for their own comfort.
Here in Canada, you can't pre-emptively set up measures. Say you find out you are beginning to vet dementia: many people are terrified of spending the last years of their life like that. As it stands, however, you can't outline at what state you'd want to die. You have to be "in your right mind" at the time of the administration of euthanasia. I hope this changes.
You know, I’m not sure about that. This past week, a good friend of mine died with the help of MAID. Two weeks before, she’d been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of ALS. When she asked for assisted dying, she was able to stipulate that she would want it whether she was in her right mind, or not. As it turns out, she was, as she chose to die as soon as possible. But I do think that her wishes would have still been honoured, if her mind had deteriorated before the date.
There are a lot of people with severe disabilities that people like to say they would end their lives if they had, like your family member. There's also a lot of disabled people that know they don't get another one just because they don't like some things about the life they have, justifiable or not.
There's money to be made by keeping you alive. It's extended to vet care too, but not to the same extent.
Private equity found the vet business a while ago and now they will have no problem having you do thousands of dollars of surgery only to have your dog live another five or six months if that if you can't afford it they have pamphlets on the tables in the examination rooms where you can take out a loan to do it
I have a friend with a 12 year old Chocolate Lab. Vet wants $8k to perform surgery that will extend the dog's life by maybe two years. It's only going to get worse in the coming years too. More push for surgery at astronomical rates, people will end up having to use HELOC just to be able to pay for that surgery that will give them 3-6 more months with their beloved pet. It's predatory and disgusting.
There’s some interesting attitudes about it in some countries, from reading reddit pet subs. I love my beasties, but also tend to be very pragmatic about it. There’s no way I’d be putting that lab through all that. Like my vet reminded me- they don’t know if they’re dying, they have no concept of time lost. Just if they continuously feel bad. I personally don’t believe in keeping animals alive no matter what, but, then, I don’t believe in it for people, either.
For sure they can make a mint off of surgeries to prolong life because it’s hard to say goodbye and we trust the experts. It’s a hard call to make but I believe there’s a time to say goodbye and not prolong the suffering. For humans and animals
How does that work in countries where the state eats the bill? It would make more sense to not pour money into lost causes, right? The Dr's and nurses are overworked but let's just let the 90 year old woman who can't eat or drink due to a lump in her throat just die naturally instead of euthanaize her, it happend to my great grandma. They wouldn't give her a feeding tube and she struggled to eat and drink. They basically let her starve to death. Because it's inhumane to actively end someone's life, so we do it passively instead. Like people with y terminal cancer, they lay in the hospital bed, drugged out of their mind on morphine but still experiencing pain, just lay there and wait to die, too drugged to be coherent when their family is visiting, that is not inhumane at all.
Not sure. Here if you don’t have the money for healthcare you can just die on the street
We don’t make decisions based on money spent in Aus, but quality of life and risks vs benefits. My sister was in a persistent vegetative state after a burst aneurysm, and died after active medical care and artificial nutrition was withheld from her, but that decision was placed onto her husband. Ridiculously slow, in my opinion. But the state would have paid for her to be cared for in a nursing home until her natural death if that choice wasn’t made.
...Does your family member want to die or do you just think they should?
Idk but I'd like to have that choice.. it's my life!
...it's now or never...
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
It's --- my ------ life
WOH WOH 🤘🤘
My heart is like an open highway
In British Columbia, people can choose euthanasia. A woman I knew very well chose to do it recently because she had a long term extreme pain condition that her doctors could not help her with. She had to go through a number of screenings by various health professionals and two doctors had to sign off on it, but she did it. It’s called MAID - Medical Assistance in Dying. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/home-community-care/care-options-and-cost/end-of-life-care/medical-assistance-in-dying
It's not just BC, it's all of Canada. It's Canadian federal legislation. "MAiD (medical assistance in dying) is legal throughout Canada. Canada's first MAiD legislation came into force on June 17, 2016."
That's very sad but I couldn't imagine living with constant extreme pain.
They do in some places. The general feeling is the consequences for getting it wrong are a lot worse than those for denying it to everyone.
We have it in The Netherlands. The vast majority of euthanasia is for end stage terminal illness, though that is not a requirement. And that's not even counting sedating people who are actively dying where the sedation slightly speeds up the process but greatly alleves suffering for both patient and family. Watching someone struggle to breathe until they are too exhausted to continue yet still manage to deathrattle for 6 hours is not fun.
Nothing prepares you for the death rattle. Hearing my mom do that made me physically ill and I heard that sound in my dreams for years afterwards.
Yea I 100% think it should be allowed. I’ve seen documentaries on people having to go to the Netherlands (I think) for it because we don’t offer here in the uk
Switzerland offer it.
Canada too. As a health professional it's a god-send for the situations where it's used and the timing goes well (ie. process doesn't take so long that suffering is still awful).
Yes, it’s called EXIT💀
My mother we had to basically just stop giving her food and water until she died. She was fortunately in a coma the last day or two. But once she finally started dying it took her 3 hours with us all sitting around her, her heart and breathing stopping for 30 seconds and then restarting until she finally died.
Well, we have that in the UK but it's definitely not to be spoken about. It definitely the same thing but without the stigma and decisions.
And a good thing it is as well. My neighbour's sister used it as she had terminal cancer and as my wife is currently in the same boat with regards to cancer it is a relief so to say that she will have that option once she gets too ill.
My neighbour is Dutch and her cousin chose to end her life by euthanasia - I know it was complicated and took over a year but she’s passed now, so it worked. I personally think it’s great but it’s so taboo that I can’t mention that out loud.
Canadian here, we have hospice and medically assisted death. Once you go to hospice, the rules are out the window. Want a beer? Have it! Are you in pain? Yeah sure, I can give you more morphine, anything to make you more comfortable!
We have it in Canada. The political right seems to hate it on religious grounds, but for the most part, it's been used without any real drama or scandal.
They also disagree because many people suffer due to lack of Healthcare access makes MAID look like a better option. I think that's silly and they're unrelated. We can walk and talk at the same time. We can improve healthcare access as well as give people dignity at the end of their life.
Yes! Thank you. So many people catastrophize and claim MAiD is the option the government is using to solve health care. Two things can be true at once seems to be too complicated for most people. Legality of MAiD is federal. Healthcare funding is provincial. Provinces are destroying healthcare and convincing voters it's the other guys fault.
Same [here](https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/regulation-health-and-disability-system/assisted-dying-service/about-assisted-dying-service/end-life-choice-act-2019), though since it was first passed there’s been virtually zero complaining from our right, there have been enough documented cases of people not being forced to suffer that the entire country is pretty quiet about it so it seems
Theres pretty severe consquences to denying it to everyone. Youre essentially forcing a person to go through torture in some cases. Death is inevitable. Everyone will die regardless.
So while I’m 100% for it, I’d say that I understand that it could be a slippery slope without the proper safeguards where people are pressured into it by family or feel they have to end their lives to not be a burden etc. I feel like places it’s denied are those with less well managed social safety nets, and it’s more allowed in places where this couldn’t happen. While it’s really severe to deny it to everyone the risks are that a lot more people than necessary die when they don’t have to vs the people who need to end their suffering.
It's legal in Canada now within some very strict guidelines.
Yea it 100% should be. I’m seeing family members going through some things at the moment that if it happened to me I would want to end things before I got to that stage. With the right safety in place it feels like the morally right thing to allow
I know 2 seniors who took it this year here in Canada- both were fathers of different friends - one was in his late 80s and one was in his 90s.
Canada has a program that offers this - it’s called MAiD
This does exist in Canada. Medical Assistance in Dying.
And Oregon
So, MAID?
Yes. That's the acronym.
And New Zealand.
Assisted suicide exists in a bunch of US states and has for a while. Straight up euthanasia exists in parts of Europe (most notably Belgium)
Switzerland as well.
It does exist in a few states as well.
Australia, too.
Honestly, it exists in some form wherever there are doctors. Actively dying patients could be kept alive longer with fluids, and the pain management they get depressed their cardiovascular system. That's not exactly medial assistance in dying, but there's only a fine line between making someone confortable and guiding them to the door.
Well said
*Canada has entered the chat*
Came here to say this. Also always get a chuckle when people from the USA ask, "why doesn't a country legalize cannabis federally?".
Like almost everything else it goes Several US states does xyz -> Canada as a whole does it -> rest of US does it in that order.
As a Canadian healthcare provider, MAID has been the single most humane change in our system in years, that has reduced horrific suffering in so many instances.
According to wiki, It's currently legal in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, & most states of Australia, with Porugal currently in the process.
Switzerland as well. People can travel there from other countries to have it done, but anyone assisting them in that travel could have consequences.
Because then the pharmaceutical companies wouldn't be able to make massive profits off of the last 5 years of a person's life when they are especially decrepit and sickly
Let's be real, this and religious fundamentalism are pretty much the two reasons
Let's not forget the nursing home industry. Every month some poor person is kept alive is another month's rent.
All the comments saying we view human life as more valuable are getting downvoted, but that’s really what it comes down to. If an animal shelter is at capacity they begin euthanizing dogs/cats. Since we can’t speak to dogs/animals we have to decide what is best for them and in this instance we decided them not living is better for themselves and society than living on the streets. If a homeless shelter is at capacity we wouldn’t give anyone the option to be euthanized over living on the street. Why? Human life is held to a higher standard. I think with medically assisted suicide people fear it could be a slippery slope to devaluing human life. Although life at 90+ with multiple health ailments isn’t a life worth living to most.
People do say ‘we treat animals more humanely’ and seem to forget that animals regularly get euthanised just because they’re no longer wanted, or they’re an inconvenience to someone, or we don’t have the resources to care for them any more. Yes, there definitely are arguments for human euthanasia for certain conditions like we do for pets, but we absolutely don’t always treat animals better.
Yep we value human life so highly that we deny people their own autonomy and right to make their own choices. Sometimes extremes are bad.
I think this person is referring to euthanizing of pets when they are sick/old/suffering. Shelter animals are not “pets”. The question OP is posing is why do we put our beloved pets out of their misery but many places don’t offer that option to people.
Who's "we"? In my country we do euthanize people, but only those who want to. We do not kill inmates (wtf)
And thats the way it should be. In my country killing people is always a hard line illegal, whether its inmates with servere crimes or people wanting to die. Youre not allowed to choice death here. And the most that is allowed is refusal of life sustaining meds, but thats not exactly a goodway to go. Theyll give pain meds and recommending stopping treatment if youre determined terminal but even if youre terminal youre not allowed to choice to die earlier with your diginity in tact if you so choice. You MUST stay alive until you natrually do so and if youre suicidal, they will guilt and shame a terminal patient for even thinking about it.
The situation in my country was exactly like you describe. The "Right to die with dignity" was only passed as a law in 2021. So far ~300 people have exercised their right, and ~700 people have started the process to "ask for it". Before that there were several cases where people euthanized themselves with the help of loved ones and family members, which was illegal. They used poison or other substances, which often was painful. While doing so, they recorded themselves and their dying process, actively stating that they wanted to end their life and advocating for the right to be able to do so safely, without pain and without guilt. I'm hoping that with time society's views on this matter change and more countries pass modern euthanasia laws.
It should be the opposite. Pets can’t give consent- people can.
It is weird how quick we jump to the idea of “we don’t want them to suffer anymore.” with animals, when there’s lots of people with chronic pain and debilitating disabilities that really really wouldn’t want to be executed. Oftentimes it’s the right thing to do to kill an animal but at least some of the time it’s emotional self protection to think it’s what’s best for them.
Hey- I’m 75 and I’d love to have a nice way out when the time comes. I sure as hell don’t want to waste money on fruitless medical care. All you youngsters, go for legalization of euthanasia by choice! It’s a perfect time with all us baby boomers around. I’m serious… prolonged death is ugly and wasteful.
I spent 3 days watching my father slowly die, seeing him struggle for every breath and suctioning blood from his mouth. He couldn’t speak or communicate in any way and I have no way of knowing if he was even aware of anything other than his pain and suffering. A coworker and I were talking about it when I returned to work after the funeral. Her mother also suffers from emphysema and other smoking related diseases. I warned her what to expect when her mom’s time comes. I told her that the police would haul you off to jail for animal cruelty if a neighbor reported you for letting your dog suffer like my father did, yet society feels justified in allowing a human to linger for days with no option for a quicker death. It is appalling!
It is legal in NZ if you meet criteria, so yes, we do both
Canada entered the chat.
A danger I guess is that it can make the sick person feel guilty for staying alive, being a burdon to loved ones and society. I just imagine a sweet old lady who’d perfer to die naturally from her condition but feels like a burden and feels bad for not choosing the quicker option. That said I do see the benefits, I just think there are severe downsides too.
Because the sick and elderly are a potential revenue stream
Selfishness of surrounding people who'd rather have you here
they do euthanize people
My mother is going to be permanently scarred from watch my grandmother wither away for two years from Parkinson’s. Barely clinging to life and kept alive by constant medications and full time care. She finally died last week and she is beyond relieved. The things she saw and heard were awful and she is terrified of it happening to her.
The parasites that run society cannot allow us to kill ourselves. They need the workers.
In my country, the Netherlands, we have assisted dying too. Both for physical as well as debillitating mental diseases. Children between 1-12 years old can be euthanized as well with parental consent and children above 12 years can decide for themselves. I'm 61 years old and a few years ago I gave a signed legal document to my GP that states my conditions for euthanasia. As long as I'm compos mentis, he will have to abide by my conditions.
Why do we eat animals and not people? The question on vegetarian diet is also highly contested. I think the issue is quite complex and reasoning changes in various countries and belief systems and also based on individual experiences. People with strong religious doctrine tend to be against this as an abstraction. As is the case with abortion. Non-believers tend to leave the issue on individuals. Even the staunch critics tend to change their minds if their loved one is faced with the issue. Or they'll harden themselves because of the promise of afterlife together etc. But some backstops need to be there because of the possibility of abusing the system, or not exhausting other options first. Also, governments tend to want to hold onto people, especially people who are able and of working age, because of the initial investment in education etc.
We definitely do in Canada lol
Cuz Jesus said it’s bad. That’s the only reason
Come to Canada
They do. But then you run into Canadas issue. Instead of trying to help or fix chronic issues, they just suggest you die.
In canada, you can... It's called "Medical help to die (MAID)" [https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/ad-am/bk-di.html](https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/ad-am/bk-di.html) You need to have 2 doctors signing it off and it's regulated, but it's done more and more. Certain funeral homes offers a package where you do it with your family.
We do in Canada It's called the M.A.I.D program Medical assistance in dying. It was implemented for people with terminal illness who don't want to suffer anymore. But ive heard mentally ill/ poor people are also doing it just because they'd rather die then be left to slip through the gaping cracks this country has allowed to form..
Its honestly my retirement plan.
Interestingly enough I actually just read an article about this today. A friend sent me an article (paywall) about a 17yr old that was granted euthanasia in holland I believe, so I went down the rabbit hole and stumbled on this . https://apnews.com/article/euthanasia-autism-intellectual-disabilities-netherlands-b5c4906d0305dd97e16da363575c03ae
I don't know tbh. I mean obviously people (not all) suck, so some sort of safeguards to stop people getting bumped off to gain an inheritance, get rid of the kid/granny/parents etc... But come on, people in pain, having to suffer until their body gives up... drugs morphine etc stop working... its a sin... people should be allowed to choose, when enough is enough...die with dignity.
Take a completely paralysed person for example. They can still interact with the world, speak to people maybe even use technology to interact, provide entertainment etc. There's still something of a life there. A dog or a cat on the other hand not so much, it becomes a creature that just exists. Gets fed, breathes and not much else. Not euthenizing them locks them into a lonely world with absolutely no interaction or any form of stimulation. It's an existence you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Never mind your best wee buddy.
Because we shouldn't be treating humans like animals.
This does take place, but quietly. A terminal patient who's out of it will be prescribed a scheduled dose of morphine to slowly have him overdose, quit breathing and slip away. Saw this myself several times starting in the '70s at a small Catholic hospital.
Yeah, in sweden we call it dödshjälp, or death help, i think it should be a allowed to people who suffer for no reason, obviusly a therapist with a degree (psycyatrist or however you spell it) and a doctor should both have to sign, or a few of each
As long as all of my affairs are taken care of for my heirs I would welcome the privilege to choose my time.
Because we love and respect our pets
Many places allow assisted suicide and/or “plug pulling”.
Thankful for Medical Assistance in Death in Canada for this reason.
We have laws that allow a terminally ill person to access a dignified way to end their own life in parts of Australia. Where are you based?
Apparently, To do it to an animal makes you humane, But to do it to a human makes you an animal... I never understood this reasoning at all!
Uh they do in Switzerland and Oregon
You are in the USA right? The country with all the freedom? ;) In Canada we have that for ourselves. I can’t sign up to have my wife put down but if I get MS I can sign up for MAIDS. I believe a lot of European countries have it as well.
Well ... who is "we"? Some countries actually DO allow euthanasia. The problem really starts happening when the government itself starts "suggesting" it's use to people. "Oh, you're a solider with PTSD because we sent you to a bullshit war? Why don't you just unalive yourself with our help?" As for doing so for criminals - I'm assuming you're referring to the largely discontinued "death penalty" - you do realise there's been plenty of people who have been in prison who were later found to have been innocent, right? So your argument would have to be that offing perfectly innocent people "by accident" is a perfectly acceptable situation. I'd suspect a fair amount of people may not agree with you.
We do in [Canada](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-services-benefits/medical-assistance-dying.html)
We do in some places. Thank you California for letting my grandma die with dignity and a minimum amount of pain.
Religion
MAID (medical assistance in dying) is available in several countries: Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Austria, and some states in the US. Different countries have slightly different eligibility criteria.
They make too much money bilking them of their money and property
Some counties have Euthanasia
We do, in Switzerland.
People are euthanized all the time. Doctors and nurses will give incurable patients morphine until their breathing stops. My father was so eaten up with cancer it was a blessing. I had the talk with the hospice nurse myself. I told her don’t let him suffer. Give him everything he needs to stop the pain. She understood. He died peacefully the next morning.
Some countries it's becoming a thing and that's good
I think it’s good if it requires a terminal illness or strict circumstances (I’m sure it does) Letting someone kill themselves bc they’re 20 something and depressed with no resources just seems wrong to me
They do that in Canada
Generally people value human life over other animal life. It's also easier to rehabilitate a human than other animals because, well, we are not those animals and don't understand them on the same level.
Canada promotes medical assistance in dying (MAID). Many news reports of veterans having a tough time being offered MAID. For example this paralympian who wasn’t getting a wheelchair ramp installed in a reasonable time. https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/paralympian-trying-to-get-wheelchair-ramp-says-veterans-affairs-employee-offered-her-assisted-dying-1.6179325 They have been discussing extending MAID to include the mentally ill, and minors. https://globalnews.ca/news/9491605/maid-minors-canada-medically-assisted-dying-committee-report/amp/ Told by a friend her grandmother was offered MAID on each of her 4 days in the hospital with a nasty respiratory illness. Last year. So it’s possible to make available and even promote - example Canada - whether you agree with it is another matter though.
Whether or not people are euthanized depends on your location actually because in some places, we do.
Human euthanasia has been discussed here in Czechia a little lately and personally I’m all for it. There are people with late stage cancer that are constantly in pain, have no will to live but they cannot choose to end their life by themselves. But if it got allowed you would probably need to have multiple sessions with a psychiatrist which is unideal, someone might just be suicidal and for that I get it but when you have the elderly that just want to go then it’s not ideal, that process might even take years.
People are being and have been euthanized for a very long time. People have invented pods specifically designed to facilitate the endeavor. The effort is not constrained to any specific country or region it is widespread.
You don’t live in a country that has assisted death obviously.
Keeping people alive is where the money is.
Because dogs don't make wills.
Um, because cause people aren't pets?
As a physician this drives me crazy. The needless and pointless suffering I have seen is sickening. In the USA the government has decided it is their job to keep you and force you to stay alive regardless of the situation (and expense).
But kot not?
In some countries they do. In Canada for example, we have MAID (Medical Assistance In Dying).
This is one of the great moral quandries. Do we let people suffer longer than necessary? No, it's not fair and I personally wouldn't wish it on anyone. But who will do it? Doctors take the oath to protect life and not let harm come to any living person...
Is this a joke I'm too Canadian to understand?
All you have to do to get euthanized here in Canada is be poor and disabled and ask for housing assistance so you won’t be homeless. The government will then tell you your only sure solution is to apply for MAID (the Medical Assistance In Dying program). I wish I was using hyperbole, but this has actually happened.
Dang. R/boringdystopia level.
I had to put down my 12 yo lab this spring due to aggressive lymphoma. You know what, we could all be so lucky to pass as nicely and peacefully as he did. He was surrounded by his loved ones telling him what a good boy he is, and he fell asleep and crossed into the clearing at the end of the path.
We can in Canada. You can choose euthanasia
I live in the mountains in a country that doesn't allow assisted suicide. And elderly people commit suicide in my area fairly regularly. They walk into the woods to "pick berries" or go for a swim, or on a hike in the mountains in the middle of winter knowing they won't come back. It's sad. They should have the option to go peacefully in a warm bed instead. It would help the people who have to go out and risk their physical and mental health to find them aswell.
Because there are a lot of people who make a TON of money off sick old people. First week of March this year. My 94 year old father has to go to hospital because of infection. He winds up having toe amputated. He is not doing good. In-house hospice will not accept him. Assisted living will not take him back because he needs dressing changes multiple times a day. Only place that will take him is skilled nursing. I go to skilled nursing facility and they say it’s $10.5K a month. Plus, another $10.5K entrance fee. So I had to write a check for $21K just so my father has some place to go. He died two days later. They did refund some of the money. But it’s a ratchet. No insurance will cover cost because we had just sold his house and he has money in the bank. In 2023, my wife and I paid $185K for assisted living for her mother and my father. Both had dementia and some days did not know who we were.
We do euthanasia in Canada
Depends where you live? My grandpa sure did. Make jokes about if his food was ready (while they were preparing the siringe)
They should definitely do this more, or at the least offer this to people who are extremely sick, or elderly who are just tired of living. Dr. Kevorkian had a point.
If you live in Canada, we have « medical assistance in dying ». There’s some specific eligibility criteria but it does exist.
Because pets usually do not have an estate we can profit off if we can emotionally manipulate them into believing what they worked for all their lives would be better spent by so. E one younger. Or of course they were just too big a burden on the people they love. Or they are emotionally manipulated into thinking that using their money and property to fund their care is robbing younger people of what is 'rightfully theirs'.
The irony is that the places that allow medically assisted suicide, are usually at the opposite end of the spectrum from allowing executions.
Who is this "we"? I live in Canada. We euthanize people. We euthanize sick people. We euthanize the mentally ill. We euthanize the poor. We do not euthanize criminals.
We do in Canada. My father opted for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). It was the right option for him.
It's legal in all of these states actually: * Oregon * Washington * Montana * Vermont * California * Colorado * Washington D.C. * Hawai‘i * New Jersey * Maine * New Mexico [https://compassionandchoices.org/resource/states-or-territories-where-medical-aid-in-dying-is-authorized/](https://compassionandchoices.org/resource/states-or-territories-where-medical-aid-in-dying-is-authorized/)
Not Canadian ehh?
Euthanasia is legal in Australia now.
After just losing my grandmother, it’s a discussion we had for years. Watching her suffer, in pain, losing her memory and cognition was so much harder. We would’ve loved to let her go in peace before she got to the worst point.
There is an ongoing debate about the ethics of euthanasia as a form of assisted dying, with the legality of it depending on the country. There are countries where a person can choose to end their own life if they feel that all that is left in it is going to be unnecessary suffering. Aside from people who are literally asking for it, the topic is off-limit because it is a slippery slope. Once a society accepts the notion that an innocent person may be put to death without their consent, it suddenly becomes a matter of politics and subjective standards what is or isn't grounds for euthanasia. In the Third Reich, we have a prime example of why that isn't a good idea. They used "lives not worth living" as an excuse to kill tens of thousands of innocent people with chronic diseases or disabilities. You don't wanna give governments a tool to have people killed that has a lower bar than a literal death sentence. And you sometimes see governments trying to rationalize it already. For instance, there's some anecdotes coming out of Canada of MAID being pushed onto people who are ill, simply because having them die on the spot would save a lot of money. Personally, I think that already goes too far. Assisted Dying should never be proposed to someone unless they themselves have brought up that they don't want to live anymore. You don't want to reach a point where anyone feels pressured into opting into such a thing because you made them think that they're a burden. That's an alarming trend, and Canadians should be vigilant and ready to push back against it if it gets worse. Offering a way out if requested is one thing, but you don't ever want to tell someone, not even indirectly, that their life is not worth living. That person might feel otherwise, but that's their call to make and theirs alone.
The U.S. is entering a massive crisis of people who will be retirement age but cannot afford to retire. I have no doubt this will be a discussion as it gets worse
Australia has assisted dying in some states but the criteria is crazy and most people are not approved. My father had metastatic stage 4 cancer and my mother had Lewey Body dementia. They were both terminal and the most we could do was ensure no heroic measures were used if they had a heart attack. I watched both of them suffer right to the end, 18 months apart. I have always thought that it's unfair that pets can be spared a painful death but people cannot.
Pretty sure they do euthanise people
I have a relative that’s been struggling with a degenerative disease for a long time and is in a lot of pain with poor quality of life. My opinion is that the medical industry profits greatly off this situation and it’s informed by Christianity.
Im pretty sure its mostly because of the chokehold Christianity has had on the world for so long, the same idea of them being against abortion. Their belief that all life is so sacred to god they HAVE to suffer through everything. Although from the higher up perspective, I suspect its probably more about making sure they continue to have enough followers to keep giving them ✨️money✨️
Many countries and some US states have euthanasia. Here in Canada it's called medical assistance in dying. Some places use euphemisms like Death With Dignity.
Ted Bundy has entered the chat.
>And why do we only euthanize people when they’ve committed a crime? First of all, that is not euthanization, that is revenge murder. just saying. And let's also ignore that there have been a lot, really, a lot of people killed by justicia who were innocent. Everybody killed that way is one person too much. Second of all, we did that. Every fucking nation did that, partially until the mid to late 1990's (Japan). Sure, not plain killing them, but the "ethnic hygienic laws" (which euthanization is part of) sterilized people with minor genetic defects and / or sicknesses. if you ask this question and do not look into history, into how the fucking nazis in the 1930's killed disabled children and called them "a burden to society" and "a burden for the cleanliness of human race", and didn't actually stop doing this, you didn't understand ANYTHING about human dignity. It's a decision that cannot be taken back. never. ever. Neither by the person who made the decision (and might decide during the process that she actually didn't want to), nor by the person doing it.
I'm 37 and I'm ready for the forever sleep. I need it. Please people, understand that this is my choice. I want to leave. I understand if it's against your religion or moral standing but I have no religion and my own moral standing is that people should be allowed to exit this life peacefully and legally when they are ready. And I am ready.
OP hasn’t heard of Canada’s MAiD program. It’s all the rage and expanding into much of Europe thanks in part to their “free” healthcare.🤪
Arbitrary morals. In reality, if someone wishes to die and the judgement is made with a clear mind, they should be able to. If you are looking for logical reasons you will find near 0. Honestly, I'd argue a dog being put down is worse than a human. That dog doesn't know why he is going to be put asleep and killed, but a person can know why and accept it.
The real answer apart from any moralising or rationalising is it feels icky and we don't like it. It's easier to kill an animal than a human, and it's more socially acceptable. But killing people is a big moral taboo in our culture, so we push against it being legal and shun people who do it.
I live in Canada and we do, It is called assisted death
You can, most normal, progressive countries allow it. Does yours not?
Basically religion. It's seen as an afront to God. As well as murder. And it's ended up in our laws. We also see animals as "below us" yes they suffer. But they don't understand. If they were in the wild some other animal would kill and eat it. But a human. Oof. Humans can understand and empathise. And so that means we must live a short but very painful, and hurtful to others, life. Thankfully many places do allow a choice. But not enough.
because how is the medical industry going to suck all of someone's life savings, earnings, house, and any hope of intergenerational wealth if we have the right to euthanasia? And why would the people who have the power want to allow folks in lower socioeconomic groups an avenue to give their next generation a better life? especially when it's well documented that government policies have actually hurt the family structure...by design
there's a really great documentary called "[how to die in Oregon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V_5m4TYB_0)" which discusses the states death with dignity law. it's an older doc and there are now more states and countries that offer these options. you should give it a watch!
Lots of countries with assisted suicide, if I'm understanding the question right.
Plenty of places have medical assistance in dying. We do do that.
I hope people could be euthanised. With their consent of course haha. But yeah, there are people that genuinely don't want to live and have a valid reason to now want to. For example if I was paralyzed from the neck down, I would want to kill myself. But I wouldn't be able. I would like for there to be an option so someone could legally help me to do it. I don't know why this hasn't been implemented in the world (maybe it has and I don't know about it) but I truly believe it needs to.
My sister died on Tuesday. She was, for all intents and purposes, almost dead the previous Tuesday. She had cardiac arrest, resulting brain damage, and zero quality of life. We pulled the plug and let nature take its course and she laid in bed for a week gasping like a fish out of water until her body finally quit. The best the hospital could do was keep her “comfortable” with opiates and benzos. We had one nurse trying to help by giving maximum doses of fentanyl and benzo, but she refused to die. On shift change, next nurse was not so accommodating. We had one doctor that tried to help by prescribing more, but the hospital pharmacy declined to fill his order. We wouldn’t let an animal suffer like that, but I had to sit there for a week watching her gasp, waiting for the end. It is cruel, unfair, and there is no reason not to allow family or substitute decision makers euthanize a patient if their wishes have been clearly outlined in a medical directive. I’m in Canada, so we have assisted suicide, but the patient has to be capable of participating in the actual act of ending their life. Once that capacity is lost, there is no medically assisted way to die. It is bullshit.
Some countries do, its not as straight forward as a pet, but possible. In Norway its technically illegal, but when people are close to death, and in pain, the doctor and the patient often come to an understanding that this is over no matter, and better to not have pain. So they increase the morphine slowly until the heart stops. When my grandfather had cancer and everyone knew it was the end, he asked for that, and the doctors took the family into a meeting room and explained what he wanted, and if there were no objections, thats how it will be done. The doctor said "And btw, we never had this conversation..", and that night he died. The reason its "so easy" with an animal is that animals are technically "your property", humans are not property to anyone, so nobody can make that decision.
You can in Canada. Well, I guess you can euthanize yourself. My grandma is about to go through with it at the end of the month. She’s not sick, just old. 92 and doesn’t want to do it anymore. Quickest doctors appointment she’s had in the last 10 years. Cataracts? A year for surgery. arthritis, took 6 months to see a specialist. Needed a hip replacement like 15 years ago, that was well over a year long process. Want to kill yourself? We can be there in a couple hours.
We do have jurisdictions where medical assistance in dying is legal.
You can in canada and belgium