Discussion Do you believe that the right to die should be considered a human right, and if so, where should society draw the line?

[ThatStateOfMind]

Personally, I think it should be considered a human right. The drawing the line part is where it gets complex, I want to know others opinions on that!

 

[Afterglow]

It should definitely be easier to access physician assisted suicide. If someone wants to CTB then who is the government to tell them no? It's ridiculous. I wish I could peacefully pass with my loved ones near instead of in a dark fucking room in a hotel alone.

 

[Anonymousa]

It definitely should be considered a human right as we are forced into this life without any choice and so its fair for us quit this life early so there shouldn't be any restrictions for euthanasia.

 

[TheHolySword]

It should be a right but I think there should still be restrictions. Others may not agree but I think minimum age should be 25 (exceptions can be made for those with certain conditions but no one under 18). I also believe that despite it being a right, alternative methods should be given before jumping straight to euthanasia. We should make every attempt to improve a life before taking it away.

 

[J&L383]

I think I agree with 25, with exceptions. But if they're sending people off to war as young as 18, it seems like it should be 18. If the state says you're old enough to have them (potentially) kill you, you should be able to have the right to kill yourself.

 

[NearlyIrrelevantCake]

I believe medically assisted suicide should be available with the following restrictions:

+You must be at least 18 years old.
+You must be in touch with reality and understand that death is permanent and not reversible.

 

[Scythe]

I think there should be a 6 month wait and depending on your reasoning you may have to get some kind of support.
For example, if someone feels extremely lonely and can't live with that, I think the euthanasia program should try to help with that. People who never got helped before should also try some kind if professional help. However if someone has chronic pain and has been dealing with it for quite some time, they just need the 6 month wait, and maybe be allowed to skip the wait frame as well.

I also think the government shouldn't run any euthanasia program as they are the ones mostly likely to be baised. The price should also be within reason, I'd say 1k being the highest, any more expensive and I think it discourages ppl from signing up.

 

[SilentSadness]

Yes, it should be considered a human right because it is a human right. It makes no sense to suggest it should be restricted to those over 25, that's trolling in my opinion. It should be accessible to everyone who is capable of understanding and making the choice, which theoretically includes young minors. Or should the right to life be denied to those under 25?

 

[uchuunekoko]

I follow the idea that, because life / existence is inherently meaningless and ultimately lead to suffering, individuals have a legitimate right to autonomy over their own death. My belief in the concept that existence tends towards death (i.e. the ultimate goal of life is the cessation of 'being' through death—a sort of redemption) makes me strongly be of the opinion that that we should all have a right to die, but within a much broader and existential context. I'm essentially ripping off Philipp Mainlander here though—much credit to him

 

[FuneralCry]

Yes and I suffer so much from how it isn't, I always suffer from how I cannot just have the option to peacefully cease existing and never exist ever again as all I wish for is to not exist, non-existence is always preferable for me than being burdened with this cruel, torturous existence where I'm just waiting to cease existing anyway. To me existence itself is the true problem that just causes suffering all for the sake of it and problems there were never a need for and more than anything I wish this existence was never imposed. It's just extreme cruelty to me how I'm denied the option to just simply cease existing in peace with suffering seen as to force and prolong no matter what instead as I'd just never wish for any of this, I find it deeply undesirable to exist and it's so terrifying and horrific to me how a human can suffer for so long, for me non-existence truly is all that's positive, I just want some peace, I just want to fall asleep permanently.

 

[EndingItAll]

I never chose to be born in a dysfunctional family with an abusive father. Sure, the government offered programs and such to "treat" this issue, but I am nearly 30 and I just keep coming back to the idea of suicide. What is done is done, the past is the past, but having such a traumatizing upbringing can push people like myself beyond repair.

To answer your question, for many individuals, this should be a right. A peaceful, quick, and dignified death. ESPECIALLY if they have spent literal decades of being forced to undergo treatment that proved to not have any effect on their mental health. Perhaps I am biased, as I would highly prefer to leave this world. But I can for certain say that being suicidal for nearly 20 years feels like a knife slowly turning inside me.

Where do we draw the line if one day society is given this right? I am not an expert on psychology or neuroscience, but I just don't agree with the government essentially forcing us to die in the most gruesome ways via CTB just because a man in a suit says its "unethical" for us to die with dignity. I would say anyone who is an adult and has already exhausted as much treatment options they can handle should be more than qualified.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

People claiming that they think that only 25-year-olds and older should be able to have access to MAID don't make sense to me. If you are allowed to vote, go to war, have to pay taxes, and so on by the age of 18 then people who are 18 years or older should be granted the RTD at around that age.

25 is not some sort of magical number and people under the age of 25 are capable of good and careful decision-making. Considering the fact that for RTD to work there would likely need to be a bunch of safety precautions put in place to ensure that people are sure that this is what they want to do, then I feel like it should be reasonable for adults under 25 to have access to MAID. I agree with what @NearlyIrrelevantCake said. So long as somebody is 18 or older and is sound of mind they should have the right to die. I also feel like exceptions should be made for minors who are terminally ill, as well.

 

[ctemourge]

i think everyone has a pretty decent take on this, i like to see all kinds of perspectives so its interesting to read.

 

[SummerSolesLongLost]

I think there be much less of a need for people to CTB is society just gave half a shit and wanted to be better. But since that wont happen id say 26+ with a 1 year waiting period (Could start at 25) the reason for this age is this is when the brain has really stoped developing and would give the person some time to see waht the rest of life is like and if they want suffer though it.

 

[Michelstaedter]

Modern society is not interested in human rights, it is interested in making use of its "human livestock."

If the right to a dignified death existed it would be contradictory, because then we would be talking about an advanced society and therefore few would make that decision, unless they are very sick with something physical or a mental disability.

 

[oneirataxia]

My feelings regarding the right to die are honestly pretty lukewarm, with the exception of cases involving severe physical illness/disabilities. I'm far less enthusiastic about giving people a right to die, and moreso preventing their desire to die in the first place. But I guess that's all a dream for a perfect world.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

I think there be much less of a need for people to CTB is society just gave half a shit and wanted to be better. But since that wont happen id say 26+ with a 1 year waiting period (Could start at 25) the reason for this age is this is when the brain has really stoped developing and would give the person some time to see waht the rest of life is like and if they want suffer though it.

First off, brain development, as a whole, doesn't stop at a particular age and continues throughout the majority of your life. In this case, you are talking specifically about prefrontal cortex development, which actually varies from person to person. 25 is just a rough average and prefrontal cortex development can continue into your early 30s. Along with that, I feel like the whole "see what the rest of life is like" argument borders into pro-life rhetoric territory. This is the exact type of argument that pro-lifers use against suicidal individuals of all ages and the argument is also a really bad one. Life is unpredictable. You don't know what the rest of your life will be like, no matter what age you are.

Secondly, those under 26 are capable of rational decision-making. Any issues when it comes to impulsive decision-making can be avoided through proper safety regulations that would likely need to be put in place anyway to ensure that people are making the right decision. It's not like if RTD become legal that would just mean that they will give you the tools needed to ctb immediately just because you asked. They would already need to have shit in place to prevent impulsive suicides anyways.

Also, unrelated, but why did you choose a weird AI generated image of woman with a fucked up hand as your pfp?

 

[SVEN]

I'd certainly feel that individuals should have a choice to make this decision. Age is a larger challenge for me. In the country where I live 16 year olds have the right to vote, whilst the Administration wishes the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to 25 years. So our present leaders believe that 16 yr olds are mentally competent to vote for the lawmakers who regulate our society, but not responsible enough to be held accountable as adults for another 9 years.
Brain hurts.

 

[LigottiIsRight]

Having in mind that it's impossible to consent for being born, the only thing that makes sense is that we were allowed to cease to exist when we considered opportune. It's outrageously ridiculous that this isn't the case (one of the many illogical things that conform our societies and definitely one of the worst).
I'm so sick of suicide prevention and all related to the supposed intrinsic value of life, a little more each passing day. Sooo sick of the majority of human constructs and viewpoints.

 

[Apathy79]

I like the idea and have put it forward before in euthanasia conferences. Here's the roadblocks:

1. The person making the decision needs to be of sound mind. Age is a component of this and the range suggested here for a minimum (18-25) is also the range most commonly discussed, usually on a tiered system where waiting periods are longer at 18 and shorter from 25. Not being under the influence of drugs/alcohol is a key component. The biggest issue is with mental illness. And where the logic becomes circular in these conferences is that suicidal intent is considered evidence of mental illness sufficient not to satisfy the sound mind test. Personally I find that absurd, but it is an argument that comes up frequently among people tasked with making these decisions. If that logic is accepted, then there can be no right to die. Assuming we win them over on that, the extent to which various mental illnesses affect the ability to make a sound mind decision is still a difficult one to delineate, and one in which rulemakers will be as conservative as possible with given the outcome.

2. The person must be making the decision independently, not under the influence/coercion of others. This is problematic for example in schizophrenic patients even without a 3rd party involved. But even putting the voices in the head cases aside, it is usually argued that the burden of proof is on the person making the decision to prove they are not being coerced to do it. If not, they can be threatened into doing this, essentially murder by proxy but with no consequences. And that is an extremely difficult thing to prove for anyone. And then someone will put it to me that a person over 25 deemed to be of sound mind makes this decision and it is carried out in a state sanctioned way, then we find out they were coerced into it, what do I propose to do then? That's also only the most extreme example, they are also concerned about cult influences and the like.

Usually these conferences then end with there's no way to put in place the appropriate safeguards, too many people commit suicide already anyway, if they're desperate enough to do it they'll find a way, it's better to leave it the way things are. It's just in the too hard basket.

All of which is not to say I agree with those arguments. I actively fought against it unsuccessfully in my younger years. But sound mind and lack of coercion are difficult to establish - the solution isn't as simple as it appears at first blush.

 

[sisyphean-nightmare]

It should be a right but I think there should still be restrictions. Others may not agree but I think minimum age should be 25 (exceptions can be made for those with certain conditions but no one under 18). I also believe that despite it being a right, alternative methods should be given before jumping straight to euthanasia. We should make every attempt to improve a life before taking it away.

Completely agree with all of this, an age limit of 25 is what I think about too.