Darkover
Angelic
- Jul 29, 2021
- 4,740
I believe that practically every pro-choice argument when it comes to abortion also applies to assisted suicide, and I don't understand how you can support one without the other.
To clarify: I am pro-choice and pro assisted suicide. Though this argument also applies the other way around.
When I talk about assisted suicide I mean specifically the process for a person to be euthanased medically by professionals, and that it should be legal and available for almost anyone barring some limitations (more on that later).
This all thing started with the recent laws in Canada for assisted suicide, which let people to end their lives even if they don't have a terminal illness (I don't know the intrecate details of the law and it's not very relevant).
I've seen plenty of people arguing that this law is basically a genocide of poor people.
The idea is that a lot of people who would choose to go through that because of their material conditions, would not have if they had the money for a better life - maybe better medical treatment or better living situation, etc. And that by giving people this option, the government is saying that it rathers to get rid of poor people instead of improving their lives.
What strikes me about this, is that the exact same thing could be said about abortions - how many of them happened because a person wanted to have a baby but couldn't support it financially? Or couldn't afford to be pregnant?
I think people are aware of these cases, but still accept them in effort to reduce suffering and in the name of bodily autonomy.
And the more I think about it, every single argument for abortion also applies to assisted suicide:
it might end a life, but bodily autonomy takes precedence.
People don't sign in to being pregnant, just as they don't do for life. It's ok for whoever wants to continue, but forcing it on people who will suffer for it and want to quit is cruel
It might hurt people around them but the person who controls the body gets to make the choice
You get the idea.
I do think there should be some limitations. Obviously late abortions are rarer and have different conditions and I think that's agreeable by almost everyone. And being pro choice means presenting all the options, including abortion and letting the person choose when informed. So I believe the same for assisted suicide - we should have alternatives and some limitations (age, maybe a waiting period as it is not time sensitive as an abortion), but still be generally available as an option.
To clarify: I am pro-choice and pro assisted suicide. Though this argument also applies the other way around.
When I talk about assisted suicide I mean specifically the process for a person to be euthanased medically by professionals, and that it should be legal and available for almost anyone barring some limitations (more on that later).
This all thing started with the recent laws in Canada for assisted suicide, which let people to end their lives even if they don't have a terminal illness (I don't know the intrecate details of the law and it's not very relevant).
I've seen plenty of people arguing that this law is basically a genocide of poor people.
The idea is that a lot of people who would choose to go through that because of their material conditions, would not have if they had the money for a better life - maybe better medical treatment or better living situation, etc. And that by giving people this option, the government is saying that it rathers to get rid of poor people instead of improving their lives.
What strikes me about this, is that the exact same thing could be said about abortions - how many of them happened because a person wanted to have a baby but couldn't support it financially? Or couldn't afford to be pregnant?
I think people are aware of these cases, but still accept them in effort to reduce suffering and in the name of bodily autonomy.
And the more I think about it, every single argument for abortion also applies to assisted suicide:
it might end a life, but bodily autonomy takes precedence.
People don't sign in to being pregnant, just as they don't do for life. It's ok for whoever wants to continue, but forcing it on people who will suffer for it and want to quit is cruel
It might hurt people around them but the person who controls the body gets to make the choice
You get the idea.
I do think there should be some limitations. Obviously late abortions are rarer and have different conditions and I think that's agreeable by almost everyone. And being pro choice means presenting all the options, including abortion and letting the person choose when informed. So I believe the same for assisted suicide - we should have alternatives and some limitations (age, maybe a waiting period as it is not time sensitive as an abortion), but still be generally available as an option.
