Discussion What are your thoughts on assisted suicide?

[foreverotting]

I want to clarify that when I say assisted suicide, I mean assisted suicide for those who are suffering from mental illness.

Do you think from a moral standpoint that it's wrong?

Also, do you think a person who is mentally ill is able to make such a decision? Why or why not?

Lastly, what do you believe the criteria should be to qualify for assisted suicide due to mental illness?

 

[Al Cappella]

I don't think it's wrong at all, and have always thought it a fundamental right as being part of a compassionate society.

Whether a mentally ill person is able to make that decision depends on a bunch of things, a doctor's agreement being probably most important. The problem is, unfortunately, that suicidality is a symptom of some mental illnesses and personality disorders—and then the question becomes "would that person be inclined to commit suicide were his illness being effectively managed?" What about mental illnesses that leave an otherwise adult with the emotional development of an eight year-old?

Another question here, too, might be "does someone have to have a reason in the first place?" This one becomes a hot/thorny issue that would have many sides in a debate. For example, to what extent are you accountable and responsible to others. We don't like to think of that, but the fact is many do have others that would very much be affected.

As to criteria, it would have to be something that a) significantly impairs a person's reasonable enjoyment of, and ability to participate in, daily life b) the condition is not likely to improve over time c) efforts at treatment have failed d) the person making the decision is not in any way impaired from making decisions.

 

[Capsaicin78]

I thinkt it should be legal everywhere. And everyone of adult age should be ablte to decide for themselves. It's just like with drugs, prohibition does nothing, people still take drugs without the governments "consent". -> People also kill themselves , so why do they have to choose a brutal method ?

 

[LookingforAnswers]

I strongly agree that it should be legal but i bet most would who are on this site hence why we are here.

That being said i think if i was on the other side of the table (aka normal) i would like to think that if someone is expressing how much pain they are in and want to go peacefully it should be their right. It is their life after all. And i think anyone saying they want to die must be suffering immensely.

As for criteria im not sure. At the very least they should have tried several meds or methods to attempt to heal in my mind. Not to appease anyone but to at least attempt to get better first.

But yes, i am strongly in favor of assisted suicide. Look at the gruesome methods ppl are forced to turn to.

 

[Zzzzz]

I think bodily autonomy and respecting consent are good things. Therefore, I'm in favor of assisted suicide for all adults who desire it. I think if two Doctors can confirm an individual understands the decision they are making, that is sufficient.

 

[obafgkm]

If the mental illness has been for a while and shows no sign of recovery it probably will never get better or the person needs to suffer a lot before getting better. People close to the person are morally fine for me to make a decision with/for him to stop the endless suffering.

Anyway I don't see why assisted suicide has to be based on medical condition. Many other problems are also reversible and will only getting worse with time.

Say if the metal illness was caused by some other unsolved/ unsolvable problem (financial, family, social, or anything), but the person was not allowed assisted suicide at first because it was not a terminal illness. The person became mentally ill but he could no longer choose that option. The whole idea sounds a bit problematic.

 

[befree]

I want to clarify that when I say assisted suicide, I mean assisted suicide for those who are suffering from mental illness.

Do you think from a moral standpoint that it's wrong?

Also, do you think a person who is mentally ill is able to make such a decision? Why or why not?

Lastly, what do you believe the criteria should be to qualify for assisted suicide due to mental illness?

1. No it´s not wrong. Everyone should have the right to VAD regardless of the type of illness and even if they are in full health.
2. This depends on the individual case. There are so many types of mental illness. If a person is able to make this decision, yes he/she should get VAD.
3. The person should be judgemental. This means the person should be able to say "yes I want to die now and I know what it means".

 

[ornitier199]

If it was available I'd be dead already and at peace. But that'll never happen so there's only brutal methods to go with.
And even if it was available, it'll likely be the second hardest thing to get, having to jump through so many hoops just to get it, making the brutal method more peaceful in the sense that its easier to do and readily accessible.
The thought of my pain being 'analyzed' by another to determine whether it's deemed enough to get assisted suicide is ridiculous.

 

[Euthanza]

Thomas Szasz argued that "mental illness" should be called "problem of living"; and suicide is not always about disease but a decision.

 

[nolifer]

I have two ways to look at this and I think they can both be combined. Btw, personally I of course think anyone should be able to ctb if they want to. No requirements necessary.

First is based on life experience:
They are not thinking of our well being, they are thinking of their own. If they supported suicide and made assisted suicide legal and invented technology to make suicide instantaneous, then a large population of the world would be gone and it would cause a societal collapse, economy collapse, food collapse, and so on. There will be a shortage of people in the working wage slave class.

Second is based on the scientific debate:
There are different kinds of depression, and I don't remember exact numbers but I according to their research, it's less than 1% of all depressed people who can't be helped. Because it's such a small amount of who can't be helped, they simplify diagnosing depression by treating 100% of depressed people as treatable. If someone can be treated for their mental or physical problems then they may not suicide. Someone who has a mental illness is not thinking rationally, anything they say can be ignored as nonsense because they are not thinking clearly, they have to be treated and only when they are mentally healthy will they be able to make their own decision and think for themselves.

Religion still has too much influence on the world as well. There is no proof that life is meaningless, that there is no after life. Anyone saying they want to suicide because life is a meaningless existence and talk about anti-natalism is depressed and thinking irrationally.

 

[FuneralCry]

I could never see assisted suicide as being wrong. If someone no longer wants to exist then they should be able to exit peacefully. Living is not an obligation, none of us asked to be here in the first place. I believe that it is cruel to try and force people to live so they have no choice but to resort to risky methods.

 

[Judy Garland]

Yes assisted suicide for the mentally ill shouldn't be an issue let alone question. Mental Illness is worse than physical pain in my opinion. Physical pain can be treated, healed etc. Mental Illness and it's treatments are largely unsuccessful. Just look at the amount of medications are available in psychiatry. And psychiatry has NEVER cured any disease of mental illness EVER. There's over a hundred of different depression medications (for example) and 80% of them say, "The direct mechanism of how this drug works is unknown, but studies show that in some people with <mental heatlh diagnosis here>, it has shown to be successful." So basically, what they are saying is "We don't know how this works or what it actually does in your brain...but it worked for them". Also, a lot of the medications say, "Suicidal thoughts may occur.." Isn't that what the medication is trying to prevent????? So there is no cure to take and say, "Ok, my mental illness is gone". The only temporary cure is an opiate which would lift you out of depression, but those are illegal and unfortunately are not used for depression issues. So no cure, medication isn't guaranteed to work, mental illness shouldn't be an issue for assisted suicide. But unfortunately yet again, Mental Health gets the short end of the stick.

 

[RainAndSadness]

I consider assisted suicide an act of compassion and mercy. If somebody wants to leave in peace, why shouldn't they have a right to do that. And in my opinion they should be entitled to a peaceful way out, that's the logical conclusion if we value somebodys individual autonomy. It's tyrannical and cruel to force people to stay alive when they express a clear desire to leave peacefully, without pain and in dignity. It's a gift that we as an empathic society give to somebody who has lost any motivation to stay alive. And that's how we need to frame this discussion. It's the cruel position to outlaw assisted suicide. The right to die peacefully is a human rights issue and we should stop letting religious and ideological groups dominate the narrative with emotional and irrational talking points. Sadly, the people in power right now don't agree with us so we have a long way to go.

 

[ojinzo]

I am a proponent of assisted suicide. All I watch are videos on it, every single day. The only thing that pisses me off is how it just focuses on terminally ill/ old people. How can you say the right to die is a human right yet be selective. How can you say a doctor should be able to assist someone in death and not extend that to others who do not exhibit physical ailing. Yes, I totally support assisted suicide but it should not just be for those terminal. If the right to die is a human right there should be no qualifiers.

 

[Brianiskillingme]

I am all for assisted suicide for all who need or want it.

 

[Oya]

I want to clarify that when I say assisted suicide, I mean assisted suicide for those who are suffering from mental illness.

Do you think from a moral standpoint that it's wrong?

Also, do you think a person who is mentally ill is able to make such a decision? Why or why not?

Lastly, what do you believe the criteria should be to qualify for assisted suicide due to mental illness?

To have ones closest next to you as you experience your death, as you take that last breath would be a beautiful thing