Why can't assisted suicide be legal? Or aleast be a significantally lesser penalty than it is…like 30 days community service or some shit
Make things alot easier for many people
Medically assisted dying is legal in a small handful of jurisdictions. Namely, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, and a small number of American states.
It's just incredibly high-barrier and isn't available in most places. The discussion around how to ethically and responsibly provide access to MAID is currently being had, but is far from over.
Medical colleges and policy makers are trying to work out the gaps and issues with the model as these gaps have dire consequences. Especially issues regarding informed consent. Also, it's challenging to evaluate rates of regret, remission, etc. when there is nobody left to query after the fact.
However, there is a dire need for populations that absolutely should have access but currently don't (a proportion of the people on this forum; especially the more permanent/severe cases). While they sort out that conversation, unfortunately websites like these are the only place that fill the gap, and without regulation and oversight, a lot of people do fall through the cracks on both sides of the equation;
· people who would benefit from recovery services but never get access due to lack of point-of-contact services, deliberation with neutral, and trained persons who can provide informed options, etc. - those who "die but could/would have recovered"
· people who will inevitably die by suicide or those who reasonably should choose to die given their condition(s) but end up with permanent inhuries, in pain, scared, feeling alone & undignified, etc. while they exit.
I hope my time on this forum helps to bridge the gap by encouraging people to disclose to their doctors and ask questions about MAID, and improve diplomacy and trust between this forum and the public so this forum can be better resourced to e.g., enforce the no-youth policy with 3rd party authentication, encourage neutral communication, and recognize some of the benefits this site offers in the meantime while MAID developments are largely in their infancy.
I hope this forum provides a space for people who won't disclose to others/work with doctors to feel safe enough to receive these options & referrals where they otherwise won't from medicine & family. Point-of-contact care is vital and people end up here because they aren't getting something they need offline. This platform represents the last opportunity for people to reconsider; building trust so they have access to these informed choices means truly and deeply respecting the choice they make regardless; that's just a fact of this forum.
Person-centered, neutral communication can be both life saving, and help people to die with dignity & without pain.