how does everyone feel about euthanasia ?

[pce]

does anyone here support dr. kevorkian and euthanasia?

i do.

[RedCeltic]

No one ever asked to be born. You never had that choice. Shouldn't you at least have the choice to die?

I think that if I was in a situatiion where I was sick and
was just alive waiting to die, and the doctors couldn't save me, I would rather die than to postpone it. Why live if I'm not going to get any better and am only going to drag on and inflict my family with wopping medical bills.

I know it's a bit stupid of me to say this. I remember reading about how Che visited an ill elderly woman who's family saw her as just a burden. She had outlived her usefulness, no longer being a vital member of the workforce. So I do realize that in saying I would rather die if I was nothing but a burden is buying into the system. Yet I still say you should at least have the choice.

[pce]

i think the question is whether another person has the right to end some one else's life. i think in this case yes. the people who are against assisted suicide are the same ones who are for capital punishement. how can you justify death for revenge but not death for compassion?

[army of 12 monkeys]

I do not believe in euthanasia because if I ever had to the misfortune to be crippled by some deadly and painful disease, I would remember Che and his struggles and I would resolve to wage war against the disease--- Hasta la victoria siempre!---until victory or death.

[RedCeltic]

Your right Pce... I didn't truly answer your question... I should say ... yes I support it, I think it's a human right. He started out with asisted suicides but then went to full euthanasia. He performed the act himself rather than setting it up so they killed themselves. This was mearly to push the issue into court.

I believe people have the right, (or should have) to do with their bodies what they want. This means to have mutual sex with whoever they want, to have abortions if they want, and to dispatch themselves if they want. (Or to have a doctor dispatch you)

[Nickademus]

I also agree with the idea of euthanasia. I think that being a burden on the family, however, isn't the motivating factor for me. When i no longer find life worth living either because its lost its beauty or because i have no other obstacles to overcome except death, i have no oppossition to having a dr or someone else help take my life. why shouldn't i have that right? because the christian god says you shouldn't? not everyone believes in christ. Those that i worship believe that my life is just that, MY LIFE.

the only time i find it becomes questionable is when the euthanized person couldn't say yes or no. In canada recently, a man named Robert Latimer killed his 14 year old dtr who was extremely sick. The Supreme Court of Canada upheld his sentance of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 20 years. The problem really arose because Tracy (the dtr) couldn't say whether or not she wanted to die, she was to mentally retarded. That is the only time I see euthanasia as problematic.

---
"Needles to say, th[e] truth is inexpressible, indeed unthinkable."

[RedCeltic]

Quote: from Nickademus on 11:29 pm on July 30, 2001
I also agree with the idea of euthanasia. I think that being a burden on the family, however, isn't the motivating factor for me. When i no longer find life worth living either because its lost its beauty or because i have no other obstacles to overcome except death, i have no oppossition to having a dr or someone else help take my life. why shouldn't i have that right? because the christian god says you shouldn't? not everyone believes in christ. Those that i worship believe that my life is just that, MY LIFE.

the only time i find it becomes questionable is when the euthanized person couldn't say yes or no. In canada recently, a man named Robert Latimer killed his 14 year old dtr who was extremely sick. The Supreme Court of Canada upheld his sentance of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 20 years. The problem really arose because Tracy (the dtr) couldn't say whether or not she wanted to die, she was to mentally retarded. That is the only time I see euthanasia as problematic.

---
"Needles to say, th[e] truth is inexpressible, indeed unthinkable."

Good point... I don't think it's something that anyone should have the right to perform... I don't think anyone has the right to perform abortion.. just doctors. There shouldn't be a question of what they want. If in a coma.. or unable to communicate or whatever then it shouldn't be done because it's the right of the person, not the family...

[drunktank]

Neither I would like
to be a burden for my family.

On the other hand I think that
God gives the life
and only God should take it back.

[Nickademus]

i don't believe in the god you speak of but i'm going to make this point to play the devil's advocate (i don't believe in the devil either)

god gave us life so only god should take it away. in response i say that god gave us the free will and the ability to chose to take our life and therefore he gave us the right to take our life if we so desire

[drunktank]

Quote: from Nickademus on 6:38 am on Aug. 5, 2001
i don't believe in the god you speak of but i'm going to make this point to play the devil's advocate (i don't believe in the devil either)

god gave us life so only god should take it away. in response i say that god gave us the free will and the ability to chose to take our life and therefore he gave us the right to take our life if we so desire

You are free to suicide.

That doesn't mean that it
will have not consequenses.

Murdering yourself
IS a murder
and will be judged
as a murder.

[RedCeltic]

You see... This is something I always had trouble understanding... If it's wrong to kill yourself... and wrong to kill others.... why is it ok to kill others in a war in the name of God? I mean isn't that still murder? Just because a govt. told you to do it....does it make it right? Does it make it "God's will?" Or do all the soldgers of all time end up in hell?

Must be crouded down there by now... :smile:

[Chief Rebel Angel]

"why is it ok to kill others in a war in the name of God? "
i think thats because if u didnt kill then u'll probably end up being killed... i know it might sound silly but think about it... also, wars r usually waged with one side as defending and the other is offending.. when u fight a war u r fighting for ur own life and the life of ur community... its pretty much kill or be killed... its primitive i know, but hey if u r threatened to be killed wont u fight for ur life?
as far as euthanasia goes, i also think ppl should have the choice to end their lives, but seeing that i believe in god, they should never give up hope...

(Edited by Chief Rebel Angel at 4:03 pm on Aug. 7, 2001)

[RedCeltic]

I could see if you where walking down the street and someone attacked you and you killed them in self defence... but if you march out onto a battlefield you know you are getting into a situation where you must kill or be killed. How is this guitless? If it's a sin to look at your neighbor's wife in lust wouldn't it be a sin to go to battle and kill several hundered people in the name of your contery?

I don't believe in this sin stuff anyway... I'm just making an argument...

[Chief Rebel Angel]

ok, i'm with justified war... that is, waging a war against a country that is either a threat, or an invader... and i think in both cases, u'll be fightning for ur and ur county's survival... ofcourse, we should not resort to violence right away... war should be kept as a last resort, cuz it damages everyone involved...

as a citizen, u must obey ur leader... and especially in the case of war, where unity is needed... and in the end, i think its up to u whether to fight or not...

[Nickademus]

war doesn't necessarily hurt everyone. war is a booming economy (study wwi and wwii from a north american perspective).

and their is choice. you can avoid conscription (although it usually puts your life on the line as well).

most soldiers don't even really know what they are fighting for. the are just blindly following orders. this should concern everyone. we can't force our ideas on others and that is truely what war is, gaining the power to control.

anyway, i don't believe taking another's life is right, even in self-defence or war. (ps in war it is often the innocent civilians, not soldiers) who are killed.

[RedCeltic]

I don't believe in any war except the war to liberate the worker from the Capitalist system.

In that I mean the System... the Govt.s that instrument it. War of any sort even a war against capitalism only sends workers to kill workers while the aristocracy sits behind the lines sending workers to the front to die.

And what you said... war doesn't harm everyone... war is money... so war is a capitalist tool.

That is why the workers will never be liberated by war, but by fighting the capitalist system.

[Nickademus]

i pretty much agree with everything you just said red celtic

[Autumn]

In my opinion, suicide, euthenasia, and murder are 3 seperate things. Okay, maybe 2, because suicide and euthenasia are comparable, but certainly not murder.

I think taking someone else's life is ok when the person you kill is or would otherwise be a threat to society. See, you take one life, but if you wouldn't have done that, that person might have taken more than just 1 life. And if everyone is born innocent, killing a murderer is 1 dead innocent, but letting a murderer live might be more dead innocents. That way, killing a murderer is both productive and justified. If you kill a true innocent, you are a murderer yourself, and thus, take the risk of being killed. The only way to really avoid killing and being killed is to just never kill, although you still take the risk of being some psycho's victim.

Maybe the above doesn't make much sense to you, but it does to me.

Euthenasia I don't consider killing, I consider it compassion. If someone can't say whether they want it or not, you could take the risk. Not all your deeds can be right, and if someone can't say yes or no, it's a pretty big chance you're doing the right thing. Maybe it will be killing, maybe compassion, but you can't always be right.

Suicide, well, that's just taking a chance that you'll feel better afterwards, and if that's what you want, go for it. It's your body and it's your life so do with it as you please I say.

[Nickademus]

[quote]Quote: from Autumn on 1:10 pm on Aug. 12, 2001
In my opinion, suicide, euthenasia, and murder are 3 seperate things. Okay, maybe 2, because suicide and euthenasia are comparable, but certainly not murder.

I think taking someone else's life is ok when the person you kill is or would otherwise be a threat to society. See, you take one life, but if you wouldn't have done that, that person might have taken more than just 1 life. And if everyone is born innocent, killing a murderer is 1 dead innocent, but letting a murderer live might be more dead innocents. That way, killing a murderer is both productive and justified. If you kill a true innocent, you are a murderer yourself, and thus, take the risk of being killed. The only way to really avoid killing and being killed is to just never kill, although you still take the risk of being some psycho's victim.
[qoute]

So are you an advocate of the death penalty? And how do you define a threat to society? The United States often views non-democratic governments as threats to American society. Is the US therefore justified in doing what it has/is doing in so many countries, including Cuba and BOlivia where Che died?

[quote]
Maybe the above doesn't make much sense to you, but it does to me.

Euthenasia I don't consider killing, I consider it compassion. If someone can't say whether they want it or not, you could take the risk. Not all your deeds can be right, and if someone can't say yes or no, it's a pretty big chance you're doing the right thing. Maybe it will be killing, maybe compassion, but you can't always be right.

[quote]
that's a pretty big assumption to make that someone wants to die if they can't consent to it.
AND, if someone believes they are performing euthanasia on a person yet the person really doesn't want to die, they become a murder and therefore are no longer innocent. therefore, according to your earlier statement (i think, it wasn't extremely clear) this person is a threat to society (because they MIGHT kill again) and therefore this person should be murdered? seems a little strange and contradictory to me.

Suicide, well, that's just taking a chance that you'll feel better afterwards, and if that's what you want, go for it. It's your body and it's your life so do with it as you please I say.

i actually think, in most cases, suicide (except under special circumstances) is a cop out for people who can't handle the stress of life.

[Autumn]

Yet still, it's their body, so if they can't take the stress, and wish to escape, I'm fine with it (well okay I would mind but I would understand, too)