Belgium Euthanizes Deaf Twins Going Blind

[Swagger]

When I was stationed in N. Ireland, Army Intelligence and a handfull of seconded members of the Parachute Regiment were tracking a sniper in the county I was based in. They snatched anyone off the streets they suspected of being involved or who might know the whereabouts of the sniper and those harbouring her. Eventually they were pointed in the direction of a local pub. They took the landlord and his son in for questioning, but had to release them due to lack of evidence.

The shootings continued for the next month, but the net was closing on her. Once they'd identified who she was, they began shadowing her. She died in a shoot-out at a petrol station near to the pub under surveillance. They re-visited the pub with an official warrant, ransacked th building and uncovered her rifle.

The landlord was sent to prison, but the son was released without charge; despite evidence pointing towards his guilt being found in the sniper's car. Later on that year, he was found in his hotel room, dead from the neck down. It's no secret that Army Intelligence knew how to inflict this frightening handicap, as it was used as a terror tactic against the IRA. He was nineteen years old, and couldn't face life with no sensory feeling below his shoulders. Someone helped him on his way to the other side.

Do you think that you could live with such a handicap? Honestly?

Very interesting story.

To answer your question -- No! I would beg to be euthanized rather than to live that way.

I believe very strongly in the right to euthanasia. I have for many years supported the Hemlock Society and I consider Dr. Jack Kevorkian to be one of the few real heroes of our time. In my opinion it's time to die when there is nothing left to live for and the only question I have about that is the best way to do it.

If I had nothing left to live for and the choice were available to me I would put my financial affairs in order, pay in advance for respectful disposal of my corpse, and ask to be gradually set adrift in an increasingly potent narcotic stupor until totally unconscious and then terminated. A painless, intensely pleasurable exit.

I've read that suicide prevention is a priority concern in most American prisons, which I regard as insidiously cruel. Offenders facing long prison terms should be granted the option of euthanasia rather than being forced to endure what probably is sheer psychological torture.

I wonder if access to euthanasia might serve as a deterrent to many homicides, inasmuch as many homicides are outer-directed suicides (and many suicides are inner-directed homicides).

And while on this subject it occurs to me that the rate of suicide among our active military personnel is absolutely stunning! I heard that more of our troops commit suicide than are killed in actual combat. Can this be true? I was in the military in the mid-1950s and I can't recall ever hearing about a single suicide.

This is an amazing statistic: Military suicides rise to a record 349, topping number of troops killed in combat - The Washington Post

Something is very, very wrong and this situation needs to be closely examined.

If I were in same position as he was; and I had no dependents - though I can't imagine how such a conditionwould render me able to provide for anyone - I'd seek to end my life along the lines you've described.

However, I disagree with allowing convicted felons to end their lives through euthanasia. They're incarcerated for a reason - punishment for their crimes. For instance, if I were left to decide if a drink driver whose selfishness had put someone in a wheelchair should be allowed to end the psychological torture incarceration incurs, I'd be inclined to refuse their request. They've disabled someone, so they should suffer the consequences of their crime.

 

[MikeK]

When I was stationed in N. Ireland, Army Intelligence and a handfull of seconded members of the Parachute Regiment were tracking a sniper in the county I was based in. They snatched anyone off the streets they suspected of being involved or who might know the whereabouts of the sniper and those harbouring her. Eventually they were pointed in the direction of a local pub. They took the landlord and his son in for questioning, but had to release them due to lack of evidence.

The shootings continued for the next month, but the net was closing on her. Once they'd identified who she was, they began shadowing her. She died in a shoot-out at a petrol station near to the pub under surveillance. They re-visited the pub with an official warrant, ransacked th building and uncovered her rifle.

The landlord was sent to prison, but the son was released without charge; despite evidence pointing towards his guilt being found in the sniper's car. Later on that year, he was found in his hotel room, dead from the neck down. It's no secret that Army Intelligence knew how to inflict this frightening handicap, as it was used as a terror tactic against the IRA. He was nineteen years old, and couldn't face life with no sensory feeling below his shoulders. Someone helped him on his way to the other side.

Do you think that you could live with such a handicap? Honestly?

Very interesting story.

To answer your question -- No! I would beg to be euthanized rather than to live that way.

I believe very strongly in the right to euthanasia. I have for many years supported the Hemlock Society and I consider Dr. Jack Kevorkian to be one of the few real heroes of our time. In my opinion it's time to die when there is nothing left to live for and the only question I have about that is the best way to do it.

If I had nothing left to live for and the choice were available to me I would put my financial affairs in order, pay in advance for respectful disposal of my corpse, and ask to be gradually set adrift in an increasingly potent narcotic stupor until totally unconscious and then terminated. A painless, intensely pleasurable exit.

I've read that suicide prevention is a priority concern in most American prisons, which I regard as insidiously cruel. Offenders facing long prison terms should be granted the option of euthanasia rather than being forced to endure what probably is sheer psychological torture.

I wonder if access to euthanasia might serve as a deterrent to many homicides, inasmuch as many homicides are outer-directed suicides (and many suicides are inner-directed homicides).

And while on this subject it occurs to me that the rate of suicide among our active military personnel is absolutely stunning! I heard that more of our troops commit suicide than are killed in actual combat. Can this be true? I was in the military in the mid-1950s and I can't recall ever hearing about a single suicide.

This is an amazing statistic: Military suicides rise to a record 349, topping number of troops killed in combat - The Washington Post

Something is very, very wrong and this situation needs to be closely examined.

If I were in same position as he was; and I had no dependents - though I can't imagine how such a conditionwould render me able to provide for anyone - I'd seek to end my life along the lines you've described.

However, I disagree with allowing convicted felons to end their lives through euthanasia. They're incarcerated for a reason - punishment for their crimes. For instance, if I were left to decide if a drink driver whose selfishness had put someone in a wheelchair should be allowed to end the psychological torture incarceration incurs, I'd be inclined to refuse their request. They've disabled someone, so they should suffer the consequences of their crime.

At an average cost of $40k per year to confine one prisoner, do you think it's worth it (from the perspective of the U.S. prison census of two million). And consider the inevitable cost of putting prison-hardened felons back on the streets. I suggest it's better to be rid of them.

 

[AmyNation]

It's not only about cost, but justice.

 

[gallantwarrior]

When I was stationed in N. Ireland, Army Intelligence and a handfull of seconded members of the Parachute Regiment were tracking a sniper in the county I was based in. They snatched anyone off the streets they suspected of being involved or who might know the whereabouts of the sniper and those harbouring her. Eventually they were pointed in the direction of a local pub. They took the landlord and his son in for questioning, but had to release them due to lack of evidence.

The shootings continued for the next month, but the net was closing on her. Once they'd identified who she was, they began shadowing her. She died in a shoot-out at a petrol station near to the pub under surveillance. They re-visited the pub with an official warrant, ransacked th building and uncovered her rifle.

The landlord was sent to prison, but the son was released without charge; despite evidence pointing towards his guilt being found in the sniper's car. Later on that year, he was found in his hotel room, dead from the neck down. It's no secret that Army Intelligence knew how to inflict this frightening handicap, as it was used as a terror tactic against the IRA. He was nineteen years old, and couldn't face life with no sensory feeling below his shoulders. Someone helped him on his way to the other side.

Do you think that you could live with such a handicap? Honestly?

Very interesting story.

To answer your question -- No! I would beg to be euthanized rather than to live that way.

I believe very strongly in the right to euthanasia. I have for many years supported the Hemlock Society and I consider Dr. Jack Kevorkian to be one of the few real heroes of our time. In my opinion it's time to die when there is nothing left to live for and the only question I have about that is the best way to do it.

If I had nothing left to live for and the choice were available to me I would put my financial affairs in order, pay in advance for respectful disposal of my corpse, and ask to be gradually set adrift in an increasingly potent narcotic stupor until totally unconscious and then terminated. A painless, intensely pleasurable exit.

I've read that suicide prevention is a priority concern in most American prisons, which I regard as insidiously cruel. Offenders facing long prison terms should be granted the option of euthanasia rather than being forced to endure what probably is sheer psychological torture.

I wonder if access to euthanasia might serve as a deterrent to many homicides, inasmuch as many homicides are outer-directed suicides (and many suicides are inner-directed homicides).

And while on this subject it occurs to me that the rate of suicide among our active military personnel is absolutely stunning! I heard that more of our troops commit suicide than are killed in actual combat. Can this be true? I was in the military in the mid-1950s and I can't recall ever hearing about a single suicide.

This is an amazing statistic: Military suicides rise to a record 349, topping number of troops killed in combat - The Washington Post

Something is very, very wrong and this situation needs to be closely examined.

I have never thought of this aspect before but it does bear some consideration.

 

[gallantwarrior]

When I was stationed in N. Ireland, Army Intelligence and a handfull of seconded members of the Parachute Regiment were tracking a sniper in the county I was based in. They snatched anyone off the streets they suspected of being involved or who might know the whereabouts of the sniper and those harbouring her. Eventually they were pointed in the direction of a local pub. They took the landlord and his son in for questioning, but had to release them due to lack of evidence.

The shootings continued for the next month, but the net was closing on her. Once they'd identified who she was, they began shadowing her. She died in a shoot-out at a petrol station near to the pub under surveillance. They re-visited the pub with an official warrant, ransacked th building and uncovered her rifle.

The landlord was sent to prison, but the son was released without charge; despite evidence pointing towards his guilt being found in the sniper's car. Later on that year, he was found in his hotel room, dead from the neck down. It's no secret that Army Intelligence knew how to inflict this frightening handicap, as it was used as a terror tactic against the IRA. He was nineteen years old, and couldn't face life with no sensory feeling below his shoulders. Someone helped him on his way to the other side.

Do you think that you could live with such a handicap? Honestly?

Very interesting story.

To answer your question -- No! I would beg to be euthanized rather than to live that way.

I believe very strongly in the right to euthanasia. I have for many years supported the Hemlock Society and I consider Dr. Jack Kevorkian to be one of the few real heroes of our time. In my opinion it's time to die when there is nothing left to live for and the only question I have about that is the best way to do it.

If I had nothing left to live for and the choice were available to me I would put my financial affairs in order, pay in advance for respectful disposal of my corpse, and ask to be gradually set adrift in an increasingly potent narcotic stupor until totally unconscious and then terminated. A painless, intensely pleasurable exit.

I've read that suicide prevention is a priority concern in most American prisons, which I regard as insidiously cruel. Offenders facing long prison terms should be granted the option of euthanasia rather than being forced to endure what probably is sheer psychological torture.

I wonder if access to euthanasia might serve as a deterrent to many homicides, inasmuch as many homicides are outer-directed suicides (and many suicides are inner-directed homicides).

And while on this subject it occurs to me that the rate of suicide among our active military personnel is absolutely stunning! I heard that more of our troops commit suicide than are killed in actual combat. Can this be true? I was in the military in the mid-1950s and I can't recall ever hearing about a single suicide.

This is an amazing statistic: Military suicides rise to a record 349, topping number of troops killed in combat - The Washington Post

Something is very, very wrong and this situation needs to be closely examined.

If I were in same position as he was; and I had no dependents - though I can't imagine how such a conditionwould render me able to provide for anyone - I'd seek to end my life along the lines you've described.

However, I disagree with allowing convicted felons to end their lives through euthanasia. They're incarcerated for a reason - punishment for their crimes. For instance, if I were left to decide if a drink driver whose selfishness had put someone in a wheelchair should be allowed to end the psychological torture incarceration incurs, I'd be inclined to refuse their request. They've disabled someone, so they should suffer the consequences of their crime.

Then in reality, they should be rendered into the same condition and allowed to live the same depleted life their victims do...in prison, of course.

 

[Swagger]

Very interesting story.

To answer your question -- No! I would beg to be euthanized rather than to live that way.

I believe very strongly in the right to euthanasia. I have for many years supported the Hemlock Society and I consider Dr. Jack Kevorkian to be one of the few real heroes of our time. In my opinion it's time to die when there is nothing left to live for and the only question I have about that is the best way to do it.

If I had nothing left to live for and the choice were available to me I would put my financial affairs in order, pay in advance for respectful disposal of my corpse, and ask to be gradually set adrift in an increasingly potent narcotic stupor until totally unconscious and then terminated. A painless, intensely pleasurable exit.

I've read that suicide prevention is a priority concern in most American prisons, which I regard as insidiously cruel. Offenders facing long prison terms should be granted the option of euthanasia rather than being forced to endure what probably is sheer psychological torture.

I wonder if access to euthanasia might serve as a deterrent to many homicides, inasmuch as many homicides are outer-directed suicides (and many suicides are inner-directed homicides).

And while on this subject it occurs to me that the rate of suicide among our active military personnel is absolutely stunning! I heard that more of our troops commit suicide than are killed in actual combat. Can this be true? I was in the military in the mid-1950s and I can't recall ever hearing about a single suicide.

This is an amazing statistic: Military suicides rise to a record 349, topping number of troops killed in combat - The Washington Post

Something is very, very wrong and this situation needs to be closely examined.

If I were in same position as he was; and I had no dependents - though I can't imagine how such a conditionwould render me able to provide for anyone - I'd seek to end my life along the lines you've described.

However, I disagree with allowing convicted felons to end their lives through euthanasia. They're incarcerated for a reason - punishment for their crimes. For instance, if I were left to decide if a drink driver whose selfishness had put someone in a wheelchair should be allowed to end the psychological torture incarceration incurs, I'd be inclined to refuse their request. They've disabled someone, so they should suffer the consequences of their crime.

Then in reality, they should be rendered into the same condition and allowed to live the same depleted life their victims do...in prison, of course.

In reality the judiciary would never accept such a sentencing condition, as rendering someone into such a state could be viewed/construed as a life sentence; which would be problematic if they were only sentenced to 15 years in their twenties.

 

[gallantwarrior]

If I were in same position as he was; and I had no dependents - though I can't imagine how such a conditionwould render me able to provide for anyone - I'd seek to end my life along the lines you've described.

However, I disagree with allowing convicted felons to end their lives through euthanasia. They're incarcerated for a reason - punishment for their crimes. For instance, if I were left to decide if a drink driver whose selfishness had put someone in a wheelchair should be allowed to end the psychological torture incarceration incurs, I'd be inclined to refuse their request. They've disabled someone, so they should suffer the consequences of their crime.

Then in reality, they should be rendered into the same condition and allowed to live the same depleted life their victims do...in prison, of course.

In reality the judiciary would never accept such a sentencing condition, as rendering someone into such a state could be viewed/construed as a life sentence; which would be problematic if they were only sentenced to 15 years in their twenties.

And yet, you would tolerate their victim being sentenced to a life much diminished due to the action of their assailant?

 

[Katzndogz]

2 doctors and a licensed psychiatrist disagree with your Internet assessment.

If you read anything about this case at all, you would know that they chose suicide because they would not see one another again.

So? Even if we take that as 100% true, it doesn't make them mentally ill.

Not mentally ill but these brothers who were unable to create any relationship outside of the one they had with one another have some very serious problems. Had they been capable of relating to others they might not have chosen suicide.

 

[Dreamy]

Such a sad story.

 

[Scorpion]

When I was stationed in N. Ireland, Army Intelligence and a handfull of seconded members of the Parachute Regiment were tracking a sniper in the county I was based in. They snatched anyone off the streets they suspected of being involved or who might know the whereabouts of the sniper and those harbouring her. Eventually they were pointed in the direction of a local pub. They took the landlord and his son in for questioning, but had to release them due to lack of evidence.

The shootings continued for the next month, but the net was closing on her. Once they'd identified who she was, they began shadowing her. She died in a shoot-out at a petrol station near to the pub under surveillance. They re-visited the pub with an official warrant, ransacked th building and uncovered her rifle.

The landlord was sent to prison, but the son was released without charge; despite evidence pointing towards his guilt being found in the sniper's car. Later on that year, he was found in his hotel room, dead from the neck down. It's no secret that Army Intelligence knew how to inflict this frightening handicap, as it was used as a terror tactic against the IRA. He was nineteen years old, and couldn't face life with no sensory feeling below his shoulders. Someone helped him on his way to the other side.

Do you think that you could live with such a handicap? Honestly?

Very interesting story.

To answer your question -- No! I would beg to be euthanized rather than to live that way.

I believe very strongly in the right to euthanasia. I have for many years supported the Hemlock Society and I consider Dr. Jack Kevorkian to be one of the few real heroes of our time. In my opinion it's time to die when there is nothing left to live for and the only question I have about that is the best way to do it.

If I had nothing left to live for and the choice were available to me I would put my financial affairs in order, pay in advance for respectful disposal of my corpse, and ask to be gradually set adrift in an increasingly potent narcotic stupor until totally unconscious and then terminated. A painless, intensely pleasurable exit.

I've read that suicide prevention is a priority concern in most American prisons, which I regard as insidiously cruel. Offenders facing long prison terms should be granted the option of euthanasia rather than being forced to endure what probably is sheer psychological torture.

I wonder if access to euthanasia might serve as a deterrent to many homicides, inasmuch as many homicides are outer-directed suicides (and many suicides are inner-directed homicides).

And while on this subject it occurs to me that the rate of suicide among our active military personnel is absolutely stunning! I heard that more of our troops commit suicide than are killed in actual combat. Can this be true? I was in the military in the mid-1950s and I can't recall ever hearing about a single suicide.

This is an amazing statistic: Military suicides rise to a record 349, topping number of troops killed in combat - The Washington Post

Something is very, very wrong and this situation needs to be closely examined.

I have never thought of this aspect before but it does bear some consideration.

If it was such torture why do inmates on death row petition for clemency?

 

[Skull Pilot]

Two deaf twin brothers in Belgium were euthanized by their doctor after realizing they were going blind and would be unable to see each other ever again, their physician says.

The 45-year-old men, whose names have not been made public, were legally put to death by lethal injection at the Brussels University Hospital in Jette, on Dec. 14.

The men, who were born deaf, had a cup of coffee and said goodbye to other family members before walking into hospital room together to die, their doctor told Belgian television station RTL.

“They were very happy. It was a relief to see the end of their suffering,” said Dr. David Dufour.

Belgium Euthanizes Deaf Twins Going Blind - ABC News

How long before we do that here?

Who the hell are we to tell someone he can't end his own life if he so chooses?

 

[Michelle420]

This thread address several issues.

The right to choose to die.

The right to choose to die even when no terminal illness is a factor.

The soundness of mind and determination of mental health.

And lastly, but to me the most important aspect is how we, as society, value or devalue life and how we value or devalue life as individuals.

I am curious. How many here might seriously consider this same choice if you were living with the same afflictions as these twins? I doubt I would make the same choice for myself but of course one can never be sure unless a person has walked their walk.

I really couldn't say unless I was experiencing the situation.

However, I know that my mind is always going on about something and having the affliction of being both deaf and blind would either force me into a meditative state or drive me to insanity.

But I couldn't say whether I would end myself over it.

If the world was ending and I knew for certain that even if I survived my days on earth were numbered and I was going to die anyway, I may kill myself.

It's not something anyone takes lightly.

Two deaf twin brothers in Belgium were euthanized by their doctor after realizing they were going blind and would be unable to see each other ever again, their physician says.

The 45-year-old men, whose names have not been made public, were legally put to death by lethal injection at the Brussels University Hospital in Jette, on Dec. 14.

The men, who were born deaf, had a cup of coffee and said goodbye to other family members before walking into hospital room together to die, their doctor told Belgian television station RTL.

“They were very happy. It was a relief to see the end of their suffering,” said Dr. David Dufour.

Belgium Euthanizes Deaf Twins Going Blind - ABC News

How long before we do that here?

Who the hell are we to tell someone he can't end his own life if he so chooses?

I didn't write the article, I only asked how long before we have it here.

I never said they couldn't.

 

[Katzndogz]

We have it in Oregon.

 

[Dragonlady]

Allowing the Government to put people to death will quickly spiral out of control. And yet some of you think it is a good idea.

I so strongly agree with this. I believe that people like the twins in Belgium, have the right to choose to die, but I also think that this leaves the door open for children to badger elderly parents to "take the pill" before their assets are depleted.

There are sad cases where people do suffer needlessly. ALS is one disease where I think that those who have it should be given the choice of when to go, but I don't know how we can ease the suffering of some, without opening the door for those who would prey upon the ill or the elderly to make this decision sooner rather than later.

 

[whitehall]

It's only been about 250 years since the Founding Fathers created a rigid document that protected future generations from evolving European political philosophy but it seems like an eternity. The US lost about a Million Troops defending Europe from itself in the 20th century and they still don't have it right. God bless America.

 

[Dreamy]

Allowing the Government to put people to death will quickly spiral out of control. And yet some of you think it is a good idea.

I would never want the decision to be in the hands of the government for obvious reasons.

 

[Yurt]

They wanted to die. Why do want to force people to live?

exactly

 

[Yurt]

what is wrong with letting someone die who truly wants to die? the argument about state's interest is complete nonsense, imo.

 

[L.K.Eder]

I love liberty and the freedom from government entanglement whenever possible and the right to die when one chooses but how can one be certain a person is of sound mind when they make this choice, as Scorpion addresses?

In Belgium, have to be seen and approved by 2 physicians, and signed off as of sound mind by a psychiatrist.

actually, in europe,you have to be very careful.

if you are a great american in europe, and are overheard sighing something like "i'd rather be dead than succumb to socialism/marxism/communism", you can be immediately assisted in your suicide.
as sissy europeans don't have guns, it will be a messy affair with a carpet-cutter and/or screwdriver.

 

[PretentiousGuy]

Very interesting story.

To answer your question -- No! I would beg to be euthanized rather than to live that way.

I believe very strongly in the right to euthanasia. I have for many years supported the Hemlock Society and I consider Dr. Jack Kevorkian to be one of the few real heroes of our time. In my opinion it's time to die when there is nothing left to live for and the only question I have about that is the best way to do it.

If I had nothing left to live for and the choice were available to me I would put my financial affairs in order, pay in advance for respectful disposal of my corpse, and ask to be gradually set adrift in an increasingly potent narcotic stupor until totally unconscious and then terminated. A painless, intensely pleasurable exit.

I've read that suicide prevention is a priority concern in most American prisons, which I regard as insidiously cruel. Offenders facing long prison terms should be granted the option of euthanasia rather than being forced to endure what probably is sheer psychological torture.

I wonder if access to euthanasia might serve as a deterrent to many homicides, inasmuch as many homicides are outer-directed suicides (and many suicides are inner-directed homicides).

And while on this subject it occurs to me that the rate of suicide among our active military personnel is absolutely stunning! I heard that more of our troops commit suicide than are killed in actual combat. Can this be true? I was in the military in the mid-1950s and I can't recall ever hearing about a single suicide.

This is an amazing statistic: Military suicides rise to a record 349, topping number of troops killed in combat - The Washington Post

Something is very, very wrong and this situation needs to be closely examined.

I have never thought of this aspect before but it does bear some consideration.

If it was such torture why do inmates on death row petition for clemency?

Suffering by its very nature is subjective.