Group Plans to Help Healthy Woman Die

[auditor0007]

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posted: 1 DAY 4 HOURS AGOcomments: 396filed under: Health NewsPrintShareText SizeAAA(April 3) -

A healthy woman's desire to kill herself when her terminally ill husband dies -- a plan she intends to carry out with the help of a Swiss assisted suicide group -- has ignited a new right-to-die controversy.
Ludwig Minelli, the founder of the Swiss assisted suicide group, Dignitas, talked about the case in a recent interview with The Times of London. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, and the group said it has helped more than 100 Britons die.

Assisted Suicide

While I am not opposed to terminally ill people having the right to die and to have assisted suicide available to them, this does not sit well with me. On top of the fact that I'm against anyone in good health taking their own life, I believe that allowing this to happen will only make a stronger argument against assisted suicide for the terminally ill.

I lost my wife to cancer, and I understand the grief involved. There was a period of time when I really didn't care if I lived or not, but I certainly never would have taken my own life. Now, seven years later, I fully appreciate life again. People dealing with grief can make very irrational decisions, and this woman's decision is irrational.

 

[strollingbones]

but films make heroines of women who elect to stay with thier husbands and die with them...it not been that long ago that sati's were outlawed in india. Sati means devoted wife, i think. this is hardly new but really an honored tradition...i agree with you ..that grief can cause crazy ideas but she still has ever right to kill herself...

 

[Tech_Esq]

I'm consistently pro-death. If people want to off themselves, let'em.

 

[Zoom-boing]

If she is healthy, why does she need assistance in killing herself? Sorry that just struck me as odd.

 

[PoliticalChic]

I agree with Auditor. Life shouldn't be something that we casually throw away. Although, I can understand her desire to be with her husband when he dies, why does she think her own life is not worth living?

I believe one can take his/her own life, but if we allow these kinds of assisted suicides in "healthy" people, it erodes further the meaning and importance of life. I would hate to see our society go down this road.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

Get AOL News Alerts » Group Plans to Help Healthy Woman DieAOL
posted: 1 DAY 4 HOURS AGOcomments: 396filed under: Health NewsPrintShareText SizeAAA(April 3) -

A healthy woman's desire to kill herself when her terminally ill husband dies -- a plan she intends to carry out with the help of a Swiss assisted suicide group -- has ignited a new right-to-die controversy.
Ludwig Minelli, the founder of the Swiss assisted suicide group, Dignitas, talked about the case in a recent interview with The Times of London. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, and the group said it has helped more than 100 Britons die.

Assisted Suicide

While I am not opposed to terminally ill people having the right to die and to have assisted suicide available to them, this does not sit well with me. On top of the fact that I'm against anyone in good health taking their own life, I believe that allowing this to happen will only make a stronger argument against assisted suicide for the terminally ill.

I lost my wife to cancer, and I understand the grief involved. There was a period of time when I really didn't care if I lived or not, but I certainly never would have taken my own life. Now, seven years later, I fully appreciate life again. People dealing with grief can make very irrational decisions, and this woman's decision is irrational.

Yeah, I agree with you on this one Auditor007. I do think it should be legal for the terminally ill to have the right to choose to die and legislation for that to happen isn't that bureaucratic - THAT bureaucratic. But for someone to be allowed to die like this woman?

I used to date this HOT VA nurse. Man, talk about HOT: Playboy model early-1960s-Marilyn Monroe era - you know, real nice curves. Anyway, back to the subject, she was a staunch Republican. I'm talking patriotic to a fault (if you can even believe that). She worked in the mentally ill, terminally ill, and (um, I don't know what to call it) the ward that takes care of people who have become more than quadrapalegic - as in maybe couldn't even speak - but whose families couldn't or wouldn't bare the burden of caring for them. She told me some horrific stories about these more-than-quadrapalegic patients:

There was one, a woman who, while in the Air Force, was out jogging one morning. She was hit by a car because of glare in the driver's eyes. Nobody's fault, just tragic. The woman was in a coma for about a year and when she came out of it she was unable to function on her own. Her vital functions still operated but she was unable to care for herself or even speak in a way that is coherent to others. Her family took her home but after a couple of years they could or would no longer handle the burden of this young woman's care. Her divorced mother remarried a man who sort of took the lead of the family's affairs and moved the woman to the VA Hospital. Over the next five years the family's visits came less and less frequently until they stopped coming to visit altogether.

Some days, when my girlfriend came home from work, she wept. After having worked with this poor young woman for years she eventually came to understand her way of speaking. The handicapped young women would ask my girlfriend everyday to please kill her. This poor young woman had developed terrible bed sores. She could think as well as she had before the accident; its just that her body didn't work anymore nor would it ever again (unless scientists are allowed to research stem cells but the technology and research is still years away). She never interracted with anyone she cared about and lay forgotten in a basement room in an unfrequented part of the Denver VA Hospital. Because of this my Christian, conservative, Republican girlfriend wanted legal euthanasia.

And I agree with that.

However, for those not terminally ill or similarly incapacited, to allow them to commit suicide is just an escape from the grief, which may be unbearable for a time, but, I think you'll agree, over time grows more and more bearable.

If my girlfriend were to die I would be inconsolable. I depend on her for many things. But she isn't the only person who depends on me. Were I to needlessly die as well, that would leave my family and friends bereft of someone important to them. Why compound the suffering?

 

[KittenKoder]

I call bull on the article being just hype to attack legitimate assisted suicide.

 

[Peejay]

I agree that the word "healthy" betrays this whole argument. If you're healthy, you don't need help. Fall on a sword, jump, go to Iran and insult Allah. The possibilities are endless. I always thought suicide laws were nuts. You can't punish me when I'm dead. And if you fail at suicide, well, that's just pathetic.

 

[KittenKoder]

I agree that the word "healthy" betrays this whole argument. If you're healthy, you don't need help. Fall on a sword, jump, go to Iran and insult Allah. The possibilities are endless. I always thought suicide laws were nuts. You can't punish me when I'm dead. And if you fail at suicide, well, that's just pathetic.

No only that, but if you fail the state winds up usually footing the bill for the resulting hospital bills, only for them to try it again when they get out.

 

[neurosport]

Get AOL News Alerts » Group Plans to Help Healthy Woman DieAOL
posted: 1 DAY 4 HOURS AGOcomments: 396filed under: Health NewsPrintShareText SizeAAA(April 3) -

A healthy woman's desire to kill herself when her terminally ill husband dies -- a plan she intends to carry out with the help of a Swiss assisted suicide group -- has ignited a new right-to-die controversy.
Ludwig Minelli, the founder of the Swiss assisted suicide group, Dignitas, talked about the case in a recent interview with The Times of London. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, and the group said it has helped more than 100 Britons die.

Assisted Suicide

While I am not opposed to terminally ill people having the right to die and to have assisted suicide available to them, this does not sit well with me. On top of the fact that I'm against anyone in good health taking their own life, I believe that allowing this to happen will only make a stronger argument against assisted suicide for the terminally ill.

I lost my wife to cancer, and I understand the grief involved. There was a period of time when I really didn't care if I lived or not, but I certainly never would have taken my own life. Now, seven years later, I fully appreciate life again. People dealing with grief can make very irrational decisions, and this woman's decision is irrational.

being born is not voluntary

therefore everybody has the right to take their life back and kill themselves

if you don't believe in another person's right to their own life then you better not believe in your right to yours !

if you would deny another person the right to suicide be prepared to get killed ...

it's none of your business whether a person is making a mistake or not. i may think your entire life is a mistake - that doesn't give me the right to kill you.

everybody's life is his own - so simple, even you should be able to understand !

your arrogance can only be matched by that of neo-cons and suicide bombers.

 

[Cecilie1200]

I would personally be deeply offended if my husband wanted to die simply because I did. I'd feel like he hadn't really loved me very much. Real love should make you stronger, not weaker.

 

[manu1959]

I agree that the word "healthy" betrays this whole argument. If you're healthy, you don't need help. Fall on a sword, jump, go to Iran and insult Allah. The possibilities are endless. I always thought suicide laws were nuts. You can't punish me when I'm dead. And if you fail at suicide, well, that's just pathetic.

i have an aquaintance that jumped off the golden gate bridge and lived.....

 

[strollingbones]

I agree that the word "healthy" betrays this whole argument. If you're healthy, you don't need help. Fall on a sword, jump, go to Iran and insult Allah. The possibilities are endless. I always thought suicide laws were nuts. You can't punish me when I'm dead. And if you fail at suicide, well, that's just pathetic.

i have an aquaintance that jumped off the golden gate bridge and lived.....

and what is his/her quality of life now?

that may be why the healthy person needs help in offing themself....you dont wanna fuck it up

 

[Seraph]

'Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body' (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

In other words, don't commit suicide

 

[xsited1]

I don't have enough information to say one way or another. How old is this woman? Does she have any living children? Does she have friends and/or family that disagree with her decision? I agree her decision sounds irrational, but there are too many unknowns.

 

[auditor0007]

Get AOL News Alerts » Group Plans to Help Healthy Woman DieAOL
posted: 1 DAY 4 HOURS AGOcomments: 396filed under: Health NewsPrintShareText SizeAAA(April 3) -

A healthy woman's desire to kill herself when her terminally ill husband dies -- a plan she intends to carry out with the help of a Swiss assisted suicide group -- has ignited a new right-to-die controversy.
Ludwig Minelli, the founder of the Swiss assisted suicide group, Dignitas, talked about the case in a recent interview with The Times of London. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, and the group said it has helped more than 100 Britons die.

Assisted Suicide

While I am not opposed to terminally ill people having the right to die and to have assisted suicide available to them, this does not sit well with me. On top of the fact that I'm against anyone in good health taking their own life, I believe that allowing this to happen will only make a stronger argument against assisted suicide for the terminally ill.

I lost my wife to cancer, and I understand the grief involved. There was a period of time when I really didn't care if I lived or not, but I certainly never would have taken my own life. Now, seven years later, I fully appreciate life again. People dealing with grief can make very irrational decisions, and this woman's decision is irrational.

being born is not voluntary

therefore everybody has the right to take their life back and kill themselves

if you don't believe in another person's right to their own life then you better not believe in your right to yours !

if you would deny another person the right to suicide be prepared to get killed ...

it's none of your business whether a person is making a mistake or not. i may think your entire life is a mistake - that doesn't give me the right to kill you.

everybody's life is his own - so simple, even you should be able to understand !

your arrogance can only be matched by that of neo-cons and suicide bombers.

Talk about arrogance; you act as if you are the know all and end all of everything in everyone of your posts. First off, we all have opinions. Just because you have one doesn't make yours right. Like they say, opinions are like assholes. Everyone's got one.

As to this subject, you may believe everyone has the right to off themselves, and while I think we should try to prevent healthy people from offing themselves, if they are that intent, then they will probably succeed. That does not mean we should permit others to help them in their suicide, because you see, that is murder. And if we start allowing people to assist in the suicide of perfectly healthy people, what will be next? Maybe we'll start killing those who don't really want to be killed in the first place.

The bigger point is that allowing this will just make a stronger argument against assisted suicide in general. But apparently, you are more concerned with trying to look smart by belittling me. In the end you failed miserably.

One last thing; I know a lot of people who lost loved ones to suicide. In almost every instance, these people suffered from depression, which is a real disease. Most can be treated through medication and counseling. Some require medication for their enitire lives. When they are on their meds, they do fine and live fullfilling lives. However, sometimes if things go wrong, they quit their meds, and then bad things happen. Most people who commit suicide do so to remove the pain they are feeling. They want to get rid of the pain and they feel suicide is the only way to do so. It is not that they want to die as much as it is a way of removing their pain.

 

[Xenophon]

Darwinism at work.

Let her go.

 

[editec]

For those who are facing a long trying painful dying process, I advocate suiside assistance.

For the rest of us?

No, if you want to off youself, that's your business, but asking others to become complicite in your self-murder is just wrong.