Euthanasia is a difficult topic.
On the one hand I don't see why mentally competent people cannot freely choose to continue, or end, their lives. That said, I worry about the incompetent and people who do not have a real freedom to choose.
What do readers think?
Story here: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/holy-post/archive/2009/10/14/doctors-should-not-have-final-say-on-life.aspx
Euthanasia 'favourable' to Quebec MDs: survey
By Charles Lewis, National Post
Amending the Criminal Code to make euthanasia legal in Canada would likely gain the support of three-quarters of Quebec's medical specialists, says a new survey that is the latest chapter in a growing debate on physician-assisted suicide.
The Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists, which represents more than 8,700 physicians in the province, said yesterday that "75% of medical specialists would certainly or probably be favourable to euthanasia within a clearly defined legislative limit."
Dr. Gaetan Barrette, president of the federation, told a Montreal news conference the controversy over euthanasia has similarities to the abortion debate that took place in Canada decades ago, when doctors followed the lead of the public.
"Society was ahead," he said. "Doctors came after, and then governments legislated much later after [the] Superior Court had to rule [on the issue]," he said.
Sometime this fall, it is expected that the Quebec College of Physicians and Surgeons, the licensing body for all doctors in the province, will ask the federal government to amend the Criminal Code to allow euthanasia in certain cases.
All this comes as Bill C-384, which would make euthanasia legal in Canada, is going through second reading in Parliament. Although the bill will likely not pass, opponents believe that Canadians are becoming more accepting of the idea of physicians taking a life, which will open the door for legalized euthanasia.
4 comments:
The problem is not people wanting to freely end their own lives.
The problem is allowing doctors to kill.
There's a distinction here. It's a scary prospect to allow doctors to kill, because if you're the patient of someone willing to kill, you can never be sure that their decisions are really made in your interest, or whether the doctor is trying to pop you off to save someone who is more "curable" or somehow more attractive. I realize that many people think that humans are mostly good, but reality is quite different.
I would also add it's somewhat contradictory to put a lot of money to fight suicide, when people who are terminally ill are just manifesting the same mental illness as those who are young. They feel hopeless. It's discriminatory to overlook their pain simply because they have a terminal illness. Most people who ask to die are depressed. When you treat the depression, they no longer wish to die.
There is a lot of confusion about what euthanasia is. What is at issue is assisted suicide, not lethal doses of morphine to help treat pain.
The medical system is in fact pretty badly prepared to deal with pain. The palliative care movement is only a couple of decades old. With more and more boomers dying off, assisted suicide will be seen as the easy way out of having to make the effort to treat them.
I take it Suzanne that you have never wathed someone you love die of cancer? Because I find it hard to believe that someone who has would compare it with teenage depression. Some people will live months on end in the most excruciating pain imaginable while each of thier organs slowly shut down. Doctors who support this measure are not doing it so they can "kill" people, they are interested in the best option for thier patients, and sometimes that should mean assisting suicide if it will save the patient from months of withering away in a hospital bed if that is thier wishes.
I think that opponents of euthanasia use the slippery slope argument in the most disingenuous way, but our failure to delineate the different fact situation where a euthanasia issue could arise doesnt help either. There is a whole lot of black, white and grey between physicians assisting folks who are near the end of their life and are in tremendous uncontrollable pain and offing the disabled because they are a burden on society.
In terms of people of sound mind making a conscious choice to end their life because the pain is unmanageble I don't think opponents can muster a sound rational argument if there are sufficient checks and balances to ensure that that IS what the person wants. Quite frankly Suzanne's claim that it is depression not pain is bogus, and I would concur with Austin that she has never watched a family member die of cancer.
Further down the line are people who lack the capacity to make the decision themselves, and even further down the line is the issue of "euthanizing" people who are a "burden". I think there is some legitimate debate that can be had about the former. I would not support the latter.
But I do think we need to get on with allowing people in pain who want to die (like Sue Rodriguez for instance) to get the help they need. The debate is too often bogged down by the more marginal cases.
It is normal to feel sad due to grief for a lost relative or
loved one, or due to disappointments and failure like losing a job.
In addition, cognitive behavioral therapy may be offered or group therapy.
alone, depressive disorders affect approximately 18.
my site - manic depression
Post a Comment