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I am a proponent of Euthanasia but regulating it in a way that prevents abuse is extremely tricky and I think there should be a lot of transparency for the rema

I am a proponent of Euthanasia but regulating it in a way that prevents abuse is extremely tricky and I think there should be a lot of transparency for the remaining family who should be informed and have the right to know who made the decision and how the decision was made.

pmoriarty 10y ago
Do you believe there should be any limits placed on legal euthanasia? Such as who can get it or why? Are mentally ill people capable of deciding of what's in their best interests? Children? If children are allowed legal euthanasia, should they be able to decide independent of their parents or guardians? Could their parents or guardians so decide without the child's consent? Should there be any age limit at all?
- nicolas_t 10y ago
  As I said. I don't have all the answers. I can see that the system in place in Belgium has some issues and I believe that there while it's important to have legal euthanasia, there's a huge potential of abuses and it's important to find a way to prevent abuses... So, yes, all the questions you ask are really good ones. And, exactly mentally ill people and children are two categories ripe for abuse and where there needs to be tight regulations. It's extremely complex.
- tremon 10y ago
  Are mentally ill people capable of deciding of what's in their best interests? Children? That's confounding the issue with an orthogonal question. We already have the means to measure and control mental capacity before the law: it's called legal guardianship. If children are allowed legal euthanasia, should they be able to decide independent of their parents or guardians? "Decide" is a bit ambiguous for me. Yes, they should reach their own decision independently; and no, their decision alone is not reason enough to go through with it. Could their parents or guardians so decide without the child's consent? "Without" is a bit ambiguous for me. Yes, if consent cannot be ascertained from the child (e.g. coma, paralysis), that should be possible; and no, "against the child's wishes" should never be allowed. Should there be any age limit at all? I simply don't believe in universal hard limits. There will always be corner cases where what's "right" falls on the wrong side of them. Especially in the case of voluntary termination, I believe that every case is a tragedy in itself, and every case should stand on its own arguments and merits. To do any less would be a disservice to the suffering. Conversely, to put an age limit on voluntary termination to me feels like mandating by law that young people can't suffer (i.e. I think it amounts to using the law to create the illusion of a perfect world).

pmoriarty 10y ago

Do you believe there should be any limits placed on legal euthanasia? Such as who can get it or why? Are mentally ill people capable of deciding of what's in their best interests? Children? If children are allowed legal euthanasia, should they be able to decide independent of their parents or guardians? Could their parents or guardians so decide without the child's consent? Should there be any age limit at all?

nicolas_t 10y ago
As I said. I don't have all the answers. I can see that the system in place in Belgium has some issues and I believe that there while it's important to have legal euthanasia, there's a huge potential of abuses and it's important to find a way to prevent abuses... So, yes, all the questions you ask are really good ones. And, exactly mentally ill people and children are two categories ripe for abuse and where there needs to be tight regulations. It's extremely complex.
tremon 10y ago
Are mentally ill people capable of deciding of what's in their best interests? Children? That's confounding the issue with an orthogonal question. We already have the means to measure and control mental capacity before the law: it's called legal guardianship. If children are allowed legal euthanasia, should they be able to decide independent of their parents or guardians? "Decide" is a bit ambiguous for me. Yes, they should reach their own decision independently; and no, their decision alone is not reason enough to go through with it. Could their parents or guardians so decide without the child's consent? "Without" is a bit ambiguous for me. Yes, if consent cannot be ascertained from the child (e.g. coma, paralysis), that should be possible; and no, "against the child's wishes" should never be allowed. Should there be any age limit at all? I simply don't believe in universal hard limits. There will always be corner cases where what's "right" falls on the wrong side of them. Especially in the case of voluntary termination, I believe that every case is a tragedy in itself, and every case should stand on its own arguments and merits. To do any less would be a disservice to the suffering. Conversely, to put an age limit on voluntary termination to me feels like mandating by law that young people can't suffer (i.e. I think it amounts to using the law to create the illusion of a perfect world).