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This is very topical in the UK at the moment, as Parliament has just voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at its second reading in th

This is very topical in the UK at the moment, as Parliament has just voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at its second reading in the Commons. What that means is that it will probably soon be possible for individuals who are slowly dying to request their own euthanasia. There has been a lot of debate in the press and online (and no doubt also in private across the whole country). The arguments range from the risks of potential cooercion to the morality of a 'coup de grâce'. Yet your point is also pertinent, as 'quality of life' often has as much to do with the quality of care as it does with the affliction itself, and quality of care is largely down to how much society pays for it.

wkat4242 2y ago
There's also many old people that are so demented they're just sitting in a chair drooling, totally unaware of their surroundings. They receive as much care as they can get but it's not really improving their quality of life. They basically exist only as a reminder for the people that knew them. I do think that euthanasia would make sense in these cases. The real person, their mind, has died a long time ago, it's just their body that lives on. Of course the decision should be up to these people (while they're still capacitated) and their family. It shouldn't be imposed on them. But personally I wouldn't want to "live" like that.
- seabass-labrax 2y ago
  > But personally I wouldn't want to "live" like that. In such a situation I'd be inclined to agree. I think my question is rather how many of the candidates for humane euthanasia would be in that condition if preventative healthcare was better. Clearly there will be some people whose conditions could not be prevented by any medical intervention, but cuts to healthcare funding would probably result in more people getting terminal illnesses in total. Witnessing the suffering of patients is a big part of reminding people why healthcare is important (which of course is why medical charities advertise in this way). Thus, personally, my chief concern is that compassionate euthanasia could end up hiding fixable problems in our healthcare system.
  - ANewFormation 2y ago
    The big issue with aging is general cognitive decline. In some people it can happen faster, or slower, but it happens to all of us and is no more avoidable than muscular decline. It makes it increasingly difficult for people to care for themselves, and highly vulnerable to exploitation, even when in 'perfect' health.
pyuser583 2y ago
I thought the UK bill required people to have no more than six months left. If it won’t decrease life span by more than six months, how will it affect population?

wkat4242 2y ago

There's also many old people that are so demented they're just sitting in a chair drooling, totally unaware of their surroundings. They receive as much care as they can get but it's not really improving their quality of life. They basically exist only as a reminder for the people that knew them. I do think that euthanasia would make sense in these cases. The real person, their mind, has died a long time ago, it's just their body that lives on. Of course the decision should be up to these people (while they're still capacitated) and their family. It shouldn't be imposed on them. But personally I wouldn't want to "live" like that.

seabass-labrax 2y ago
> But personally I wouldn't want to "live" like that. In such a situation I'd be inclined to agree. I think my question is rather how many of the candidates for humane euthanasia would be in that condition if preventative healthcare was better. Clearly there will be some people whose conditions could not be prevented by any medical intervention, but cuts to healthcare funding would probably result in more people getting terminal illnesses in total. Witnessing the suffering of patients is a big part of reminding people why healthcare is important (which of course is why medical charities advertise in this way). Thus, personally, my chief concern is that compassionate euthanasia could end up hiding fixable problems in our healthcare system.
- ANewFormation 2y ago
  The big issue with aging is general cognitive decline. In some people it can happen faster, or slower, but it happens to all of us and is no more avoidable than muscular decline. It makes it increasingly difficult for people to care for themselves, and highly vulnerable to exploitation, even when in 'perfect' health.

pyuser583 2y ago

I thought the UK bill required people to have no more than six months left. If it won’t decrease life span by more than six months, how will it affect population?