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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

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.