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>The risk with allowing humans to do this is that it’s possible for someone not of sound mind to come to this conclusion. It seems like lots of people think yo

>The risk with allowing humans to do this is that it’s possible for someone not of sound mind to come to this conclusion. It seems like lots of people think you can just go to your doctor and be prescribed a cocktail of death because you feel down today. That's not what assisted death programs are like, at all. There's waiting periods, evaluations by independent doctors and psychiatrists, interviews, etc. to determine your capacity and understanding of the decision. Someone who is not of sound mind is not getting approval for assisted death. Anyone sufficiently determined enough is going to find a way to die, regardless of what laws or programs are there. These programs don't change that, and they aren't meant to.

koolba 1y ago
> Someone who is not of sound mind is not getting approval for assisted death. For many of us, this is a classic catch-22 as requesting such approval demonstrates the lack of a sound mind.
- ty6853 1y ago
  IMO it's purely a liability debate. The other concerns are philosophically interesting but on a practical basis mooted: anyone of sound or almost anyone of unsound mind and two nickels to rub together can reliably off themselves without asking anyone for approval.
- qualeed 1y ago
  >requesting such approval demonstrates the lack of a sound mind. This is wild to me. I watched my father, who had a life expectancy measured in months, live in unbearable pain 24 hours a day. And you believe that him wishing to end that nightmare demonstrates a lack of sound mind? The sound decision, in your opinion, is to suffer in pain, knowing that there is no treatment nor cure coming, just pain for some number of months until death's release? I find it particularly cruel that you (seemingly?) think that he should have had to continue to suffer. And, by extension, myself and the rest of my family, should have had to continue to watch him suffer. (Before we get too far into it, I will say upfront, there's not much in way of argument that will sway me from this opinion. I am certainly open to hearing your opinion, though.)
- avgDev 1y ago
  Please remember this if you ever get diagnosed with a painful terminal illness.
- lurking_swe 1y ago
  tell me you haven’t been around old suffering people without telling me. I literally think your comment is crazy. Like batshit crazy. Go into a nursing home in the U.S. sometime and walk the halls. Tell me if you think the majority of those people are waking up with something to look forward to? Some of them are sitting in their own shit for hours because the nurses are too short staffed. I’d rather be dead than sit in my own shit for hours while being in chronic pain, and abandoned in a nursing home. There are other reasons to choose death too of course. But i digress. I’m not in the mood to make an exhaustive list. If you’re old and in okay-ish health, and have _something_ to look forward to (hobby, seeing grandkids, reading, etc), then it’s a different story.
  - Noumenon72 1y ago
    When I volunteered at a nursing home an attendant complained to me about a guy who wouldn't make the effort to go shit but expected staff to dig it out for him. Why bother choosing to live if you don't find it worth even that much effort.
  - howard941 1y ago
    [flagged]
    - qualeed 1y ago
      What a gross misrepresentation of the above comment. Sad. The operative word is "choose".
      - howard941 1y ago
        [flagged]
    - lurking_swe 1y ago
      if they want to live then let them live. Who said i want them to choose suicide? I don’t care what you do, you CHOOSE. That’s the point. I’m not sure if you fully understood what i wrote, but whatever? A choice. That’s all that’s being argued here. I’m explaining why someone would want to rationally make such a choice. It’s not that complicated. Life is not a video game where the goal is to live as long as possible regardless of the “cost”. Of course i support this as a last resort. Interventions should be made first. Therapy, family support, medicine, whatever.
- footy 1y ago
  the amount of implied privilege in this mindset is mind-boggling.
- martinpw 1y ago
  Appalling comment. You have clearly not been around extreme end of life suffering.
  - cwillu 1y ago
    You (and every other reply) clearly misinterpreted the comment.

koolba 1y ago

> Someone who is not of sound mind is not getting approval for assisted death. For many of us, this is a classic catch-22 as requesting such approval demonstrates the lack of a sound mind.

ty6853 1y ago
IMO it's purely a liability debate. The other concerns are philosophically interesting but on a practical basis mooted: anyone of sound or almost anyone of unsound mind and two nickels to rub together can reliably off themselves without asking anyone for approval.
qualeed 1y ago
>requesting such approval demonstrates the lack of a sound mind. This is wild to me. I watched my father, who had a life expectancy measured in months, live in unbearable pain 24 hours a day. And you believe that him wishing to end that nightmare demonstrates a lack of sound mind? The sound decision, in your opinion, is to suffer in pain, knowing that there is no treatment nor cure coming, just pain for some number of months until death's release? I find it particularly cruel that you (seemingly?) think that he should have had to continue to suffer. And, by extension, myself and the rest of my family, should have had to continue to watch him suffer. (Before we get too far into it, I will say upfront, there's not much in way of argument that will sway me from this opinion. I am certainly open to hearing your opinion, though.)
avgDev 1y ago
Please remember this if you ever get diagnosed with a painful terminal illness.
lurking_swe 1y ago
tell me you haven’t been around old suffering people without telling me. I literally think your comment is crazy. Like batshit crazy. Go into a nursing home in the U.S. sometime and walk the halls. Tell me if you think the majority of those people are waking up with something to look forward to? Some of them are sitting in their own shit for hours because the nurses are too short staffed. I’d rather be dead than sit in my own shit for hours while being in chronic pain, and abandoned in a nursing home. There are other reasons to choose death too of course. But i digress. I’m not in the mood to make an exhaustive list. If you’re old and in okay-ish health, and have _something_ to look forward to (hobby, seeing grandkids, reading, etc), then it’s a different story.
- Noumenon72 1y ago
  When I volunteered at a nursing home an attendant complained to me about a guy who wouldn't make the effort to go shit but expected staff to dig it out for him. Why bother choosing to live if you don't find it worth even that much effort.
- howard941 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - qualeed 1y ago
    What a gross misrepresentation of the above comment. Sad. The operative word is "choose".
    - howard941 1y ago
      [flagged]
  - lurking_swe 1y ago
    if they want to live then let them live. Who said i want them to choose suicide? I don’t care what you do, you CHOOSE. That’s the point. I’m not sure if you fully understood what i wrote, but whatever? A choice. That’s all that’s being argued here. I’m explaining why someone would want to rationally make such a choice. It’s not that complicated. Life is not a video game where the goal is to live as long as possible regardless of the “cost”. Of course i support this as a last resort. Interventions should be made first. Therapy, family support, medicine, whatever.
footy 1y ago
the amount of implied privilege in this mindset is mind-boggling.
martinpw 1y ago
Appalling comment. You have clearly not been around extreme end of life suffering.
- cwillu 1y ago
  You (and every other reply) clearly misinterpreted the comment.