Medical Aid in Dying Bill, NY. (Assisted Suicide)

NY legislature passed the bill, which essentially allows doctors to help patients end their own lives. Two doctors and two others have to sign off on it. Not a law yet as Governor Hochul has to sign it. Not enough votes to override a veto, if Hochul chooses to veto.

I’m all for it. In my career I’ve seen literally thousands of people as they pass. I often use the phrase, ‘there are worse things than death’.

Is there anyone here who doesn’t want the right to end his own life?

Quote: SOOPOO

Is there anyone here who doesn’t want the right to end his own life?

Mormons, Christians, Islam is actually against suicide. But I guess suicide bombing is considered sacrifice not actual suicide.

Not sure who else.

I am all for it.

My guess is every religious group in the nation will oppose it. (At least Christian, Muslim, and Jewish groups will.). Most mainstream religions are against suicide in any context. This is one reason the U.S. is so slow in adopting such laws.

Even if the law passes, with the current administration, it would not shock me if there was some kind of Federal challenge right now.

Quote: Gandler

I am all for it.]Even if the law passes, with the current administration, it would not shock me if there was some kind of Federal challenge right now.

One might think so, given the silly moves by Trump and his stooges, but Oregon has had a Death With Dignity law on the books since 1997 and Trump hasn't tried to interfere, neither in his first term nor currently.

I suspect he supports the notion of Oregonians killing themselves as we've been on to him and his egomaniacal narcissism for a long time.

summar:


Oregon's Death with Dignity Act allows terminally ill adults to obtain a prescription for lethal medication from their physician to end their life. To be eligible, individuals must be Oregon residents (though this requirement was removed in 2023), be mentally capable, have a terminal illness with a prognosis of death within six months, and be able to self-administer the medication.

Quote: missedhervee

One might think so, given the silly moves by Trump and his stooges, but Oregon has had a Death With Dignity law on the books since 1997 and Trump hasn't tried to interfere, neither in his first term nor currently.

I suspect he supports the notion of Oregonians killing themselves as we've been on to him and his egomaniacal narcissism for a long time.

summar:


Oregon's Death with Dignity Act allows terminally ill adults to obtain a prescription for lethal medication from their physician to end their life. To be eligible, individuals must be Oregon residents (though this requirement was removed in 2023), be mentally capable, have a terminal illness with a prognosis of death within six months, and be able to self-administer the medication.

The ‘death within 6 months’ is stupid. No one can accurately make that prediction. And what does it even mean? A severely demented man, if fed and cleaned by others might live for years. But if left alone he’d die of starvation soon. What is his ‘prognosis’?

High level cervical fracture patients can live for decades on a ventilator. Turn off the ventilator and they are gone in minutes. What is the prognosis?

Let’s say we could accurately assess a date of death. ‘Sir, you have 9 months to live In excruciating pain. After suffering for 3 months we will allow you to take your life.”

Quote: SOOPOO

The ‘death within 6 months’ is stupid. No one can accurately make that prediction. And what does it even mean? A severely demented man, if fed and cleaned by others might live for years. But if left alone he’d die of starvation soon. What is his ‘prognosis’?

High level cervical fracture patients can live for decades on a ventilator. Turn off the ventilator and they are gone in minutes. What is the prognosis?

Let’s say we could accurately assess a date of death. ‘Sir, you have 9 months to live In excruciating pain. After suffering for 3 months we will allow you to take your life.”

The demented man might not be able to self-administer. The high level cervical fracture most likely can't either.

Quote: GenoDRPh

The demented man might not be able to self-administer. The high level cervical fracture most likely can't either.

The person unable to communicate at all is the toughest one for me since it might not be clear what the person would have wanted to be done. Take the Pope for instance. I imagine he has requested not to have himself disconnected even if there is no hope at all for recovery. I imagine he wants this even if he was in a coma for years.

I could be wrong though. I just think he wouldn’t want to send such a message for himself to all his followers. That said, he might decide to approve it for some people out of compassion.

Quote: rxwine

The person unable to communicate at all is the toughest one for me since it might not be clear what the person would have wanted to be done. Take the Pope for instance. I imagine he has requested not to have himself disconnected even if there is no hope at all for recovery. I imagine he wants this even if he was in a coma for years.

I could be wrong though. I just think he wouldn’t want to send such a message for himself to all his followers. That said, he might decide to approve it for some people out of compassion.

You imagine incorrectly.

https://www.catholic.com/qa/church-teaching-on-end-of-life-care

I would be in support of such a law, with some trepidation

I think the critics of the Canadian version make some good points. It's creepy how quickly the government came to appreciate that the budget for their health care system benefits greatly from more people checking out early, without much concern about how that looks. There have even been many instances where a person who was just advised by the suicide-prevention people that "they matter" and are handed a brochure with slogans like the below, are then advised the next minute that they can be helped to commit suicide by someone else.

Quote: odiousgambit

I would be in support of such a law, with some trepidation

I think the critics of the Canadian version make some good points. It's creepy how quickly the government came to appreciate that the budget for their health care system benefits greatly from more people checking out early, without much concern about how that looks. There have even been many instances where a person who was just advised by the suicide-prevention people that "they matter" and are handed a brochure with slogans like the below, are then advised the next minute that they can be helped to commit suicide by someone else.

I mean this is nothing new, historically tobacco companies pushed the government to lower smoking regulations because they showed how much money it saved the healthcare and retirement systems with younger deaths when at least a certain number of citizens smoke.

(Actually they still do this to some third world and developing countries who consider smoking regulations to scare them out of adopting regulations for fear of breaking their retirement system.)