Should euthanasia be legal?

[Amelia G]

No one knows yet whether Washington Initiative 1000: Allow Doctor-Assisted Suicide will pass.

Do you think euthanasia should be legal? If so, under what circumstances is assisted suicide okay or at least should be legal?

[Mr Karl]

of course it should be legal

"soylent green ist Mensch Fleisch"

[Cafe_Post_Mortem]

People talk a lot about peoples rights to control their body, but most seem to stop short here. I believe the right to die is pretty fundamental.

I think the right to die is everyone's right. It should be strongly discouraged, but in the end only attempted suicide is a crime, and that seems a bit silly.

[mystoo]

Yes!

[Thistle Harlequin]

Yes.

[Morning Glory]

what's the problem with the youth in Asia?. I mean it's not just in Asia that they have problems. don't you think that's a bit racialist?

[babyswitchblade]

God I must be tired. I just totally read the title of this thread as "Should enthusiasm should be legal?"

[Morning Glory]

God I must be tired. I just totally read the title of this thread as "Should enthusiasm should be legal?"

Hell No!

oh I'm sorry, I mean, sure, I guess not..

[helcyon]

yes.
Although there is some substance to some of the arguments against it such as

• people might feel obligated to speed up death so as not to be a burden
• it doesn't take too much to believe that unscrupulous folk will be offing others to get their hands on their estates, spouses, get rid of annoyiong people etc.

incurable pain, loss of dignity, loss of quality of life etc. could be justifiable cases for voluntary euthenasia. What about straight out suicide? Is that OK? I'm not sure about that. Where do you draw a definite line? Do the following justify ending one's own life?

• Paraplegia?
• Quadraplegia?
• Amputation of limbs?
• Severe disfigurement?
• Deep depression?
• Coma?

Very hard to bring in 'one size fits all' legislation.

Some people's moral/religious convictions preclude this option but should they have any say over other people's options? I don't think so. I'd like the chance to do it if it came to it - it must be the most awful position to find yourself in tho.

[Wickedanima]

The right to die should be legal. We all have feelings about being left behind in the cases of our loved ones crossing the final boundary, but I feel like the right to Die should be a very important personal decision. Particularly in the cases of very painful diseases. Many people will still make the choice to live, but some will choose otherwise, and those choices should be utterly respected.

[Toe Cutter]

When it comes time for me to stand in the face of the abyss I'd like to have the choice to step off when I'm ready.

[jonny.illuminati]

i have mixed feelings about this... hard to really explain...

ask me again after medical school...

i will say in Iraq i was always ready to put a bullet in my head instead of being captured... we (Special Forces) had a very high bounty on our heads there... and i saw firsthand what they did to captured soldiers (both american and iraqi)... no way in HELL i was going to be taken alive...

(side note... my whole team had a pact against capture... fight to the fucking death! make them work for it then deny them capture if it came to it!)

[Ajax Knucklebones]

In terminal cases...Definietly. After that it gets wishy-washy.

[VoltaireBlue]

only in terminal cases.

[Buster Friendly]

Life is a suicide mission.