Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia - what are your opinions?

Well said, Cathy.  And therein lies the difference, I think.  If you allow God into the suffering, it can be borne until the time comes, which it does eventually.  Another of those "Why?" questions to ask God when we get there, I guess.  But I have yet to hear of a person of faith asking for help to end his or her life, no matter how profound the torture they are going through.

Lyn and Lyn, I don't mean to sound insensitive to what you posted.  I am so sorry, Lyn G, for what you had to watch your mother in law go through.  I've never had to experience that with one of my loved ones, so I can't say how I would feel if actually faced with the same thing you were faced with.  I like to think I'd stay true to what I believe.  My heart goes out to you.

It depends on the patient and what kind of lousy medical treatments they have been through to make them want to die, on their own. It also depends on "age" and "mind" condition...and I've seen people in coma's come out of them also...when family have been told it would be most likely impossible if they ever did.  The main object to medical care should be "curing"...and not just "treatment". As our director of nurses said, anyone in pain is under the wrong kind of  care for these days...we have the medical knowledge to eradicate pain and should immediately.

Lyn B, You are so right...and I agree with every single piece of your post...

We all have to remember that if we haven't lived it, then we really don't know what we would do, its down to the individual!!! not the families or friends..but I know they  help with love and support, eventually its the person who chooses to do something about their suffering, which I believe is brave!

The God I know would not condem someone for taking their life. He knows them more than any one here on earth, thier pain, physical or emotional. Of course He does not want anyone to take there life, it's a precious thing, but believe me, he would certainly not condem them.

I agree with Lyn B and Emma,again and Sue...

This is a tough choice all around

First, I would just like to say that I have read each and every posting with great interest, and I respect every single position on this topic.

I don't know what the "right" answer is in fact, I am not sure there is a right or wrong answer. However, (and I realize this is very controversial), I feel that it's because we are created in the image of God that we should have the right to end our life under extreme circumstances where the suffering is great and there is no hope of recovery.

When God created us, he extended to us his dignity as well as the gift of creating our own lives. He also gave us freedom of choice, and it seems to me that applies to all aspects of our lives, including ending it.

What kind of dignity is there is allowing someone to fester in their own filth because they can no longer clean themselves? To suffer needlessly, because the idea of being without them frightens us? I think the call is to come to terms with our own fears surrounding death, rather than making some poor soul who has made it clear that they no longer want to be here, suffer to ease our conscience.

Oops! A friend just came in so I have to run, but will continue to watch this thread with interest.

As you all know, I'm not religious. But whether I am or not makes not an iota of difference when it comes to a subject such as this. The bottom line is that my life is mine. If in the future I fall ill and I can't sustain a good quality of life, I shall end it, not by sneaking off to the Humber bridge and throwing myself headlong into the water, but by the unanimous choice of myself and my loved ones in a dignified environment and in a dignified way i.e. falling asleep peacefully.

For those of you who have religion, don't forget that God expects you to obey Him, and you will be punished if you don't. In fact, we are all born sinners aren't we, so why not die in sin by taking our own lives? That, as far as I understand applies to every religious order.

So what do I have to fear by doing the right and proper thing for everyone, should the situation arise?

Well, I guess I'm one of the odd men out on this one.  And I agree with what Sue said about God's mercy.  Even the Catholic church no longer teaches that it's a sin to take one's own life.  There are still a lot of misconceptions about what "religion" teaches, and I believe the Bible is silent on the subject of suicide.  And how can we think of ourselves as being any more compassionate than God?  I got that little insight from a bereaved mother whose son took his life at 19.  And he was perfectly healthy with his whole life ahead of him.  But apparently his life, to him, was just as unbearable as someone dying from terminal illness.  Would his mother be more comforted now if she had "assisted" him?

I guess for me, it has to do with what "dignity" is.  Each and every human being has inborn dignity because they are created in God's image.  Period.  But our own earthbound, western, workaholic concept of dignity is total self-sufficiency.  If you can't take care of yourself, you're worthless!!  If you're not a productive member of society, your useless!!  What a bunch of c***!!!!  That's why we're here for one another.  We are interdependent, and true and selfless love is manifested in our care for one another, especially our care of the most helpless, the most marginalized.  I guess my concept of "life as gift" is what hinders me from wanting to throw it away prematurely.  Sorrow and suffering are part of the package.  Eternity is a long time, so why rush it?

Please know, everybody, that I'm only expressing MHO here and not making any judgments against opposite beliefs.  It is truly an issue that one really only can address from firsthand experience.  But I've heard as many inspirational stories of courage in suffering as I have people wanting to get it over quickly.  But then we're always looking for the "quick fix" aren't we?

Last week at church, the person handing out music as we walked in was a lovely lady named Cecelia who has just finished a yearlong chemo treatment for lung cancer.  She still has cancer and a lot of pain and weakness, but continues to beam with love.  He big cross right now, is that she can no longer take care of her son Stephen.  He is now in a nursing home.  He's 48 and profoundly handicapped due to cerebral palsy.  She was told to institutionalize him when he was born.  Her decision not to cost her her marriage, but support from friends and family got her and Stephen through.  She bathed, fed and cared for him for 48 years! And he's a big guy!  She hauled him to church every Sunday in his wheelchair, and although he couldn't communicate, you can tell he was enjoying life.

When I think of Stephen, I think that's part of my fear about legalizing euthanasia.  Who makes the judgement call on what "dignity" is or what "quality of life" is?  What about Down's Syndrome?  What about quadriplegia caused by accidents?  How far shoudl this go?  Should Stephen have been put down at birth?  And since he has CP, chances are that he's totally normal intelligence wise, but trapped in that uncommunicative body.  Has he been begging his mother all these years to let him die?  I guess I can only wonder.

No easy answer to this one.  If it could be guaranteed that legalized euthanasia could be what you all expressed - a person's free choice, with no hope of recovery, in pleasant surroundings with loved ones around as you pass away, and done with love and compassion as a way to end needless suffering, etc, maybe, just maybe, it might be OK.  But since those "conditions" are impossible to ensure, the can of worms it would open would be, IMHO, greater than the benefits to society as a whole.