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Canada offers suicide

Can you even imagine being able to go to your GP and and say "No more pills. I'm done."

by Anonymousreply 87December 22, 2022 12:41 PM

It sounds great (assuming that all checks have been made to make sure the person is absolutely sure). I simply don't understand why terminally ill people in great pain and indignity aren't allowed to end the suffering.

by Anonymousreply 1December 5, 2022 11:47 AM

My mom would have chosen this option.

by Anonymousreply 2December 5, 2022 11:48 AM

Yes.

I'd like to be given the choice to exit with dignity on my own terms, rather than sit in a diaper in a nursing home and have to starve myself when I've had enough.

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by Anonymousreply 3December 5, 2022 11:50 AM

Why is everyone in the US being forced to live.

Everyone in the US is nothing more than TaxCattle.

That's why they won't let you die: TAXES

by Anonymousreply 4December 5, 2022 11:54 AM

My country was the first to legalise euthanasia, and I consider it a human right to die with dignity. That's (almost) what eu-thanasia means, derived from Greek: Good (eu) death (thanatos).

We didn't choose to be born, but at least give people the choice to end their lives peacefully. No prolonged suffering, no undue burdening of friends/relatives, no anxiety. Just blissfully slipping into eternal bliss.

And no, it isn't like feeling down on a Monday, and then you get a handful of life-ending pills around lunchtime: There's an entire system of checks and balances, second and third medical opinions, etc. in place to prevent that from happening. There are cases of very young people dying by euthanasia, and of course that is more of a shock than a geriatric person with severe ALS or Alzheimer's, but the most important aspect of euthanasia is "to prevent unnecessary suffering with no outlook on getting better or regaining a meaningful quality of life."

My great-aunt's friend for life went out that way: While she was still very much a lovely person to spend time with, at 77 she was diagnosed with the most aggressive form of ALS, and it was only going to go downhill. With the help of her doctors, she opted for euthanasia. Gave a wonderful farewell dinner, and days later she died very peacefully with my aunt and her closest family by her side, everything arranged exactly how she wanted it. The perfect death.

What a wonderful way to go.

by Anonymousreply 5December 5, 2022 12:00 PM

I love Canada

by Anonymousreply 6December 5, 2022 12:05 PM

I don’t fear death. I fear the long period of decrepitude and disability which too often leads up to it: the medications and doctor’s orders, the frailty, the loss of independence and the pain. Life is a wonderful gift, but modern medicine too often turns our deaths into an unnecessary ordeal. I hope I get to decide when I want to go. And if my country does not yet allow doctors to assist me on my way, then I hope I have the sense, knowledge and courage to arrange my own demise

by Anonymousreply 7December 5, 2022 12:10 PM

Euthanasia is legal in Australia.

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by Anonymousreply 8December 5, 2022 12:12 PM

Where's Jesus in all of this???

by Anonymousreply 9December 5, 2022 12:15 PM

[quote]Where's Jesus in all of this???

Presumably nowhere, as Jesus wasn't a licensed health care practitioner.

by Anonymousreply 10December 5, 2022 12:16 PM

R5 - Dutchie, a dear friend of also took advantage to the legal euthanasia in the Netherlands. He had an aggressive and painful form of cancer. We all flew to his bedside and said our good-byes. All of my friends in the USA were certain that his 10 year-old son would be damaged for life. He is a wonderful healthy man now. He never had to see his father in extreme pain or physically ravaged by the disease. American so so far behind in many ways.

by Anonymousreply 11December 5, 2022 12:18 PM

That is really comforting to read, R11 — Sounds like your friend made the right choice not only for him, but also for his son. Who wants to see their loved ones suffer?

by Anonymousreply 12December 5, 2022 12:21 PM

[quote] There's an entire system of checks and balances, second and third medical opinions, etc.

Sounds like the same system in place for gender dysphoric people wishing to have surgical intervention.

by Anonymousreply 13December 5, 2022 12:27 PM

You don't know what you're talking about, R13

by Anonymousreply 14December 5, 2022 12:41 PM

There was someone in the veteran's administration offering it to those whose medical bills were becoming overwhelming. Seriously.

by Anonymousreply 15December 5, 2022 1:02 PM

R15 and?

by Anonymousreply 16December 5, 2022 1:06 PM

And anyone who opposes my right to dignity is just a real big jerk!

by Anonymousreply 17December 5, 2022 1:09 PM

Um, Americans can stop going to their doctors and can stop taking medication any time they want. We aren't held hostage!

by Anonymousreply 18December 5, 2022 1:09 PM

R18 that’s not the point. The idea isn’t that you miss a bunch of doctor’s appointments and stop taking your cancer medication and then die at home in horrible pain without any supervision. Hence the use of the word dignity, which always associated with countries that allow euthanasia.

It’s amazing we put our pets down with such care but we refuse to do the same for terminally ill humans.

by Anonymousreply 19December 5, 2022 1:14 PM

R18 You're not very bright

by Anonymousreply 20December 5, 2022 1:34 PM

Euthanasia still gives power to the medical system to decide how and when you're going to die. You still have to ask an authority for permission to die. Humans should have a right to die peacefully in their own homes, at the time of their choosing. I love that Robin Williams didn't wait to become a vegetable from dementia. He didn't want to slowly die from this horrible disease and decided to end it himself. Good for him. The taboo around suicide comes from Judeo-Christianity.

by Anonymousreply 21December 5, 2022 1:45 PM

R16 That person was suspended.

by Anonymousreply 22December 5, 2022 1:49 PM

Washington and Oregon require that three doctors independently determine that you have no more than six months to live, and then you can choose assisted suicide. I will, given the chance.

I have three fears: having to suffer to death, attempting suicide on my own and botching it, and inviting people to my last day party and no one wants to come.

by Anonymousreply 23December 5, 2022 1:54 PM

I assume Asian youth are also legal in Asia? Otherwise what a ridiculous situation!

by Anonymousreply 24December 5, 2022 1:55 PM

Do they list suicide on the death certificate?

by Anonymousreply 25December 5, 2022 1:55 PM

It does seem strange how everyone accepts euthanisation is a moral choice for animals who are suffering and have no hope in getting better, but not for humans.

While I know it's more open to abuse when it comes to humans, there are many checks put in place to ensure it's the correct option.

by Anonymousreply 26December 5, 2022 1:56 PM

Having watched my father die a slow, painful death, and now watching my mother die a very slow, disorienting, and horrible decline into dementia, I can unequivocally say that I am very much in favor or euthanasia.

It's been a double-whammy in that my mother developed and suffered a debilitating condition that is a combination of a doctor proscribing a drug regimen that accelerated the condition and nearly killed her 15 years ago and the condition being essentially untreatable short of pain medication, only to have our medical community decide that they've over-prescribed pain medication just in time to deny her what little comfort it would provide. She has suffered since then with near constant pain. And then as she began showing symptoms of Alzheimers, she clearly stated that she didn't want to go through that and would prefer to die with dignity, but we live in a society that seems to be focused on making the human condition as miserable as possible (the sanctimony of life, after all).

I had a screaming match with her now former doctor who refused to give her narcotics for the pain, saying over and over "My god, she's 90 years old and is not going to go rob liquor stores for the money to buy oxycontin!" and "So what if she becomes addicted, she's 90!"

It takes something out of you to sit at your mother's bedside as she begs you to kill her because the pain is so bad.

by Anonymousreply 27December 5, 2022 2:04 PM

[R18] You don’t get it, pal. My mother recently died at 104, having spent the last 3 years in hospice bedridden in diapers. There was nothing wrong with her outside of old age. She was on no medications so she couldn’t just decide not to take them [R18]. We watched her slowly deteriorate until when she died she was barely coherent and weighed 65 lbs. She required 24 hour care which wiped out her savings and there was no quality of life at all. This was a woman who never left the house without looking like a movie star ready to be photographed. She was meticulous about her appearance. Fortunately there were no mirrors those last years for her to see how she had become. Her mind was still there so she was aware of her body falling apart which makes it worse. Had assisted suicide been available, I’m sure she would’ve wanted it. She is at peace at last but the last 3 years of her life were hell for her and for us.

by Anonymousreply 28December 5, 2022 2:19 PM

Anne Murray, you in danger girl!

by Anonymousreply 29December 5, 2022 2:25 PM

We have horrible end of life options in America. Euthanasia is a lovely option.

Unsurprisingly, in our horrifying extremist capitalist society, it's all about money.

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by Anonymousreply 30December 5, 2022 2:29 PM

R28 your story, and many like them, are exactly why euthanasia should be a universal human right. It does sound like your mum, save for her final years, lived a long, healthy life. All the more reason to be "allowed" to bow out gracefully. May she rest in peace now.

R30 More than anything, it's the preservation of a sense of decorum, sovereignty and dignity that makes me such a proponent of euthanasia.

by Anonymousreply 31December 5, 2022 2:30 PM

[quote] More than anything, it's the preservation of a sense of decorum, sovereignty and dignity that makes me such a proponent of euthanasia.

Yes, this.

I don't think anyone wants unregulated options. But if someone has a debilitating disease this should be an option.

No system is perfect and I could see questions about this come up in a Terri Schiavo type circumstance. But if the person is of sound mind, they should be empowered to make that choice.

by Anonymousreply 32December 5, 2022 2:33 PM

If I were Canadian I’d want to commit suicide too

by Anonymousreply 33December 5, 2022 2:33 PM

Thanks you [R31] for understanding. Yes she did have a long and fulfilling life until she turned 101 when she stopped eating and wouldn’t get out of bed. We thought that the end was near so she went into hospice. She was still in hospice 3 years later. I delivered her Eulogy and we all remembered her life up until 101 when quality of life ended. The mother I knew was gone at 101 and the sad person we watched die by millimeters over 3 years was someone else.

by Anonymousreply 34December 5, 2022 2:36 PM

R27 and R28 I’m so sorry for both of your losses. That sounds horrendous. People go through such unthinkable suffering.

by Anonymousreply 35December 5, 2022 3:12 PM

I was just a teenager when Jack Kevorkian was put on trial. For those not familiar Dr. Kevorkian helped 130 people end their lives. He was convicted of 2nd degree murder in Michigan around 1993. I did not understand why he would do this. Now 30 years later I think he is something of hero.

by Anonymousreply 36December 5, 2022 3:44 PM

This is a humane option for any Canadian living outside Quebec Province.

by Anonymousreply 37December 5, 2022 3:56 PM

[quote] [[R18]] You don’t get it, pal. My mother recently died at 104, having spent the last 3 years in hospice bedridden in diapers.

Good Lord, you folks are old!

R28, that is an awful account and I am sorry for you and your mother. It is cruel that so much in the way of financial and emotional resources must be expended to preserve such a low quality of life. My mother went at 74 years old, which was far too young but at least there was no unnecessarily prolonged agony for her or the family.

by Anonymousreply 38December 5, 2022 4:29 PM

[quote] Can you even imagine being able to go to your GP and and say "No more pills. I'm done."

Yes. I can do that in America.

by Anonymousreply 39December 5, 2022 4:56 PM

I think you’ll find that even in the US people support this. Everyone has seen someone suffer or knows someone who has with a debilitating illness at the end of their lives. If you can say do not revive, you should also be allowed to end it humanely. Hell, we do it for animals.

by Anonymousreply 40December 5, 2022 4:59 PM

Only the Jesus freaks who have to control everyone's lives will have a shit fit about this.

by Anonymousreply 41December 5, 2022 5:39 PM

R37, Quebec has turned into a boring Canadian province over the years. As mediocre as all the others. I know, I've lived here all my life.

by Anonymousreply 42December 5, 2022 5:44 PM

I thought Quebec was filled with beautiful French Canadian men?

by Anonymousreply 43December 5, 2022 5:45 PM

So does California, OP. My friend was working on the paperwork when he had cancer. Two options, get the pill and take it when you want, or have a med rep bring it to you and administer when you're ready. He was afraid of a painful death but fate intervened and she died quickly and in no pain.

I asked my doctor about it because of a family health history that makes for dreadful endings. He said, sure, no problem. I'm planning on getting the paperwork done in advance so I or my family can get the pills when the time is right.

No way do I want to linger in a nursing home for six years at a cost of $6,000 - $8,000 a month.

If you can afford it, get long term care insurance now. I wish I had.

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by Anonymousreply 44December 5, 2022 6:02 PM

Oops, he became she. Well he was lovely and did change pronouns from time to time.

by Anonymousreply 45December 5, 2022 6:03 PM

I can see death panels from my house.

by Anonymousreply 46December 5, 2022 6:29 PM

R46 W&W!

by Anonymousreply 47December 5, 2022 6:43 PM

Coming Soon: Celebrity Death Panel! Where only one can die.

by Anonymousreply 48December 5, 2022 6:45 PM

Things change R43. Like in the rest of Canada, the US, France, UK etc. People have gotten fat and ugly over the years.

by Anonymousreply 49December 5, 2022 6:54 PM

Switzerland is still the only country in the world that allows foreigners to come to Switzerland to access euthanasia.

It's odd that euthanasia has been available for decades in the country via the Swiss organisation Digitas but there is no real formal legislation around the topic. It's just common practice.

I wonder if this makes it Common Law.

by Anonymousreply 50December 5, 2022 7:00 PM

Come to my country and we will make the decision for you!

by Anonymousreply 51December 5, 2022 7:05 PM

There have been several incidents in Canada where someone has been offered medically-assisted suicide because they were disabled and they were waiting for something like a ramp or accessible housing. They weren't actually dying and they didn't want to die.

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by Anonymousreply 52December 5, 2022 7:54 PM

Yes OP I can. And I hope someday before I lose my cognitive abilities I live in a place where the option is available to me. Americans approach longevity like they do eating: it’s all about portion size, not quality.

by Anonymousreply 53December 5, 2022 8:19 PM

Canada likes to pretend to be enlightened and open-minded when it is not. Just like in the US, everything is about profit.

by Anonymousreply 54December 5, 2022 9:27 PM

R53, I asked my doctor in CA if you can arrange assisted suicide for dementia. He said yes. It runs in my family and I have no sign of it but I plan on getting the details. I assume I'll need to plan it in advance.

by Anonymousreply 55December 5, 2022 9:32 PM

Hilarious that the churches try to pretend that suicide is bad because it defies God's will - it's having the church's will defied they don't like.

by Anonymousreply 56December 5, 2022 9:35 PM

[quote]Where’s Jesus in all of this???

Jesus is busy lobbying against same-sex marriage in the US.

by Anonymousreply 57December 5, 2022 9:42 PM

I live in a state that has a MAID (medical aid in dying) law. I have advanced cancer and already have a doctor lined up for when it's determined I'm in the last six months of my life. While I think hospice workers are, in general, amazing, I don't want to spend the end of my life crapping in my bed and in pain. I wouldn't put myself or my husband through that. I don't fear death but I do fear pain, so having taken care of this has taken a huge load off my mind. I've already determined the 3 people that I want to be with me and they have all agreed and are supportive of my decision.

by Anonymousreply 58December 6, 2022 10:27 AM

R58 is a brave, wise and compassionate soul.

by Anonymousreply 59December 6, 2022 10:58 AM

Very civilized

by Anonymousreply 60December 6, 2022 11:02 AM

Suicide is not brave.

by Anonymousreply 61December 6, 2022 12:08 PM

R61 what’s not courageous about sparing or diminishing the suffering, traumatising and deprivation of your entire family?

by Anonymousreply 62December 6, 2022 12:48 PM

Only if it is the person's choice and not the government, health care workers, greedy relatives, or insurance companies making this choice. But, of course it will bear out many such 'mistakes'.

by Anonymousreply 63December 6, 2022 12:52 PM

[R61] There was a time when life expectancy was 40 years old. Medical advances are a double edged sword in that we are able to live much longer than our bodies were intended to which means a long life with no quality of life is a curse not a blessing. As my mother was dying slowly and living in diapers, people would respond with “God love her” when told her advanced age. We replied “No, God take her!”

by Anonymousreply 64December 6, 2022 1:10 PM

[quote]There have been several incidents in Canada where someone has been offered medically-assisted suicide because they were disabled and they were waiting for something like a ramp or accessible housing. They weren't actually dying and they didn't want to die.

This and R63 are the reason this is a bad idea. Once you open this particular door in a country like the US with for-profit medicine, you'll end up with death salespeople. Old Repug actors will start shilling death pills on third-tier tv stations and, not surprisingly, the ads will only be shown in poor and minority-filled markets. Every nursing home in the country will have death salespeople doing regular "presentations" for their products because the rich owner of the nursing home will get a cut but he'll make sure that it's only those who pay the least in monthly fees to the nursing home who get offed.

by Anonymousreply 65December 6, 2022 1:10 PM

R64, that life expectancy number you wrote is bullshit. You know that, right? It is due to huge infant mortality rates throughout human history, not everyone dropping dead in their 40s. The human body naturally lasts about 70-80 years. Go look up telomeres.

by Anonymousreply 66December 6, 2022 1:13 PM

No it was real for polluted cities. But in hunter gatherer days it was certainly over 50

by Anonymousreply 67December 6, 2022 1:16 PM

R19 and r20, I suggest you re-read the OP. It simply asks if one can "imagine....," with no mention of "dignity."

I think the OP should be your target. The implication AS WRITTEN is that the "suicide" of the title is merely a case of refusing pills and further doctor visits, whereas that is not what Assisted Suicide is, let alone Physician-Assisted.

by Anonymousreply 68December 6, 2022 1:18 PM

[quote] The human body naturally lasts about 70-80 years.

Ugh can someone tell this to my almost-90 year old grandmother. The horrible bitch will not shuffle off despite the fact she’s an awful person with an empty inner life.

by Anonymousreply 69December 6, 2022 1:21 PM

If I lived in California I would kill myself too. What a liberal hellhole. Too many leftist nuts up there. Fucker Carlson told me and I believe him.

by Anonymousreply 70December 6, 2022 1:24 PM

Elderly people cope with stress by making it your problem, not theirs. Very helpful for longevity.

by Anonymousreply 71December 6, 2022 1:24 PM

Spell check out California. I meant Canada.

by Anonymousreply 72December 6, 2022 1:28 PM

I watched both my parents die of cancer. They were relatively brief episodes for each (2 months and 9 months). Still incredibly tortuous for them and me having to witness their pain and loss of dignity.

When my dad, who had brain cancer, refused to take his meds while in hospital, a psychiatrist put him in the psyche ward. The asshole psychiatrist refused my pleas to release him to me until I told my dad to tell the asshole he was no longer suicidal. He finally was released to me for home care.

I asked the psychiatrist if suicide wasn’t a reasonable wish after being told you would be dead in a few months from brain cancer. The asshole huffed at me that everyone can find some quality of life u til the end.

If I could have helped my parents end their lives without going to jail, I would have.

by Anonymousreply 73December 6, 2022 2:19 PM

I was diagnosed with stage 4 abdominal cancer in September and I fully intend to end my life before it gets to the point where I am completely bed-ridden and unable to take care of myself. No way in hell I'm going to rot away in some hospice or nursing home so I will definitely go the assisted suicide route. I'm fortunate that my cancer doesn't cause pain (at least so far) but the chemo treatments really suck and take a lot out of me. My family and friends fully support me in this decision.

As a side note I have an autographed copy of a Kevorkian jazz CD he put out sometime in the 90's. It's actually quite good and possibly worth some money to the right collector. I'm not selling but you can have my shit once I'm dead.

by Anonymousreply 74December 7, 2022 12:20 AM

I think CA lets you have a morphine drip if you want. I used to be a hospice nurse and though it is great I don't want to even go that route. I have no children and no relatives and no reason to hang around if I am dying of something. When I worked in hospice my supervisor would get all the paperwork done and it always took a few hours and then they would put the patient on a morphine drip. It used to make my boss so mad because she would do all the paperwork and then the CO would not be paid. I set up an advanced directive and specified that I wanted a drip and I have also told both doctors that I want a drip. Both said no problem. I have severe COPD and don't expect to live long.

by Anonymousreply 75December 7, 2022 12:35 AM

Between this and the aging body thread it makes one feel good to be alive and have so much to look forward to.

by Anonymousreply 76December 7, 2022 12:55 AM

R74 I hope you have a peaceful transition. DL will be with you through it all. We love you..and yes, we’ll take your stuff. Take care, honey.

by Anonymousreply 77December 7, 2022 2:21 AM

I'm surprised Canada doesn't have the highest suicide rate in the world. Stockholm syndrome, I guess.

by Anonymousreply 78December 21, 2022 6:57 PM

“Where are coming from?” “Oklahoma!” “OH DEAR CHILD, I’D OFF MYSELF TOO!”

by Anonymousreply 79December 21, 2022 7:04 PM

R74 I hope your pain continues to be manageable. I know two terminally ill people have who used medical assistance in dying, and was with one of them when he died. It was very peaceful, and a blessing to see his suffering had ended. I would make the same decision they did if I had their prognosis. Take care.

by Anonymousreply 80December 21, 2022 7:12 PM

The government was set to expand the program in March 2023 to include people with chronic mental illness. Just a few days ago, however, they announced that this would be delayed for an undetermined amount of time.

I think chronically mental ill people should be eligible.

by Anonymousreply 81December 21, 2022 7:19 PM

R78, I wish you a merry Christmas.

by Anonymousreply 82December 21, 2022 7:34 PM

Typical Canadian you are R82. "I'm so nice eh, I wish a Merry Christmas to people who say bad things about Canada. Look how nice I am".

by Anonymousreply 83December 21, 2022 7:58 PM

OP, an enormous amount of people would LOVE to go to their GP and say no more pills and believe me, the GP would love to not deal with them at all.

by Anonymousreply 84December 21, 2022 8:01 PM

Hugs to those in this thread dealing with cancer. I wish you much comfort on your journeys. ♥️

by Anonymousreply 85December 21, 2022 8:21 PM

Perhaps, R73, you can now think of a way for your dad’s psychiatrist to end his life without going to jail.

by Anonymousreply 86December 21, 2022 8:38 PM

R83, another thing you don't understand about Canadians and Canada is that our sarcasm usually flies under the radar yet over the heads of the dim.

So I wish you a merry Christmas and a less confusing new year. (And the yawn - somehwere between Lebowitz and Twain. What fun you must be at parties!)

by Anonymousreply 87December 22, 2022 12:41 PM
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