Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths • Hacker News Board

Re: Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths

#391

Post by inglor_cz » Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 10:29 PM UTC

caseyohara wrote: post #186

darth_avocado wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would’ve expected at least a waiting period longer than a week after a traumatic event. Of course I don’t know all the circumstances around it.

Who decides on the duration of the waiting period? Why can’t people be in charge of their own lives? Especially people in their 80s, they have earned the right to agency. It reminds me of OB/GYN providers that deny childless women sterilization procedures – even when they are in their 30s – ostensibly on the risk that the woman might change their mind about having children. Some people know things for certain and the…

"It reminds me of OB/GYN providers that deny childless women sterilization procedures"

This is complicated, because forcing doctors into doing things that they consider unethical isn't ideal either.

Re: Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths

#392

Post by nprateem » Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 10:30 PM UTC

jtbayly wrote: post #321

My grandmother had "Do Not Resuscitate” on her file, but it was not known (or ignored) by the medics who saved her. She was very happy to have been resuscitated, removed the order, and lived for years after that. I submit that not everybody that commits suicide (whether medically assisted or otherwise) would make the same decision if they it to do over again.

If I could put the clock back there are lots of things I'd do differently though...

Re: Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths

#393

Post by pcl » Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 10:30 PM UTC

toasterlovin wrote: post #325

JohnBooty wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for that information. I have some major disagreements with the Catholic church but more knowledge and understanding is always a good thing. Appreciated.

Of course! I'm biased (as a Catholic), but I personally find the Church's moral stances to be fairly well thought out and systematic. But well thought out people starting from different axioms will often disagree with each other's conclusions!

It’s hard to ask this in a non-confrontational way, so I’ll just come out with it:

How do you square that with the modern Catholic church’s systemic support of sexual abuse of minors?

I mean this in the most inquisitive way possible. An organization’s what it does; the modern Catholic Church (leaders) have supported some horrible things. How do you separate out the good bits from the bad bits?

Re: Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths

#394

Post by mattmaroon » Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 10:33 PM UTC

guyzero wrote: post #131

My Canadian parents are in their 80's so naturally a lot of their friends of the same age are dying. And two of them have been via MAID. In one case, which was surprising to me, a man who had survived cancer - he was not terminal but certainly wasn't getting any better - elected to die via MAID after his wife died. She passed, he called his doctor and less than a week later he was also dead. He got a chance to visit…

I’ve never seen a sensible argument against the idea that somebody of sound mind shouldn’t get to decide when to check out for themselves.

Re: Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths

#395

Post by neom » Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 10:33 PM UTC

tokioyoyo wrote: post #363

nicoburns wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not at all surprising to me! I fully expect to want to euthanise myself once I'm done with life (and I'm going to be pretty upset if it's not an option for me when it gets to that point). People tell me I'll change my mind (perhaps similarly to how people treat people who say they don't want kids). But I doubt I will. I've seen lot's of older people (and people who's lives are not good) still want this when it c…

I live in the neighbourhood in Canada with a lot of elder people. I mentioned in one of my previous comments as well, and MAiD is probably one of the best things that happened in our country in the past decade. I have distant relatives who took the MAiD way out (one because of the age, the other one terminal illness). It's not very uncommon to hear once every quarter in the coffee shop in my neighbourhood people chat…

These HN comments are both uplifting and wild to me at the same time. I live downtown Toronto, work on Bay St and all I hear is how insane we are allowing all these people to kill themselves with MAID, even on the occasions I log onto twitter, if Canadian stuff comes up I always see some "omg the Canadians are crazy all killing themselves" - I always thought MAID was great but had started to wonder if I'm wrong headed about that.

Re: Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths

#396

Post by mensetmanusman » Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 10:33 PM UTC

JohnBooty wrote: post #240

potato3732842 wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not worried about anyone "pushing" it. I'm worried about groups being put at the back of the line for other forms of care because the decision makers know that "worst case" more of them will off themselves and find that to be a fine outcome.

That is a danger for sure, but every single path we as a society here take can be exploited by people with ill intentions. The pharma companies and hospitals have a financial incentive to keep people alive indefinitely, even despite horrible suffering. The folks paying for the treatment (government, insurance, etc) have a financial incentive to terminate lives prematurely. Family members with ill intentions may have…

Natural death is the nash equilibrium, everything else is politics.

Re: Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths

#397

Post by r00fus » Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 10:34 PM UTC

guyzero wrote: post #387

WillPostForFood wrote: post #368

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, the first noble truth of Christianity is life is suffering.

I remember Jesus explaining to one of his bodhisattvas about how you can relieve suffering through the cessation of desire.

That's eastern Jesus you're talking about, right?

Re: Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths

#398

Post by djeastm » Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 10:38 PM UTC

nashashmi wrote: post #162

gnfargbl wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can listen to the account yourself at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00253mt , from around 25 minutes onwards. I found it convincing.

vomit is usually liquid or heavily digested stuff. feces is compacted and excreted. my imagination maybe a little specific here but so is the description "fully formed feces"

When there's no place for the compacted feces that's building up to go (due to a failure in peristalsis, for instance), it backs up into the the stomach, which naturally irritates the stomach and causes the person to vomit the contents, which includes their feces.

I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Re: Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths

#399

Post by tivert » Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 10:38 PM UTC

mrguyorama wrote: post #358

tivert wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This woman was approved: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/woman-with-chemical-sensitivit... Edit: fixed link, was looking at two very similar ones and got them mixed up.

What right do you have to say this woman shouldn't be allowed to end her life though? She spoke to two different doctors and they both agreed to sign off on her death. Do you think the doctors are the ones pushing people to off themselves because they can't live a normal life? Forcing someone who wants to take the state sanctioned approach to suicide (as opposed to a 9mm sandwich) to talk to two medical professionals…

> What right do you have to say this woman shouldn't be allowed to end her life though?

Read the article. She really wanted appropriate housing, which was the care she needed for her condition. She tried for years, and they wouldn't give it to her.

So she chose assisted suicide instead.

That contradicts the claim "there haven't been such cases."

Re: Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths

#400

Post by stavros » Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 10:39 PM UTC

RandomThoughts3 wrote: post #268

karencarits wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I appreciate you sharing your perspective. I wondered, when you described feeling "really sad" and the sense that people "might as well have been dead," I'm wondering if you're speaking about your own emotional response or trying to convey how the individuals themselves felt about their situation? Edited to sound less harsh

Well, they experienced extended physical suffering and having the mental acuity of a toddler. Feel free to try to convince me that not being able to recognise your own kids and the person you have been married with for seventy years while gradually fully losing your hearing and sight and not being able to leave a bed is somehow a worthy experience. I personally question if you can even talk of experiencing anything b…

My grandfather had Alzheimer's, and for years he lived a stressful life. He constantly kept wondering why he's not in his home (he was), as well as some random paranoia, like that I was a thief that had come to steal from him, or that he was elected mayor against his will, etc. It wasn't great for him.