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Assisted dying now accounts for one in 20 Canada deaths

bbc.com

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

#701

Post by Lewton »

DanHulton wrote: post #643
llamaLord wrote: post #574

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are all excellent examples of how MAID should be used, I think the concerning thing is the widening of the eligibility criteria - especially when things like mental illness start to make you eligible. Like... If your illness makes you suicidal... Is offering assisted suicide REALLY the best we can do? That starts to feel a lot like "eghh you're too hard for society to care about... We'll just let you die". As h…

If you are sufficiently mentally ill and determined enough to die that you get through the MAID screening, counselling, information sessions, etc, then you are determined enough to die by other, messier, likely more painful, certainly more traumatizing to the people around you methods. As well, mental illness is not just a state of mind. Sure, there are stories where a failed suicide attempt was the catalyst for some…

> Where they can't afford the medication, or no medication seems to work, or they have an addiction problem and there just isn't any way for them to get into a treatment program

I would consider two of these absolutely monstrous reasons to assist someone in killing themselves. A broken society opting into killing its citizens because it can’t be arsed with fixing itself is next level evil

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

#702

Post by selcuka »

HenryBemis wrote: post #529
pj_mukh wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My dad (age 75) got diagnosed with ALS and within a month of the diagnosis opted for MAID. He had only just lost control of one leg, but he knew what was coming. As much as we begged him for more time, he didn't want any of it. Till his dying breath he kept repeating how thankful he was that he lived in a country that didn't force him to live on when he didn't want to. He was a clear Track 1 case, and I realize Track…

Sorry for your loss. I don't know if he got to explain to you (all) the reasons behind his choice. My fear is that I will be 70-80-90, I won't be able to serve myself even for the very basics, I will have lost my memory, and will be a total burden (all the pain - zero joy) to my close family. Why would I do this to them? Perhaps he had a motivation like this - to make sure he won't hurt your lives, your relationships…

> I will have lost my memory, and will be a total burden (all the pain - zero joy) to my close family.

We need some kind of "smart contract" for such cases. Maybe an IFTTT or Zapier workflow that automatically activates the MAID clause if predefined conditions (that you chose while you are still conscious) are met.

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

#705

Post by ProofHouse »

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…

It’s perverse and demonic.

Many people have the worst days or weeks or years that they look back on and are grateful for the life they live later, physically disabled, paralyzed, elderly, etc. During the darkest of times is when we have to care for each other, not offer a knife so to speak. Even when many during these times would’ve wanted to die and suffer greatly. It’s part of life. This is absolutely sick in a civilized society, but leave it to that murderous thug Trudeau.

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

#706

Post by quacksilver »

spauldo wrote: post #660
darth_avocado wrote: post #464

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But denying a full grown adult control over their life decisions is cruel and unduly authoritarian. You’re assuming a clear state of mind and perfect circumstances. Suicidal thoughts are very common in depression. I would say giving people with depression access to euthanasia is more cruel than forcing them to seek help. Suicidal thoughts are also common in people who are struggling financially or people who have c…

Quite a few of us believe you shouldn't require seat belts for adults.

I believe that they should be mandatory if there is someone sitting in a seat in front of you (maybe to the side too).

You made your decision which is fine, though through choice you are now an unrestrained heavy object that could hit the other occupants of the car.

https://www.washington.edu/news/2004/01/20/unbelted-drivers-...

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

#707

Post by dang »

rightbyte wrote: post #262
guyzero wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He had apparently expressed his intention before she passed. I do not know all the details and this is second hand, but he apparently had a plan.

[flagged]

Please don't add snark into a topic like this. It demeans the discussion, and we're all worse for that.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

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

#708

Post by squigz »

jamal-kumar wrote: post #699
kstenerud wrote: post #698

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife helped a friend die in Germany 10 years ago. He'd acquired some cyanide, which resulted in a long, protracted death because he took too much and vomited most of it up. It was messy, painful and traumatic, but she sat with him until the end. When someone is determined enough to die, they find a way.

That's wild, because in my understanding it's an indictable offence to aid and abet someone to end their own lives in Canada. Like more than 10 years jail https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/section-241.ht... Counselling or aiding suicide 241 (1) Everyone is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than 14 years who, whether suicide ensues or not, (a) counsels a pers…

I doubt GP's friend was really considering the law in that circumstance.

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

#709

Post by dang »

abeppu wrote: post #108

Note: the title should be updated. The BBC article title now says "Assisted dying" not "euthanasia". Often, the distinction hinges on whether the patient or a medical practitioner administers a substance that brings about death. The Canadian policy actually provides for both, but as I understand it the stats being cited in the article combine both, so only a subset of the tally are "euthanasia" deaths.

Ok, we've updated the title. It was originally "Canada euthanasia now accounts for nearly one in 20 deaths".

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

#710

Post by xuki »

ProofHouse wrote: post #705
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…

It’s perverse and demonic. Many people have the worst days or weeks or years that they look back on and are grateful for the life they live later, physically disabled, paralyzed, elderly, etc. During the darkest of times is when we have to care for each other, not offer a knife so to speak. Even when many during these times would’ve wanted to die and suffer greatly. It’s part of life. This is absolutely sick in a civ…

It's fine if you want to suffer. I personally don't want to suffer, and that should be my choice.
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