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 Euthanasia, philosophical at best =) |
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Aon_Daonna  |
Posted: 16-Dec-2003, 10:11 PM
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The Wolf Lady
Group: Celtic Nation
Posts: 2,966
Joined: 06-Apr-2002
Zodiac: Ivy
Realm: Fife, Scotland
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Since most of the topics in here seem to evolve aroun religion and god in my eyes I will start a new topic about something that interests me from my human side as well as in a scientific/philosophical sense
I guess everyone knows what Euthanasia is, so I won't have to explain it.
My mother used to work as a district nurse, and mostly her day was filled by elderly and old people with sometimes terminal illnesses. Since I accompanied her often when I was a child I got in touch with death fairly often over the course of my life, since my mother told me when people that I knew died.
Even at an early stage (my mother would never let me see the things she did, she only let my talk to the people or hold hands sometimes) I sort of recognised that for some people it was good to die, since they suffered enormously under different circumstances.
When I finally got older I decided to write an article in our local newspaper about this which started quite a controvery in the little town where I grew up.
In writing this article I informed myself about Hospices, help to die and what others might have against it.
In my wallet, attached to my passport is a little notice, dated and signed, that if I have a bad accident I don't want to be held alive by machines, just so that people can sit at the bed of a comatose patient and suffer.
I also carry an organ-donator pass around with me. I will not need them anymore once I am dead, but someone else might.
I think now that when I am maybe becoming terminally ill, I would rather die sooner than after machines kept me alive for months and months, maybe even years.
Another example I have seen in my Great Grandparents, they were a happy couple, living in a house they built with their own hands and often sitting in their garden, on their bench and holding hands.
My greatgrandfather fell ill, and we all thought he would have not much time left. But his heart actually began beating regularly again and he could be released out of hospital. Only 3 weeks later my Great Grandmother, who we all thought was very sturdy, died suddenly. My Great Grandfather was heartbroken, slurfing through his house, looking his actual age.
Then, with 98 years, he fell ill again, (last year) and the doctors said he needed a new exit for his stomach. They did the operation and after being a week comatose he died as well, one year after my great grandmother. Was this operation necessary? He would have survived without new stomach exit as well, that was what they said, but the recommended the new one...
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| Aon_Daonna |
Posted: 17-Dec-2003, 09:30 AM
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The Wolf Lady
Group: Celtic Nation
Posts: 2,966
Joined: 06-Apr-2002
Zodiac: Ivy
Realm: Fife, Scotland
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I know very much that it is an emotional topic as well. I don't know if I would have the strength to kill somebody even though he/she begged for it.
I have never been in that situation and I don't know what I would do if I am.
It depends on our personal views as well as on our empathic abilities. I can understand you kid, I used to work for a family (doing the heavy shopping once a week) and the husband had a stroke, he was paralyzed badly, but he was sort of able to communicate in a way. Then, half a year ater I started working for them, he had another stroke. He lay in bed dieing slowly because he could not swallow nor communicate in any way.
But then, when we do it with animals, why not with humans? I am sure that animals have a being, an awareness as well. We say it is merciful (although it is very painful.. our first dog developed an not-operable tumor, she was waisting away and at some point we decided that it was better for her as well as for us if she was getting the injection that would end her life sleeping. Our Vet at that time did it in our house, at her favourite spot in her basket next to the telly.
It was sad but just theoretical, can we say okay it's better for an animal and then keep humans alive with machines and heavy medication? (all in the case that there is no hope whatsoever).
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| JaneyMae |
 Posted: 17-Dec-2003, 11:42 AM
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Celtic Guardian
Group: Celtic Nation
Posts: 2,342
Joined: 09-Dec-2003
Zodiac: Ash
Realm: Idaho, USA
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| QUOTE (maisky @ Dec 17 2003, 07:23 AM) | I had Monday mornings in my younger days when I was ready to Euthanized immediately. 
Actually, this is a question I had to look squarely in the face. I visited my mother who was dying of ALS, a disease which causes nearly complete paralysis and much pain. Near the end, I stood and looked down at her lying in her bed, barely alive and heavily medicated, and thought hard about how a pillow over her face would end her suffering immediately and give her release. I simply could not do it. Maybe someone else would have done differently.
Good Question! |
As I am Maisky's sis, I too was there for our mom's death. Actually, I was there all the time. Maisky had to see her 3 days before her death, 2 days before the coma. It was truly heartbreaking. She didn't want to be there either. She had been an artist and a very creative woman who loved playing golf. She spent the last bit of her life dreaming of all the things she had once done as the disease ate her alive. The last thing to go with her form of ALS is the brain. I couldn't put the pillow over her face. I didn't even have the courage or the heart to give her too much morphine. There was no autopsy as her dying was already on record. No one would have known. But she was my mom. I believe with all my heart and soul that euthenasia should be legal and practiced!! We don't let our beloved pets suffer. Why should the people we love have to suffer? 
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JaneyMae
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| tartangal |
Posted: 17-Dec-2003, 01:55 PM
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QUEEN OF SCOTLAND
Group: Scotland
Posts: 414
Joined: 16-Feb-2003
Zodiac: Elder
Realm: Glasgow, Scotland
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It seems to me that there actually seem to be two questions here. One is ,do I want my ( or my loved one) life prolonged by artificial means? The other is do I want to be killed if I am terminally ill or suffering?
The first is not euthanasia although I suppose it may be classed as passive euthanasia. The second is euthanasia.
As a health care worker I have been asked to make someone die sooner than they would do. This was asked of me by caring relatives who had been doing a bedside vigil. This is not something that I would do but i tried very hard to not leave the family with a sense of guilt about having asked. Tne patient involved was unconcious and close to death. I feel that in a way it was the relatives who suffered most , having to watch someone they loved die.But was that a reason to end this lady's life early, I didn't and don't think so.
My feeling is that with medications available, that no one has to die in pain. It only makes me want to push for better palliative and hospice care.
From a personal point of view, I have come to believe that just as life and birth are processes which we must go through, then so is death. It is something that is undertaken alone and our loved ones and carers can only provide a supportive role. For some it is too difficult to see their loved one go through .
From a professional point of view, I wonder how I would gain the trust of the weak and seriously ill if they knew that I was also involved in taking the lives of those who are judged not to have quality of life?The nurse patient relationship relies on the trust between us.
Just some of my thoughts and opinions.
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Jules
As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
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That is if they miss me at all. If I have a lengthy terminal illness I hope to utilize the Hospice services to help my family come to terms with my death. But the fortunate/unfortunate thing is that I don't know the time or hour of my death or the way that it will happen. It could be minutes from now *shivers* and I don't know it. So with all these plans to do stuff and having not done them... well nothings done. 
