Euthanasia for humans is a difficult ethical dilemma. On the one hand, being allowed to die seems like a rather fundamental personal autonomy, on the other, it risks producing some very perverse economic incentives in both healthcare and society.
Nova Scotia cancer patient who said she was asked if she was aware of assisted dying as an option twice as she underwent mastectomy surgeries.
The question “came up in completely inappropriate places”, she told the National Post.
Canadian news outlets have also reported on cases where people with disabilities have considered assisted dying due to lack of housing or disability benefits.
The incentives, specifically, involve a slippery slope where it becomes more acceptable for society in general to push somebody considered a “burden” towards assisted dying as a way of getting rid of them. Terminally ill, elderly, disabled, mentally ill, unemployed etc. people may find the institutions that support them slowly become dismantled with society then proceeding to offer assisted dying as a “solution” when existence as a consequence becomes more and more miserable.
This might be a tad cynical, but I consider the risk of this ultimate betrayal of the most vulnerable in society as a consequence of legalized euthanasia so large that it outweighs the potential moral benefits.
It’s definitely a problem late stage capitalism or broken governments could take advantage of.
I want this in the UK. Free and humane access end of life services, should be a human right for all adults.
I am genuinely fucking terrified of attempting again on my own and fucking it up so badly that I end up too brain damaged to live independently and get sectioned for life.
I’ve experienced first hand how NHS MH services treat vulnerable people under their care, and I know full well how much worse it gets if you don’t have any capacity left to self advocate and be heard.
If the UK government won’t provide a functioning healthcare, housing and benefits system to look after the disabled and mentally ill, they should at least allow us the choice of dying comfortably in a safe environment.
If the UK government won’t provide a functioning healthcare, housing and benefits system to look after the disabled and mentally ill, they should at least allow us the choice of dying comfortably in a safe environment.
Wouldn’t the functioning care system be more desirable?
That’s not going to happen, it’s far too expensive.
Around 96% of recipients identified as white people
Cannot wait to hear about the Foz News reaction to this.
One of the parts that breaks my heart is that if assisted suicide is so popular now that it’s legal, how many people suffered for how long when it wasn’t?
BBC is basically pandering to the Daily Mail crowd. They recently felt that the Assisted Dying Bill passing the initial stages of parliamentary process in the UK meant that it was now legal to Shipman the conservative voting block.
It’s not law yet. Just a proposal, but apparently nobody understands that.
Here’s a good thread about the article: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42396733
Jesus fuck there is some ghoulish shit in there! Just withhold water as someone dies slow so as to “do no harm” ? Ugh.
Thanks for sharing.
I wonder if the % of “natural deaths” also decreased by 5% or if it will take awhile to catch up since a few of the assisted deaths would have taken longer before they were natural deaths.
Damn, being Canadian must suck
Canadian here and I agree, I wouldn’t wish our neighbours on anyone else. But, it’s our cross to bear.
Edit: reworded for clarity.
I dunno. I think Greenlanders are probably ok.
