RE: Right to Die
May 2, 2016 at 9:57 am
(This post was last modified: May 2, 2016 at 9:59 am by Losty.)
(May 2, 2016 at 9:43 am)abaris Wrote:(May 2, 2016 at 9:38 am)robvalue Wrote: Yes, the alternative is to respect their decision and let them go through with it. That's true personal liberty. Stopping them is a form of... I don't know what you'd call it. Enforcement. I wasn't suggesting either option are right or wrong, it's just a question. I would stop them by instinct, and I'd consider that the morally correct action on balance.
So, without knowing anything about them, their history or their motifs, it's their personal liberty to top themselves? I certainly wouldn't stand by and think, well I tried talking with them, so go on, jump already, so I can be on my merry way. The only question is, would I be in danger preventing them. That would have to be taken into consideration, but nothing else on my part.
Seems like an unnecessary thing for you to say. I don't think anyone would think that.
Hypothetically I like to tell myself if I've tried to talk them down and they seem completely calm and don't appear to be psychotic or drug impaired...hypothetically I wouldn't stop them. It's not my place. I don't think I would appreciate having to fight some stranger after having made such a difficult decision as to end my own life.
In reality I don't know if I could resist the urge to stop them.
This is the whole reason we need to change these laws. When people are going to make a choice to end their lives, they should have their loved ones there to support them (when/if possible) they should be given the opportunity and resources to explore every other option. They should have a path to saying goodbye in a dignified manner that won't be shocking or devastating to their family.
To me, in discussing the right to die there is one thing more important to discuss and it has nothing to do with death. The terminally ill or those who endure unbearable inconsolable pain are a given. The ones up for debate are those who are not terminally ill or do not have some illness that causes unbearable pain. For this reason, the state of mental health care and the stigma around it is a much more important discussion than the right to die.
