Voluntary Assisted Dying

Originally posted by pintohoo: ↑

''d'ye mean they killed themselves due to a fear of aging? thats pretty unhealthy thinking imo.''

I guess some might interpret it as 'fear' - they felt that aging was a reality, they felt that as one gets old, one normally has degrading health and they had done what they wanted to in life, they had no interest in continuing on into an era where they became unhealthy and began to suffer.

When I first met them, they had often kind of joked, but the feelings and logic were real - about rather than get old, they would buy a boat and head out into the ocean and die there.
They were not depressed, in fact - they were very much alive and kicking and full of life. God knows I earned a dozen liver replacements hanging about with them - in the most glorious, romantic European style vineyard lifestyles I've ever seen in Oz. In the most beautiful setting. Great food, great wine, constant laughter, always arguing or music or both. The whole place was throbbing with life and good living.
Their idea was that they didn't want that to change and that they wanted to take charge of their decision and destiny whilst they could. The boat idea morphed into VAD - and I don't know how they swung it, but they got the contract with Switzerland and off they went.
She didn't want to live in a world without him at all, and both didn't want to get the clear ravages of aging and have to deal with it.

I most certainly understood the argument. I feel that way myself, they just had more guts than I do, because they were prepared to put a date on the calendar and say - that's it. We don't care what we miss after that.

Overall, what I see is the free exercise of self determination - and that to me is freedom.

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of course its a reality.... we've both "heard the chimes at midnight" and lived long enough to have become old. but old age and infirmity is a life lesson too imo.

living life to the full can be achieved regardless of age and helps us keep healthy and active.

freedom is enabled by learning to make the best of the worst lot in life.

but free will? yes each must choose their own way. but to misuse such a system for unnecessary suicide is unethical and damages the credibility of such systems. they might be said to have courage if they took the action to end their own lives in their own way rather than using a passive approach to self-murder.