fear of death , page-88

taughtbuffet

I appreciate that this is an emotional topic.

I too have seen people going through hell at the end of their lives, and many just want an end to it. Some even begged for help, which could not be provided because of consequences required by law.

I realise that people can and do change their minds. This is an important part that makes the whole issue more complex.

I can't get my mind round the difference from an ethical point of view between giving people advice on how to commit suicide and making the death experience (not the best choice of words, but all I can think of for now) more bearable by alternative humane intervention methods.

I am trying to think of an analogy to explain my position. The best that I can come up for now is to look at what I think is the Roman Catholic's stand on contraception. They forbid followers to use condoms but say its OK to use the rhythm method. I don't get it - both methods prevent sperm and ovum meeting, but condoms are more reliable.

In the case of voluntary euthanasia verses advice on suicide both have the objective of helping people die, but the former should be more humane.

My intention here is not to start a debate on the pros and cons of contraception. I'm just using this as an analogy to to explain my position.

Most things in life are not perfect - there are always hooks and snags along the way. It's just my opinion based on experience of seeing loved ones pass away that voluntary euthanasia should be made available as an option.