Posted on 01/02/2006 6:31:03 AM PST by bulldozer
Lausanne University hospital, Switzerland has decided to permit assisted suicides starting from January 1, 2006. Assisted suicide has always been considered a form of active euthanasia . In addition to Lausanne, other leading Swiss hospitals are now actively discussing permitting the procedure. Though Swiss law initially did not allow doctors to kill their patients the practice of euthanasia has been gradually extended from private groups into the public health systems.
Extensive experience with euthanasia laws in other countries has revealed a consistent pattern. Assisted suicide is presented to the public as a last resort necessary to alleviate human suffering. Once this becomes acceptable to the public, the categories of people deemed expendable steadily expands to include those perceived to have a diminished value to society or to themselves.
In the Netherlands, doctors have been allowed to practice active euthanasia since 1973. While Dutch death regulations initially required that euthanasia be strictly limited to the sickest patients, it has been steadily redefined with the protective guidelines gradually eroded. As a result, Dutch doctors now legally kill the terminally ill, the chronically ill, disabled people and depressed people, on demand. Furthermore, repeated studies sponsored by the Dutch government shows that a significant number of patients are murdered by their doctors every year as a result of involuntary euthanasia.
(Excerpt) Read more at earnedmedia.org ...
As the article I posted points out, the hospital is allowing a suicide advocacy group to enter the hospital to look for victims. That is far different from giving doctors a greater range of treatment options (e.g. no resuscitation, pain relief only, etc)
Death is personal.
Welcome to FR, ricardob. May 2006 be a very healthy one!
Okay, I'll give you that...it is your personal choice. The problem comes when you want someone else to do the deed for you.
Get yourself a handy do-it-yourself suicide kit and keep it close by in case the need arises. Leave others out of your personal choice.
The advocacy group members are strangers, do not know the patients, have only a single purpose - to help people who may be suffering end their lives. Their definition of suffering may not be the same as yours or mine, they include people with early stages of Alzheimers and other progressive incurable diseases. These diseases are often accompanied by anxiety and depression in the early stages which clouds the judgement of the victims. The groups are given lethal doses of barbituates by doctors who may not have made their own determination of the patients wishes.
No need to go out the way to assist in a suicide. Just send them to a country with socialized medicine like Canada.
http://www.hartelaw.com/medmistakes.htm
* As many as 24,000 patients die each year due to adverse events.
* 87,500 patients admitted annually to Canadian acute care hospitals experience an adverse event (mistake).
* 1:13 adult patients admitted to a Canadian hospital encounter an adverse event.
* 1:19 adults will potentially be given the wrong medication or wrong medication dosage.
* 37% of adverse events are 'highly' preventable.
* 24% of preventable adverse events are related to medication error.
* the most common areas for an adverse event to occur was surgery followed by medicine related errors.
Like I stated, I don't feel comfortable with these groups being allowed to operate in the hospital. I do however, believe that those who are truly qualified, i.e. medical professionals should be allowed to assist a patient to end their own life.
The Hippocratic oath was axed in 1974 following Rowe vs. Wade (It stated no abortions) and replaced by a "feel good" Code of Ethics.
Nothing is stopping you from doing the "right" thing now.
Believe it or not, a large bottle of aspirin would do the trick and your family could sue Walgreens after the deed is done! A win-win situation/s
I don't believe in helping depressed persons kill themselves. I have known depressed people including my mom who has Parkinsons. I would never consider letting a doctor who advocated or supported suicide in any way talk to her no matter what "qualifications" he might have. I do not plan to be around such doctors or advocates when my time comes. Of course by then I might not have a choice thanks to these "progressive" groups.
Would you be opposed then to a seperate, medically qualified entity being allowed to do so? Not a random group with an agenda, roaming the hospitals but actual professionals?
Will they euthanize the depressed and the unemployed?
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