“Problem with state sanctioned suicide is not that you commit suicide. That’s between you and your god (lower case intentional). Problem is that there will be a cultural shift that will eventually make it seem like the “responsible” thing to do (for your heirs, for the insurance company, or for the State).”
I agree that there is a dark history involved in state-sanctioned suicide, so it’s imperative to avoid it. That’s why I would really only condone non-physician / non-state suicide assistance.
You go to a privately run organization and request a simple machine that will induce a lethal injection. You do it all by yourself. Maybe a doctor’s written opinion is required to state that you actually have a terminal illness— but that would be the extent of the doctor’s involvement, and I’m not even sure THAT should be necessary.
This is for all the folks out there who don’t want to have a “messy” death. I think it’s sensible.
I understand that you are not religious and this question is not meant to be religious, but who had more “dignity” in life and death, Adolph Hitler who was dressed in in finest uniform and chose the exact moment of his death or Jesus Christ who was beaten, bloodied, and humiliated on the Cross?
If a person has shown no dignity in life, I don’t think it matters how “dignified” they appear in their final moments, and a person who has lead a dignified life will have dignity at his final breath no matter how “messy” it is.
You go to a privately run organization and request a simple machine that will induce a lethal injection. You do it all by yourself. Maybe a doctor’s written opinion is required to state that you actually have a terminal illness— but that would be the extent of the doctor’s involvement, and I’m not even sure THAT should be necessary.
This is for all the folks out there who don’t want to have a “messy” death. I think it’s sensible.
The issue I was highlighting earlier was not state sponsorship, but state sanction. In other words, if suicide or assistance in providing suicide were legal.
In all candor, I just "googled" suicide methodologies and there were detailed instructions for multiple methods of doing so relatively painlessly and for little expense. For propriety, I will not post any links...but with minimal creativity, one could get a "do it yourself it" very easily.
Having said this, don't get the idea that I approve of it or condone it. The point is that an individual who has made up his mind doesn't need State approval. It doesn't need a "Suicide for Less" convenience store with a drive-thru window. It doesn't require a lot of money and it doesn't require compromising a physician's Hippocratic Oath (for those who still have to take that oath). My approval or disapproval is irrelevant, as is State Sanction (i.e., decriminalization).