...wherever it's implemented. Many nations have legal provisions for medically assisted suicide for people who will surely die from some painful condition. At least that's how it starts. Legally, it always gets expanded.
In practice, if not legally, it gets expanded much faster.
Canada calls their system Medical Assistance in Dying or MAID. The speed with which it has been implemented and expanded is astounding. It's now being offered for mental problems such as PTSD and depression. In practice, it's being offered to folks just for being old.
Examples, often denied by the Canadian government, abound. From the Wiki:
Some folks have almost made it their life's work to oppose all this.
Personally, my initial reaction to allowing people to "die with dignity" was informed by the case of my maternal grandmother. My grandfather could not bear the thought of not having her around.
As a kid, I thought that was love. So I was in favor of medically assisted suicide.
As an adult, I've come to realize that my grandfather was a selfish bastard who had spent their time in this life abusing the hell out of her. He didn't know how to live if someone took away his emotional punching bag so he kept her on life support, in agony, for a year.
I'm no longer in favor of assisted suicide except in those obvious end-of-life scenarios. Unfortunately , implementation and maintenance of the necessary protective guardrails seems, in practice, to consistently fail.
IOW, where assisted suicide is implemented, it creeps into more and more treatment plans, places it should never tread.
I don't have a clue how to reconcile these facts into a system that won't force people to suffer nor kill off folks who, realistically, should never even contemplate that path.
What do y'all think?
In practice, if not legally, it gets expanded much faster.
Canada calls their system Medical Assistance in Dying or MAID. The speed with which it has been implemented and expanded is astounding. It's now being offered for mental problems such as PTSD and depression. In practice, it's being offered to folks just for being old.
Examples, often denied by the Canadian government, abound. From the Wiki:
Even a push to allow minors to be euthanized is ongoing. That effort, if successful, will likely have serious impacts on other areas of law.In November 2022, an anonymous active Canadian Forces member has alleged he was offered MAID when seeking assistance regarding PTSD and suicidal thoughts,[69] raising concern about MAID being inappropriately offered. In December 2022, Paralympian and veteran Christine Gauthier testified that a Veterans Affairs Canada employee offered her MAID as an option when she is fighting for installing a wheelchair lift or ramp at her house.
Some folks have almost made it their life's work to oppose all this.
Personally, my initial reaction to allowing people to "die with dignity" was informed by the case of my maternal grandmother. My grandfather could not bear the thought of not having her around.
As a kid, I thought that was love. So I was in favor of medically assisted suicide.
As an adult, I've come to realize that my grandfather was a selfish bastard who had spent their time in this life abusing the hell out of her. He didn't know how to live if someone took away his emotional punching bag so he kept her on life support, in agony, for a year.
I'm no longer in favor of assisted suicide except in those obvious end-of-life scenarios. Unfortunately , implementation and maintenance of the necessary protective guardrails seems, in practice, to consistently fail.
IOW, where assisted suicide is implemented, it creeps into more and more treatment plans, places it should never tread.
I don't have a clue how to reconcile these facts into a system that won't force people to suffer nor kill off folks who, realistically, should never even contemplate that path.
What do y'all think?