Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Assisted dying in Canada

The perps need a dose of their own meds.

I'm waiting for them to start bragging about their "suicide prevention" efforts. Wanna end it all? We can handle that for you and reduce the suicide rate at the same time.

Uhhh....okay there fella.

Where did the add mention credit card debt?

If you've ever watched a loved one slowly dying in pain, assisted suicide is a blessing.

We put our pets down humanely, but to do so for a human is somehow an abomination and controversial.

Anecdotally, I suspect a LOT of people that are dying in this country are "helped along" through "enthusiastic" pain management administration, etc.

I watched my dad die of cancer, and he was always a big talker about not wanting to be a burden, not wanting to die a slow death, much like a lot of the people on this forum. Living in The Netherlands, he had access to euthanasia, but when it came to it, he hung on to the (bitter, very bitter) end.

My mother has her "dying will" ready to go so if the time comes she'll have the option to be "hurried up", but she's not too keen on it happening too early, either.

It's much easier to talk big than to actually proceed with euthanasia willingly.

Dutch, the voice of sense.



This is a tough subject.
Anyone who is 100% on a side, with 0 misgivings is a simple minded fool.



The though of assisted death raises my hackles. And turns my stomach.
For many reasons.


Let a few electrons flow through the grey matter and it's not hard to
understand the issue a bit. I've known of people with end stage cancer
calling 911 and reporting their own demise, so family wouldn't find them.

At some point, a 30 day supply of some sleeping pills or opiate would allow a much better ending, to a story at its inevitable ending.


Mom told me she didn't want to lay on machines forever if it came to that.


A subject I'd often thought about. (Not personally, in general)
I told her I am fine with turning off any life support that is artificial.
I could not easily agree to stop food, water, or waste removial.
If she felt she wanted that done, she needed to have it written out as her
own wishes.



Turn off the machines. That's a reduction in intervention.
Stopping food, water, waste? That is directly causing death, I'm not
going to interfere with God's will.



I hope to never have to make such a decision for anyone, hope few ever do.

I agree that morphine is a blessing in the final stages of death. However, doctors and terminal patients are exceedingly limited in end of treatment options. I have known two folks who decided to eat a bullet rather than face a slow death. And that leads to all sorts of trauma for those left behind.

It should be a legal option in the US.

Dutch;
Good morning to you my cyber friend to the south, I hope that you're getting weather that you can work with or around at least this morning and that you're well.

Hopefully I can be forgiven for copying my response to a thread in the Canada section on the same topic. I'll do so now and add some comments as well.

Where does one begin to talk about such a subject right?

Perhaps by saying that we really don't talk about death much anymore and here in North America we've evolved to a place where many of us are growing old enough that it's not uncommon for either our body or our mind to not last the same amount of time.

Having dealt with my late Mother and much loved Mother in law who were dementia patients I can speak quite personally to how that affected them and all of us left behind as well.

As a Christian I believe that all life is sacred too, so that's part of the basis of my personal opinions and as always since I'm not attempting to convert anyone to the way I believe, I will concede those who don't might and could have a different view.

We have a fairly high percentage of seniors in BC, as we have become the place where Canada comes to retire and by extension then - to die. The concentrations on the Island and here in the Okanagan are among the highest in BC and thus likely the country.

While I can comprehend a person who knows they are terminal wishing not to prolong their own suffering, it's less clear to me that for instance a person suffering from mental illness would be able to see a positive outcome for themselves.

From what I read they intend to allow folks with mental illness to use the assisted suicide soon as well.

Again having had personal experience with folks who suffer from that malady, some who have recovered and some who have taken their own lives, that's a whole different set of parameters I believe.

Added to that subject, we've had 1827 people OD so far this year here in BC and no, that's not medically assisted dying exactly, but the vast majority of addicts or people using recreational drugs are young men - many of which have mental illness issues.

I can't help but view the whole thing as incredibly sad that we've come to a place in our society that rather than come up with ways of helping our fellow man to become well and productive, we're making it easier for them to die.

All of us here are going to die, that much I'm sure of.

I was blessed and I truly mean this, in having experienced a really bad wreck when I was 15 and coming within a whisker of crossing over. The best medical minds called my family in to watch me do so in fact, but obviously that wasn't the timetable for me to cross over then. However it does perhaps help me think about death and what a "good death" might mean for me when that day comes - as it has to.

I'm not sure I've answered anyone's thoughts here, but I am concerned with the path we seem to be on with this issue for sure.

All the best to you all.

Dwayne

I think it's an individual right to be allowed to end your own life where you're at that no-return point. Other peoples religion, feelings, beliefs, whatever should not limit your rights.

This raises concern but its ok for pharmaceutical companies to basically do the same on a slow scale with opiod addiction, while putting the dime on the working people of the US? What's wrong with this picture.......

Oh that's right, they put out "warnings" and then prescribed as many as they could to as many people as they could and then didn't "understand" why people got addicted.

As explained on the Canadian thread, this is the way I see it.

My better half knows what to do if I am mentally incapacitated and can no longer verbalise and express my desires and wishes.

Truth be known if I were to die today, I would die with a smile on my face, because I have lived a life of adventure and fun. From scuba diving 100 feet down (alone) in the ocean playing with sharks and moray eels to elk hunting on horseback in Grizzly country in the Rockies, fishing all over North America, I have basically had the opportunity to explore our planet from top to bottom. Coupled with all the parties, women and sports, I have not missed a trick.

I have had good friends of mine die young, as in 18 years old, others died of cancer in their early 40's and 50's. I have observed that we all have a very strong will to live. God decides when you have to get out of the pool, like it or not.

If you are suffering from an illness with a terminal ending, it's good to have the option to pull the plug and go out with class and dignity.

KB