Vote Anti Incumbent

What is the difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide?

One way to distinguish them is to look at the last act - the act without which death would not occur.

Using this distinction, if a third party performs the last act that intentionally causes a patient’s death, euthanasia has occurred. For example, giving a patient a lethal injection or putting a plastic bag over her head to suffocate her would be considered euthanasia.

On the other hand, if the person who dies performs the last act, assisted suicide has taken place. Thus it would be assisted suicide if a person swallows an overdose of drugs that has been provided by a doctor for the purpose of causing death. It would also be assisted suicide if a patient pushes a switch to trigger a fatal injection after the doctor has inserted an intravenous needle into the patient’s vein. Courtesy of internationaltaskforce.org

Do you think euthanasia and or physician assisted suicide should be controlled by the government or a law passed in your state allowing a person to choose for themselves.

Some who are against allowing these two options are against it for religious reasons. Others claim their is no relationship because there are non religious people on both sides.

What are the Pros for Euthanasia. You have control over your own life. It is a way to deal with extreme pain and when you have a life ending illnesses like cancer.

What are the Cons against Euthanasia? People can use it when they think they have a life ending illness but may live longer than experts expected.  Older people may use it when they need assistance and they no longer want to be a burden. Some think their is a “slippery slope” that once this is approved and becomes an approved medical treatment, then the government, other institutions or even relatives may pressure a person in to using euthanasia or physician assisted suicide to end their lives prematurely.

These issues are complex to be sure and there are many pros and cons but this subject seems to be focuced on more today with in health care and the fact the older population is increasing. You may think unless you live in a retirement community, this is not an issue for you, but what about your relatives. And when you really think about it, this would be a big issue for a young person that has a life injury or illness. So what do you think?  Are you for or against, or just need more info.