Doctor/Medical Assisted Suicide

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by aggieAXO

But, I suspect their are many that don't (this is in response to AOPii). Some end up using a shot gun. I was reading the responses to the Tony Scott suicide thread-of course it is assumed that he commited suicide- jumping off a bridge b/c of the terminal dz he was just dx with(brain cancer). I read several of the responses to the article-one from a law enforcment gentleman particularly caught my eye-he said he had been at MANY horrific suicide scenes b/c of the same disease (brain cancer). Why does it have to be this way?? Why does ending your own life have to be a dirty/secretive/messy deed??

It doesn't have to be, but that's how he CHOSE to end it. Many people with brain cancer die without jumping of a bridge (like my grandfather did) and have hospice care to provide pain medicine and needed services while they die amongst family. Some people do kill themselves with pills, razors, guns, etc. they don't necessarily suffer less than people prescribed pills by a physician who can get sick and vomit, back out and end up in the ER or have the same problems encountered with non-assisted suicide.

[aggieAXO]

But, if it is done right, in a controlled setting then getting sick would not be a problem. It is when you say-oh here are some pills for pain and the patients are at home and take them all at once b/c they are distraught there can be problems. I am talking about injections. It can be done right/painlessly and with diginity.

[DrPhil]

Men are more likely to have gun access and therefore are more likely to use a gun or jump from a bridge or building, women are more likely to have access to and use pills, razors, and knives. This increases the likelihood that a man will have a completed suicide and that women will have attempted suicides. This has also been linked to the use of suicides as a cry for help and the idea that some completed suicides were actually suicide attempts "gone wrong".

It is an extremely easy task to commit suicide if someone is of able mind and body; and if the person is not restrained or constrained in some manner. The people who do not have gun access can find quicker and more lethal methods than pills and razors/knives. Some people consider jumping to be quick and easy--the messy factor and how their survivors (people left behind) feel do not matter to many people who just want to be dead. "Suicide by cop" has also been used for a number of reasons.

To be clear, this is a huge topic but it is not a general discussion of suicide and the accessibility of methods. It is about assisted (via doctor or another person who will make sure the suicide is completed) suicide for people who are not able to kill themselves or people who technically could kill themselves but want the resources from their doctor. I agree with AOII Angel that this is a big and messy topic that does not have to include doctors. Would the family or friends be able to assist with the suicide without doctor assistance, without the use of medically accessed resources, and without the fear of arrest for murder?

[aggieAXO]

Well, I suppose lay people (people that have no medical info/training) could help but I would rather a professional be involved-someone that knows how the body works, what to look for if things are going wrong-I think this would result in the least complications. To think of someone like my mother overseeing an assisted suicide would be a scary thought. Not everyone has an MD or vet in the family.

I am sure many people chose to die in hospice (which is essentially part of a nursing home in many instances)-three of my grandparents died this way plus an uncle and my father-does that mean I want to chose that fate-ABSOLUTELY NOT.

[aggieAXO]

[QUOTE=DrPhil;2171925] Some people consider jumping to be quick and easy--the messy factor and how their survivors (people left behind) feel do not matter to many people who just want to be dead. "Suicide by cop" has also been used for a number of reasons.

QUOTE]

I completely disagree-I bet many of these people feel horrible, but the pain is so bad they feel they have no other way out. I think many people do it to save loved ones from long drawn out illnesses that can be costly not only monetarily but also emotionally. I think it would be a false assumption to think that just because a person is committing suicide they are selfish and not thinking about anyone else. In fact I think sometimes the family members can be the selfish ones-knowing this person is in so much pain whether physically or mentally and condeming them for wanting to end it.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by aggieAXO

Well, I suppose lay people (people that have no medical info/training) could help but I would rather a professional be involved-someone that knows how the body works, what to look for if things are going wrong-I think this would result in the least complications.

With any type of help, it stops being solely a personal choice and a personal action. This is especially the case when seeking help from doctors who have legal and ethical obligations. Therefore there is much more to this than telling people that you (in general) can do whatever you (in general) choose with your (in general) own life and people better not express their opinions of that or get in your (in general) way.

Jurisdictions have different approaches to suicide including whether those who attempt suicide should be punished, whether the family of those who complete a suicide should be punished, whether people who assist with a completed suicide should be punished, and whether doctor assisted suicide is an exception to the law.

Originally Posted by aggieAXO

I completely disagree-I bet many of these people feel horrible, but the pain is so bad they feel they have no other way out. I think many people do it to save loved ones from long drawn out illnesses that can be costly not only monetarily but also emotionally. I think it would be a false assumption to think that just because a person is committing suicide they are selfish and not thinking about anyone else. In fact I think sometimes the family members can be the selfish ones-knowing this person is in so much pain whether physically or mentally and condeming them for wanting to end it.

Of course, there are people who feel horrible just as there are people who feel relieved. That is the nature of the different reasons, thought processes, courses of action, and cultural norms regarding suicide. Something to think about is that if suicide is truly a personal choice that a person has every right to make on their own, as you contend, does it really matter whether we agree or disagree with how someone commits suicide as long as the person is doing it to herself/himself? (The potential to physically and mentally harm other people in the process is another matter.)

I said nothing about being selfish and, as I said in my post, people do have preferred methods of self-harm. There are a range of thought processes when dealing with suicidal ideation, attempts, and completions. Some people care about the Surivors of Suicide (people left behind) and some people do not. Either way, there are people who want to choose certain lethal methods and do not care what other people think about their choice.