Assisted Suicide: are we just backward here in Ireland?

[Trollheart]

I have no real sympathy, generally, for people who commit suicide and that may seem harsh, and obviously it's too general a statement but I always feel it's the coward's way out. That said, I only felt suicidal once and it passed, but what stopped me doing anything was that my sis would be left behind to fend pretty much for herself.

That said, there is a situation going on here in Ireland where a lady who had MS and wanted to end her own life secured the help of her friend to buy the drugs she needed, and that lady is now on trial and could go to jail. The woman was stopped leaving the country, because assisted suicide is against Irish law (****ing Catholic Ireland) and so is leaving the country to procure same, so really , once she had made the choice she had little other option. I know how ten years of MS can leave you totally dependent on other people and so if they want you to help them die, and this person has made up her mind and looked at all the options and come to an informed and satisfied conclusion that this was what she wanted to do, why the **** is it illegal for someone to help her? Here's the story:
Accused says woman was present for lethal dose - RTÉ News

So my question is, are we the only country where rather than have a person live on in pain and misery, costing the health service and putting her family through hell too, we rigidly enforce a pointless law and actually contemplate sending someone to prison for the "crime" of helping their friend leave this world on her own terms and with dignity and peace? Or does this happen everywhere?

Does anyone have views on this, and would like to discuss it? I'm annoyed at the woman for choosing death (even though I don't know the full circumstances) as she had been suffering from the same thing as my sister for about the same length of time, and my sister has never contemplated killing herself or asking me to do so, but did she I am sure I would try to help her, and probably end up in jail. But if this was the decision this woman came to, then why in the name of all sanity can our State tell her she can't have assistance to end her life? Are we living that much in the past that we would send a woman to jail for performing what could be seen as the ultimate kindness for her friend?

[ladyislingering]

>walk into thread expecting intelligent discussion

Originally Posted by Trollheart

I have no real sympathy, generally, for people who commit suicide and that may seem harsh, and obviously it's too general a statement but I always feel it's the coward's way out.

>mfw

[Chula Vista]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

I have no real sympathy, generally, for people who commit suicide.

Not this sh*t again.

[ladyislingering]

Unfortunately there will always be emotionally inept, ignorant people who don't care enough about others to even try to understand the human mind within the individual in their most desperate time of need.

It fucking sickens me.

[Cuthbert]

That first paragraph is just going to piss people off.

Anyway this has been discussed in length before pal. If you should have any right it should be the right to end your own life, that's my take on it.

Is Ireland backwards? Do I even need to answer

[ladyislingering]

Originally Posted by monkeytennis

Is Ireland backwards? Do I even need to answer

nah, just like the rest of the world, mental health hasn't been addressed as an important facet of the human condition.

[Chula Vista]

Saw this just today.

https://www.yahoo.com/health/the-bra...098399627.html

[Cuthbert]

Originally Posted by ladyislingering

nah, just like the rest of the world, mental health hasn't been addressed as an important facet of the human condition.

It was bants m8

[RoxyRollah]

I am all about patient assisted suicide. Especially if they are terminally ill, and if it it saves someone years of slow painful death then why on Gods green earth would you deny someone that. No you have to suffer, it's your cancer. WTF? Bitch, no who is you?

I would much rather people be able to go to a clean, homey environment and have a doctor put them out of their misery correctly. Instead of forcing them to catch the nearest helicopter and throw themselves out of it with a 50/50 chance of surviving. That is more inhumane then a little help.

I feel like it's condemning someone to live a life of suffering, and that isn't ok, because if that is the case we should bring back the concentration camp.

Mental illness can be just as debilitating as cancer, but in the case of mental illness I really feel like two other people should sign off, on that. Only because you can't always take the mentally ill at their word, with something like that, as it's well, a permanent thing.

But hey what do I know.

[Isbjørn]

Alright:

• Suicide is not the "coward's way out". Those who commit suicide tend to be suffering from severe mental distress, which should be treated.
• Active death help and suicide shouldn't be compared. Suicide is, in most cases, the result of untreated mental problems, as stated above. Active death help is something offered in order to shorten the time in which a victim of painful and inevitably lethal disease suffers.

That being said, this is a thing I haven't decided a viewpoint on yet. It's a tough issue for sure, and I want to know more about it before I decide what I mean.

In Norway in general, it's a mixed bag. Only one of our major parties support active death help, Fremskrittspartiet, or the Progress Party (though they're not progressive at all imo). They have a certain amount of influence, since they're one of the two parties that make up our current executive branch, and they have 29 of our 169 parliamentary seats.

Originally Posted by ladyislingering

nah, just like the rest of the world, mental health hasn't been addressed as an important facet of the human condition.

Agreed fully.