Please excuse the long post.
Well, I have two experiences that are close to euthanasia. The first one I wouldn't call "good" but more like the right way, but the second was very wrong.
The first was with my grandfather. About 7 years ago he had a stroke. He wasn't all there and he would never be the person he was before but he was still alive and could interact with the family. He wasn't in any pain and he lived fine for the next 5 years. Then he got sick, and eventually degraded until he didn't know who any of us were anymore. He was rushed to the hospital three times a week. He couldn't eat, he couldn't talk, and the only way he was kept alive was by keeping needles in him at all time. The needles were always being moved because he was so thin and those needles hurt him. All he was aware of was the constant pain he was in, and the doctors said he was never going to get better than that. After a few days, the family decided to remove the needles. He died about 12 hours later. It wouldn't be considered euthanasia but those are the problems we are have with medicine today. There's all kind of miracle drugs that can keep you alive but at what state?
The second was my stepfathers grandfather. He was old, slightly senile, and he had a whole lot of money. The grandfather was being taken care of my stepfathers aunt and uncle. Everyone new that the uncle married into the family for the money. Well, the grandfather died and the diagnosis was that he forgot his pills. And of course which the whole family knew, the uncle kept the pills and stopped giving them to the old man. Unfortunately, you can't really prove that in a courtroom either. The family did find out that during the time that the uncle had the grandfather, he had brought him down to Florida and had a Lawyer change the Will so that the uncle got a whole lot more money and the rest of the family received less. There is nothing that the family can do about it either.
My point with euthanasia is, as many people do this with the best intentions for their family members, there will be many more who abuse it. Like the Lawyer in Florida, you can find a doctor or psychiatrist who will document that the person in question is in too much pain. I believe in euthanasia in the correct situations, but the idea of just how it could be abused is awful. We will all be elderly one day.
Well, I have two experiences that are close to euthanasia. The first one I wouldn't call "good" but more like the right way, but the second was very wrong.
The first was with my grandfather. About 7 years ago he had a stroke. He wasn't all there and he would never be the person he was before but he was still alive and could interact with the family. He wasn't in any pain and he lived fine for the next 5 years. Then he got sick, and eventually degraded until he didn't know who any of us were anymore. He was rushed to the hospital three times a week. He couldn't eat, he couldn't talk, and the only way he was kept alive was by keeping needles in him at all time. The needles were always being moved because he was so thin and those needles hurt him. All he was aware of was the constant pain he was in, and the doctors said he was never going to get better than that. After a few days, the family decided to remove the needles. He died about 12 hours later. It wouldn't be considered euthanasia but those are the problems we are have with medicine today. There's all kind of miracle drugs that can keep you alive but at what state?
The second was my stepfathers grandfather. He was old, slightly senile, and he had a whole lot of money. The grandfather was being taken care of my stepfathers aunt and uncle. Everyone new that the uncle married into the family for the money. Well, the grandfather died and the diagnosis was that he forgot his pills. And of course which the whole family knew, the uncle kept the pills and stopped giving them to the old man. Unfortunately, you can't really prove that in a courtroom either. The family did find out that during the time that the uncle had the grandfather, he had brought him down to Florida and had a Lawyer change the Will so that the uncle got a whole lot more money and the rest of the family received less. There is nothing that the family can do about it either.
My point with euthanasia is, as many people do this with the best intentions for their family members, there will be many more who abuse it. Like the Lawyer in Florida, you can find a doctor or psychiatrist who will document that the person in question is in too much pain. I believe in euthanasia in the correct situations, but the idea of just how it could be abused is awful. We will all be elderly one day.
You've offended my innocent eyes!