Point of clarification please Lindy.

>>[Euthanasia is] a lot more complicated than you make out. And it's got nothing to do with the Catholic Church.<<

Are you suggesting that the Catholic Church is silent on the topic?

Because many people would be surprised to hear that.

*you have forgotten that euthanasia isn't suicide. If it were, anyone could simply go off and top themselves.*

When they are bedridden and can't move a muscle, as say in the Perth
case, they can't just "simply go off and top themselves", as
you put it.

IIRC, the man was given the choice of starving himself to death.
How compassionate.

I know of no organisation which has done more lobbying against the
introduction of voluntary euthanasia, then the Vatican.

Yabby and Pericles, as usual you both totally miss the point. You read what you want to read.

In answer to your request, Pericles, I never said the Catholic Church was silent or ought to be silent on the topic, merely that "it's more complicated". If, like Yabby, you think euthanasia is about Catholics vs non-Catholics you're really delusional. In terms of lobbying, I know more non-Catholics who are actively opposed to euthanasia than Catholics. Even if you took the Catholic Church as an organisation out of the picture there would still be a robust debate.

Yabby, I'm not denying what you said in your last comment. What you've ignored is that there are other people to think about than just the person who wants to prematurely end their life. Those other people have to be taken into consideration whether you're anti-euthanasia or pro-euthanasia if you are serious about creating safe and moral legislation on the issue. You can't just legalise it and never mind the consequences. Whether you're pro or anti, you need to see the bigger picture, and that's a picture that will be a lot clearer if you can get off your anti-Catholic bandwagon.

*if you are serious about creating safe and moral legislation on the issue*

Well there is the rub, Lindy. We haven't even got to discussing
that point yet. Correct me if I am wrong, but I have never seen
the Catholic Church concede that they would agree to voluntary
euthanasia, under certain terms and conditions. Its a plain and
simple "No, its against the dogma"

What your average Catholic thinks, is not even that important, for
its made little difference to the hierarchy, when it comes to
things like contraception etc. So your average Catholic has the
choice of doing what all the rest of us do, the majority of Catholics
it seems.

With voluntary euthanasia its different, they just suffer like
everyone else, with a blanket no from Rome. Woe betide any politician
who tries to change that. Any oldie who wants a bit of control
over their end and tries to smuggle in their stash of Nembutal,
would become a criminal in the process.

I don't think this euthanasia question is all that black and white, but rather has lots of shades of grey. My understanding is that medicos intervene quite a lot to end suffering, in dire cases, though the legality may still be in question. While I can quite agree with medicos having greater latitude, I can't agree with the idea of individual liberty to pull the plug on mere whim.

I do have a concern that better aged and invalid care should be available, for so many nursing homes etc are awful, and it is extremely distressing having to put an aged or invalid relation in such a situation. But what can we do? Quality aged/invalid care is really at a premium, and the best ones seem only to be provided by church organisations (and by the Anglican Church in particular).

I guess when it comes down to it, if a person can live with their conscience and their convictions in making a decision to end their life, I wouldn't stand in their way - though I would hope they would have access to some good counselling before going ahead - and in my view a medico assessment ought still be mandatory. I certainly don't like the idea of promoting suicide by making it as easy as a trip to the local pharmacy!

Quality of life is such a variable commodity, with so many factors affecting both its definition and its means of attainment, but it is this which society should aim to provide for everyone. Still, this is hard to achieve, and additionally difficult to justify at an extreme level when so many in the world are living with, and accepting of, so much less than we generally have available to us in the West.

There is much to be done to achieve adequate worldwide quality of life, and the West will almost certainly have to re-educate itself in what quality really means, and to be far more willing to share.
Youth suicide in our midst is a sad indictment.

http://www.exit-geneve.ch/Exempleoas.pdf

There you go, Lindy. This is how it works in Switzerland.

Quite reasonable, quite sensible, no good reason the same laws
could not be applied here, despite religious flapping of the wings.