Keith,
You have provided informative and valuable input. As a result of your experiences, insights such as yours should be carefully considered when framing “choice” legislation.

However, choice there should be.

When death is inevitable and imminent (which is vastly different to a low chance of survival, vis-a-vis yourself), no-one should have the right to tell me that I have no choice but to endure the horrors of an awful drawn-out death over some 3-4 weeks or longer, simply because our society does not care enough to explore more satisfactory alternatives.

Surely I should have the right to slip away calmly and peacefully in a manner of my own choosing.

Genuine contributions from well informed people such as can be seen on this forum are necessary to ensure that we can achieve good outcomes, with adequate safeguards – but please be kind and grant compassion where it is truly needed.

That's a good point Carrie:

Keith - what if there had been no chance of recovery at all? What if there was no chance that painful time would end, and you were destined for a painful death regardless?

Would you still say voluntary euthanasia shouldn't be an option?

Turnrightthenleft.

Maybe I wasn't all that clear. In the depths of the depression I felt and actually believed there was no chance of recovery. At those times I wasn't insane nor irrationl. I think I could have just given up the battle and died. I didn't and as time passed I healed.

Carrie K.

I believe there is a choice at those times. I watched both my parents die. They both seemed to go when they were ready. Although my Dad was suffering greatly he died peacefully ... during a morphine induced sleep. I recall clearly he saying to me in one of our last moments 'There's nothing left to say.' We also had a laugh or two as well.
But what you and others want is to legislate for people to chose to die early even though drugs are available that can manage the plight and many of the horrors of the terminally ill. The very great danger is that the point at which 'compassion' applies is in constant danger of being moved and could eventually become not a matter of individual choice but of collective choice.
One only has to look at where the point of compassion now lies in abortion. Today the argument is over the necessity for third trimester abortions. It passed the stage of economic reasons for abortion years ago. Similar will occur with euthanasia.

I'd consider legal euthanasia if a guarantee could be given on containing any movement of that point of compassion. That won't happen.

In my opinion, the political power of a minority -- the ultra right -- is the principal roadblock to legislation for VE. The majority of people endorse it. I believe nebutal should be an option offered to the terminally ill. I'm sure the doctors and lawyers can quickly work out their side of it! Thank you, Angelika for expressing the case so well.

In my opinion, the political power of a minority -- the ultra left -- is the principal push for legislation for VE. The majority of people don't care. I believe the status quo should be the option offered to the terminally ill.

I'm sure we should leave lawyers right out of this equation. Look at how messy they've made divorce.

I have watched my parents and partner slowly die. I support access to Voluntary Euthanasia.