As I understand it - currently as far as the
law in Australia is concerned (except for Victoria)
a patient has no legal right to insist on medical
intervention that would end his or her life.

In other words a competent patient's common law
"right to bodily self-determination" only extends to
the refusal of treatment. A patient can't require any
doctor to administer any treatment or medical procedure
that the patient requests.

This restriction extends to medical procedures that
would cause or hasten a patient's death.

I suppose this goes back to the fact that doctors are
expected to do all they can to sustain life.

I guess we need to ask - where do we draw the line at
allowing doctors to intervene and assist in helping
a person end their life?

Is it for the terminally ill - who are suffering?
Is it for people in a semivegetating state, who have
lost their functional and mental independence?

Should doctors continue to pursue a vigorous therapy
that would benefit no one except their own satisfaction
in twarting death, regardless of the consequences?

Hi Foxy, as I mentioned the other day on another thread, I had a visit from a dear old soul from the local Catholic Church on a mission to drum up support for the Churches anti-euthanasia stance. The old dear failed to change my mind. For some it is a difficult question, but for me its clear cut, allowing a person to make a decision to end their own life is a right all of us should have. Like any moral issue, gay marriage was another example, why should I, or anyone else, dictate to others what they can or cannot do. Am I so morally superior that I should be the decider of someone else's morals, no I don't think so.

Talking with a Salvation Army Chaplain last week on this very issue. To my surprise he was very supportive of those in that terrible position, and could fully understand why a dying person would choose to end their life. My Chaplain mate has seen too many people die in pain, a horrible end for some, without dignity. I also seen that with a friend last year, only 42, she had fought cancer for seven years. Her end was a lingering death, particularly the last two weeks, in a hospice for the dying.

Dear Paul,

I also have gone through a similar bad experience
with someone close to me. Someone who was forced to
reside in a nursing home. Her mind was destroyed.
She did not know where she was or how long she
had been there. She could not read, watch
television, walk alone, use a telephone, or play
card games. She lost bladder control and bowel
continence. She could now wash herself, feed herself,
dress or transfer from be to chair to bathroom.

Her visitors and family had to deal with the agony of
her vegetation. Her last days were dreadful.

She should have been allowed to die with dignity.

Foxy,

Yes, IF nobody else has any involvement in his/her 'decision' or in her actions. So there would be many situations where somebody is not conscious or aware enough to make that decision, so the tragic necessity, if you like, is that they have to linger until death takes them. Of course, if they are in pain, the doctors can prescribe more morphine as a pain-killer, even if that slows down everything to the point where the person fades away in a coma.

My wife passed away in that way, from liver cancer, three weeks after diagnosis: basically one dies in those circumstances from starvation, since the liver is too far gone to process any food. My wife's pain was managed, but towards the end, she couldn't sleep and asked for something to help her, which involved increased doses of morphine, and off she went, slowly and peacefully. She had been told that she had more than another week to live, which she told us matter-of-factly (morphine seems to do that), so on reflection, she probably thought that she would have a good sleep and wake up with another few days to go. That was not to be. If there is such a thing, it was a beautiful ending for a wonderful person.

Now look what you've done to me, Foxy !

Love,

Joe

Dear Joe,

My heart goes out to you and your family.

She must have been a wonderful lady.

Eternal Rest Grant to her, O Lord
And let perpetual light shine on her
May she Rest In Peace
Amen.

Hi Foxy,
Sorry about your loved one.

Living with quality of life is more important than the quantity of life. I think some have a far more fulfilling life in 40 years than others do in 80, that's another question for another thread. How our end should be is something we should decide for ourselves.
Our friend, in the last two weeks of her life did confide to her mother and my wife (her best friend) when she was cognisant that she "just wanted to die". K also told them that she was afraid, scared, worried, saddened by what she was loosing, and didn't know what to expect after death. People in that position are mostly not prepared for death, those on death row in their final hours seem to be better prepared for what is coming than the majority of the terminally ill.

Also, in our culture I don't think we the living are all that well prepared for the loss of a loved one. Our grieving process leaves a lot to be desired. My Maori family have a far better way to deal with death than we do, a much longer process and it does seem to deliver closure for many, whereby our way, pack em' and dispatch em', does not.