As a 69 year old male, I am unable to walk more than a few steps due to a worn-out knee-joint, coupled to severe and unrelenting Arthritic pain. My GP has informed me that the only medication that is available on Special Prescription will turn me into a Zombie! (Current medication Endone and Panadeine Forte do nothing to supress the pain and at the best make me very nauseous!)
I am now in a situation where my quality of life is rapidly vanishing down the gurglar and I am becoming more and more fearful for the future.
I like many other elderley and ageing persons would like to have the peace of mind and mental security of having access to a humane life-ending "pill" should the conditions become untenable. The alternative options that are available to persons in this situation are to say the least "messy" and can create a distressing situation for family members!
It is grossly unfair that any human being has to continue with a life that has lost its total quality and placed one in the situation of becoming a burden to all around them!
What is wrong with our sick society that it can simply (with an injection of "Green Dream") destroy an injured animal, to save it from suffering, yet at the same time turn a blind eye to the suffering of the human being, who has probably contributed much to society over their lifetime, denying them the right to a peaceful and respectable exit from an unnacceptable lifestyle!

Sorry you are having a bad time Cuphandle, I don't wish this for anyone, but it CAN happen to any of us.

I too find this logic hypocritical, and will do what I have to do, IF I have to do; regardless of the law.

Being able legally to abort a healthy (in most cases) foetus, yet not legally "abort" a life that is unhealthy and intolerable; is to me the utmost in hypocrisy and double-standard.

Cuphandle and Ginx
its sad that there arnt any drugs that can help with the pain, and that its so bad, my pain is not like yours (yet) i still have 15 or so years to catch up, you know it seems crazy that so much effort is put into technology for war when that could really be of use within the medical science laboratories.
Have you thought about knee replacements? i know TWO men and one woman who have had them , they do take awhile to get used to but the woman especially was happy with the result.
Sorry you are in so much pain, i have been told body massage helps lift both the body minds coping skills. There is also accupuncture for heavy pain? it is accepted by some bulk billing now through reputable medical practices. I had accupuncture once and it sent me to sleep.Care to you both.

We had euthanasia approved here in the NT which was a really great thing but other States complained and goverment listing to rightgest people ruined for us all and people should have that choice
i agree with cuphandle we do put our animals down with one easy needle rather than have them suffer ,so it should be with humans too only if they ask for it
mother bear

Sorry to hear about your pain but quality of life in your case is the issue not whether you can legally end your life. There are alternatives to look at for easing pain other than modern medication. there are things such as meditation, acupuncture, and therapy. I find it sad that you are in so much pain but even sadder that you feel that life isn't worth continuing.

Mother Bear, it wasn't the States or people in general that saw the NT euthanasia legislation overturned. It was all down to just one right wing, "christian" b..tard, SOB by the name of Kevin Andrews. Yep! That ugly mongrel bred waste of space with the greasy, slicked down hair.

I haven't forgotten his "holier than thou" stance on the euthanasia issue and I'm betting a lot of his former supporters haven't either. I hope he gets destroyed at the polls.

And speaking of polls, I wish our other waste of space, Howard, would hurry up and pick a date. I can't wait for the chance to sink his ship of core and non-core promises so that hopefully we can put his equally ugly mug out of our minds for good. I'm really sick of seeing it on TV every night. Turn ya off yer tucker it would!

Thank you AIME
for all the info i guess that mongral lives a healthy life and has suffered no pain ,it is fine to look at someone and hear their crys of pain and say take a pill and get on with life you will do it you are a human ,but unless you live that life of no getting any better only worse having to relay on others to help you through your day the mind is always young but the body betrays you and you feel helpless and worthless and there is nothing you can do about it there is no quilty of life left for you and it is only going to imbarres you in the end and you want to go out of this life with some dignerty . you should have a choice ! it also cost the tax payer money to keep you in this state and to pay for carers

Cuphandle, I feel for you.
I assume that the pain is throughout your body- if it was your knee only they could probably amputate to above the knee, am I wrong?

Aime, you're right.
I resent Christopher Pyne also for imposing his incompassionate, so-called Christian 'morals'. He seems like a really heartless, cold man.

I was very angry when the interfering govenment took it upon themselves to ban "The Peaceful Pill".

I'm from the Netherlands, where euthanasia is legal.
The rules are very strict and patients applying for euthanasia have to be assessed by several doctors carefully. Two out of three patients don't get permission as doctors think something else could be tried to relief the pain.
Paliative care is very good there, maybe the best in the world. This is required so that all is done before the last resort, euthanasia.

Being euthanised is a beautiful, loving way of dying, with family and loved ones around the bed and far more humane than forcing patients to die a violent, agonising death.

Christians find it quite alright to allow someone to die of starvation or have people choke to death because of breathing problems.
What a very scary way to die.

You know what I find intrigueing, that many patients who have been given permission to be euthanised don't even go through with it. Just KNOWING that they can make use of it if they really can't cope anymore seems to give patients that extra bit of umph and courage to go on a bit longer- and a bit longer....
They don't need to be scared of death, or the way they will die anymore, and this surely accounts for relieving them of a lot of associated stress.

This is a lovely thread; because it's a compassionate thread.

Cuphandle, I hope you are having a better day today, and that you have some reasonable days amongst the bad ones.

Thanks Mariah for your kindness; I am lucky though, I don't have a patch of what Cuphandle has to suffer.

I can't resist telling you Aime, that I loved your eloquence in reference to our esteemed (ha!) leader. Likewise the comments of Mother-bear and Celivia.

The coming election is critical; we cannot do any worse than we already have...

(Sorry to bend your thread Cuphandle; good luck, mate.)

cuphandle, my thoughts are with you. I too think that WE should have a choice to end our suffering when WE want too. My husband chose to take that option, even though no one, even him, knew he was suffering from chronic depression. suicide = voluntary euthanasia...you are in so much pain you cannot function in your normal daily living. People have to be able to have a choice and given the choice many will hang on but many may choose the painfree way, and they should have that right. We put down our old arthritic dog but are not given the right to take a pill to relive us of our pain. suicide is still a word you don't use, but cant you see the person who completed suicide is now at peace. Whether it be physical or mental, the choice should be YOURS, not some doctor or politician or not even some family member who really cant understand the pain you are going through. What a pity we do not live in a perfect world, but perfect or not WE should still call the shots in OUR life.
just my 2 cents worth. but then I am still coming to terms with my husbands suicide, trying to see it from both sides.

I thank all contributors for their ongoing concern regarding my situation, however I DO NOT at this time wish to end my life, I just wish to have access to "the pill" and the means to achieve a peaceful solution should the possibility eventually arise!....(I must point out that I have access only to the Public Health System!)
As far as the Knee Joint Replacement goes,....I have just undergone a 2nd Arthroscopy on the knee (19 days ago) and when returning to see the Orthopaedic Specialist for review, was advised that the knee was "worn out" however I could NOT be assessed for a Knee Joint Replacement until I lost 34KG in weight!
I accept that I am overweight, and have become so since I have been forced to become sedentary ( giving up smoking 16 years ago didn`t help the situation), however I now wonder why they went ahead with another Arthroscopy after they were advised that another Orthopaedic Specialist in North Queensland had carried out an Arthroscopy 15 years earlier and who had then advised me that I would " probably need a knee joint replacement in 6 to 8 years time!" and with this information at hand and knowing that I WAS overweight still went ahead and removed more material from the subject knee-joint making the situation much worse than before!

GINX and CALLIE!
GINX, you sound to be a person that exudes love and compassion! Maybe we need more people like yourself "administering" our Health Care System,....we surely could only improve what is now becoming a national disaster!
CALLIE,you are apparently another unique person, who, although already
having lost a loved one, can still offer sympathy to another in need!
We all have our own particular cross to bear in life, and yours is so much heavier because of the "avoidable" loss of your loved one! Hopefully your thoughts and feelings may trigger some response from society which may take more positive steps to prevent many other similar tragedies from occurring in the future!

I am pro choice and believe your choice is yours I do not see your health problems as severe but that is beside the point. You have stated that you want the choice to die. We all have that choice. You want the choice to die peacefully and without being worried about it failing. That is achievable also. Why do you need the government to say it is fine to do so?

Most insurance policies will not pay out for suicide and will treat euthansia with the same reasoning I presume.

If you are of sound mind and have spoken to professionals, your family and loved ones. If you have given a reasonable time limit to think things over with the full facts of the present and future outcomes of your decision. It is ultimately your choice. You can deny blood transfustions to save your life, you can deny transplants to save your life. It is not how high we value our life but how high we value the rights of the individual.

Cardine, you make a very good point concerning life insurance policies not paying out for suicide.

Many years ago, I took a good look at the exclusions scattered throughout my life insurance policy, then promptly picked up the phone and canceled it. Most life insurance policies aren't worth the paper they're written on, although I do know one young woman who benefited greatly when her husband died in his early 20's from an undiagnosed heart condition. More by good fortune than good planning, he'd taken out life insurance just months before and his wife was able to pay out the mortgage and so keep the house.

In this day and age, I would expect insurance companies to rethink the suicide clause. More and more people are becoming overwhelmed by the stress of living in the modern world and make no mistake, as one who's job it is to try and mend those damaged psyches, I've come to realise that we all walk a very fine line between sanity and insanity!

Hi, Aime and Cordine ,
you said, “Most insurance policies will not pay out for suicide and will treat euthanasia with the same reasoning I presume”

I can clear this up for you but I only can tell you how this has been arranged in the Netherlands.
While insurance companies do not pay out for suicide, they will pay out for euthanasia.

By law, insurance companies have to clearly state in their policy if they exclude euthanasia. If they are silent about euthanasia, they will be required to pay out.

THis is because euthanasia is not seen in the same light as suicide because euthanasia cases have a valid medical reason for requesting their death, and this is always confirmed by doctors.

However, there are pro-life insurance companies that people can choose. These policies obviously exclude euthanasia from their policies.
I hope this answers your question.

Celivia, Back in the 60's and whilst being schooled in the Catholic education system, I came into contact with many children who were then called "Dutch" although "Dutchy" said as a way of denigration was the term most often bandied about. In those days, immigrants from what was then referred to as Holland, were not highly thought of by your typical Aussie, much the same as other migrants, however I learned to hate discrimination at a very early age and so often aligned myself with children of immigrants.

One thing I quickly realised from talking to them (remembering that many were not long away from their homeland) is that Australia was deficient in many areas compared to the way things were done in "overseas countries." I was particularly taken by the ingenuity of the Swedes, Russians and that of the Dutch people. Now, in middle age, I find myself applauding the Netherlands for it's stance on many of the problems we face today. Their drug and sex education and methods of dealing with these issues should be held in high regard.

It's obvious from what you write Celivia, that the issue of Euthanasia has also been handled with typical Dutch expertise.

Aime, thank you for your kind words.

I, like many others, don't see the danger of legalising euthanasia. It just means that it is available (with doctor's agreement and only if no other cure or pain relief is available) for people who want it.

I'm not sure why, for other than religious reasons, people would object to euthanasia.
If they don't like the idea, then they're not forced to use the service.
But they have no problem with forcing very ill patients to suffer a horrific, painful death against their will.
Where is the compassion?

It's obvious to me that too many times, Church and State prove not as separate as we like to think they are.

The religious are 'supposed to' preach to their own flock, e.g. about the ethics of euthanasia or abortion; and I have no problem with that. They can preach whatever they like and live by their rules, whatever they are. They're welcome to have 10 children in poverty, or allow themselves to starve to death when they can't absorb food or liquid. It's their body, their choice.

But other people should have the opportunity to choose too.

So, I am tolerant of religions only to a certain point- when they start interfering with the freedom and choices of others, then I have a problem with religions.
Their beliefs are just beliefs based on faith, not on facts and theri beliefs are not everyone's cup of tea.

There is no reason why others should have to submit to their beliefs and dogma.

"There is no reason why others should have to submit to their beliefs and dogma."

Quite right Celivia and we're not the only ones who feel this way. Religious dogma is the reason I was so angry when Kevin Andrews put up a private members bill to overturn the NT euthanasia legislation. He had no damned right to impose his religious beliefs on the general population of the NT or on anyone else in Australia for that matter.

Now, we have a situation whereby older Aussies are heading to Mexico to buy pharmaceuticals which, should they eventually decide to use it, will offer them a dignified end to the suffering they would otherwise be forced to endure by well intended, but unrealistic religious organisations.

Sadder still are those who, with no other perceived way out of their pain and suffering, chose to end their lives through truly horrible methods. What about the added suffering of their families who find them swinging by the neck or maybe suffering terrible injuries from a non fatal gun shot wound. It happens more than we'd care to know about. It's families who have to tend to their loved ones after a botched attempt has left them brain damaged, but do the likes of Kevin Andrews stop to think about those situations? Heck no! He's walking around with a self satisfied smirk on his ugly mug content in the knowledge that he's used his religious nonsense to destroy the rights of those who don't hold his beliefs.

It appears that for the time being, the Netherlands hold pride of place on this issue well above that of Australia, however, I'm hoping that given time, that situation will change. Getting rid of a few of those religious nutters who hold power in our current Federal Government would be a great start.

"He had no damned right to impose his religious beliefs on the general population of the NT or on anyone else in Australia for that matter."

This is where you run into a problem. The Vatican believes that
secularists are the big evil and that they have every damned right
to manipulate the political system to enforce their religious
agenda. Never underestimate the power of the Catholic political
lobby!

The best thing that we can do is hope that Pyne, Andrews etc,
are tossed out of politics on their ears. They can have freedom
of religion, we want freedom from religion. We should each be
able to live, according to our beliefs.

Catholics might think that suffering is noble, sorry but I think
that they are confused. If Catholic fanatics like Opus Dei want to
get kinky and whip themselves in the name of religion, hey ok,
but keep me out of it!

Celivia, keep up the great posts. You are a shining light on
OLO!

Well, thank you, Yabby.
You're a rock in abortion debates, I thank you in the name of all sinful women :)

Aime et al,
I just saw that someone on OLO (I think it was Ho hum) posted a link to request the resignation of Kevin Andrews. I thought I'd put it up here as well, although this particular issue is not about euthanasia, I'm happy to get him to resign for different reasons also.
Apparently he fudged his own resume.

"Dear Kevin Andrews MP,

Due to the recent debacle involving the Australian Government and Dr Haneef I am directly requesting your resignation.

Sincerely,
..... "

http://www.andrewsmustresign.com

Cuphandle, I too do feel for'ye, as do all previous posters. I have a feeling you are standing on the fork in the road bearing the signs "Hope" and "No Hope". Eventhough I agree with Celivia about her homecountry's (as is mine) humane treatment of sufferers it was not always so and people had to fight for it.I still remember the barbarian methods they used to pull 7 of my nails out withour anastetics whilst I was 12.Letting my father die a horable death from lung cancer even though naturopathic treatments could have been had just next door in Germany.I am sure there are tons of stories out there which could have been solved naturally.Instead of boring you with my own history of health challenges, I can honestly say that there is always hope if you are prepared to look for it and take the action.I stayed away from bad food,ate raw as much as possible,left meat at the butchers unless I shot game or caught fish and prepared it myself i.e. healthy lifestyle! Increase the right supplements like selenium,magnesium and calcium did wonders for my R.arthritus with the added benefit of my body creating the cartilage again.I'll leave it there otherwise I will be sued (that is how sick this society is) for giving medical advice.Medications are poisons and breakdown your natural defence/building system. Good example is by pooring acid on concrete or calcium like the white ants do it can also distroy bone.
There is plenty of hope found on the net nowadays for people in out predicament, I'd say go for it and fight for YOU.One last one: find a practitioner in your area who can apply pain relief as most will not ever charge you like a wounded bull and most likely not charge you at all if you don't get relief.Start here: http://1stn4most.com and watch the video.