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!