Sunday, October 6, 2013

As It Stands: What’s your thoughts on legal suicide becoming more common?

     Good Day World!

Today we’re going to look at a growing trend that may trouble you, but it’s necessary to recognize that legalized suicides are someday going to be available everywhere.

They’re legal where I live in Oregon right now because voters wanted that option. Other countries and US states are increasingly decriminalizing assisted-suicides.

Assisted-suicide is legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and four American states (Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana).

“Assisted suicide is a general term for a suicide committed by someone with assistance from another person or persons. It is often confused with euthanasia (sometimes called "mercy killing"), in that euthanasia refers to the killing of another in order to relieve dire suffering, and physician aid in dying, which is a practice in which a physician provides a competent, terminally ill patient with a prescription for a lethal dose of medication, upon the patient's request, which the patient intends to use to end his or her own life.” (Wikipedia)

I can’t help but think of one of the Obamacare myths about so-called “Death Panels,” circulated by the Republican Party. The conversation over when it’s okay to kill someone – if they don’t want to live any longer – is going to enter the mainstream media again, and again, with more emphasis as a political club for partisan politics.

All religions condemn suicide. That isn’t going to change despite secular laws allowing assisted-suicides. Therefore, the subject will always be a point of contention in America, and the rest of the world.

I’ll weigh in and say that I believe WE SHOULD have that choice – to legally end our lives – but with a caveat: I don’t want to see people who are just depressed be allowed to kill themselves. It’s one thing if you’re hooked up to machines that are keeping you alive, and another to arbitrarily end you life because of mental problems.

Recently, there was a high-profile case of a Belgian transsexual who chose to be killed by medical euthanasia after a sex-change operation turned him into a "monster."

According to this article, there’s a soaring number of people in the region electing to die this way – and it has raised fresh questions over the controversial practice.

So what are you’re thoughts on assisted-suicide? If you have a moment, please leave a comment.

Time for me to walk on down the road….

   

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