euthanasia

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Most euthanasia patients are elderly people who have a VERY slim chance of living anyways, and even if they did, what else is left in their life to motivate them when theyr 80 yrs old? Forcing someone to go through torturous means such as having feeding tubes shoved through their navels, death is clearly their better alternative. I know if I were in that situation I'd want someone to pull the plug on me.

The commission’s two-volume report, known as the Remmelink Report, was issued in 1991.<10 The Remmelink Report included complete statistical data upon which it based its conclusions. Independent analysis of this rich source of information had a profoundly negative impact on the world’s view of Dutch euthanasia. According to the Remmelink Report, about 130,000 people die each year in the Netherlands. Of these, approximately 43,300, or about one third, die suddenly—from catastrophic heart attacks, stroke, accidents, etc.—thus precluding medical decision making about end-of-life care. That leaves approximately 90,000 people whose deaths involve end-of-life medical decision making each year.

With that in mind, here are the figures about euthanasia-related deaths in 1990, derived from the Remmelink Report’s published statistical data:

* 2,300 patients were euthanized (killed) by their doctors upon request, and 400 people died through physician-assisted suicide, for a total of 2,700 doctor-induced deaths. That is approximately 3 percent of all deaths involving end-of-life medical care. The equivalent percentage in the United States would be approximately 41,500 deaths.
* 1,040 died from involuntary euthanasia, lethal injections given without request or consent—three deaths every single day. These deaths constitute slightly more than 1 percent of all cases involving end-of-life medical care. (The same percentage in the United States would be approximately 16,000 involuntary killings per year.) Of these involuntary euthanasia cases, 14 percent, or 145, were fully competent to make their own medical decisions but were killed without their request or consent anyway. (The same percentage in the United States would be more than 2,000 who would be killed.) Moreover, 72 percent of the people killed without their consent had never given any indication they would want their lives terminated.
* 8,100 patients died from an intentional overdose of morphine or other pain-control medications, designed primarily to terminate life. In other words, death was not a side effect of treatment to relieve pain, which can sometimes occur, but was the intended result of the overdose. Of these, 61 percent (4,941 patients) were intentionally overdosed without request or consent. The equivalent percentage in the United States would be approximately 78,000.

These figures are startling. Of the approximately 90,000 Dutch people whose deaths involved end-of-life medical decision-making in 1990, 11,140 were intentionally killed (euthanized) or assisted in suicide—or 11.1 percent of all Dutch deaths involving medical decision-making! This is approximately 8.5 percent of Dutch deaths from all causes. Of these killings, more than half were involuntary (1,040 involuntary lethal injections and 4,941 involuntary intentional overdoses). Applying those percentages to the U.S. death rate would mean more than 170,000 deaths each year caused by euthanasia or assisted suicide, and about 85,000 of these involuntary, more than the current number of U.S. suicides and homicides combined.

The Swiss Supreme Court has ruled that people with mental illnesses can be legally assisted in suicide. The case came about when a member of Dignitas, an organization that, for a fee, provides a safe house for, and assistance with, suicide, brought a lawsuit seeking the right to have his death facilitated. The man does not have cancer, AIDS, or another physical illness, as that term is popularly understood. Rather, he is depressed from bipolar disease. But this does not mean that he does not have a right to die. According to the International Herald Tribune, the Swiss high court ruled, “It must be recognized that an incurable, permanent, serious mental disorder can cause similar suffering as a physical (disorder), making life appear unbearable to the patient in the long term.”

In Holland doctors euthanize infants, often without parental permission.

The slippery slope of legalizing assisted suicide, from Holland. Things have gotten worse since:



(source link)

Euthanasia aside, I don't think it's right to condemn people for making a decision of free will. Our culture seems to demonize suicide, but if someone has a permanent problem that they can't do anything about, then suicide should be their right. One shouldn't be forced to live a miserable life just to make other people happy, what will happen is sooner or later that person will snap and quite possibly kill people who don't wish to die.
Like I said, suicide is a right, it's about self control and free will. Nobody knows what that person feels like except that person. Just as nobody has a right to take an innocent life against their will, one should have no right to make people live against their will either. A life is the express property of the individual who owns it. Take it from someone who has lived over 8 yrs riding the fence.

HAHA I'm sorry but you Americans are so dumb and naive.

You know, I actually live in Holland and I can say that's NOT true.

My God, you know that we dutch can laugh days about the stupidity of americans? For reasons like this, because all americans seem to believe what the american media say about holland.

Those things are not told in the american media, because it damages the american image.

the media talked about nothing but that woman's right to live et cetera

But did you know that daily tens of (mainly black) children are killed in the US WITHOUT parental permission while there is a big chance for them to survive?

Those 'facts' that you give are not true. 90.000? Right, i'd first check your sources before posting such dumb numbers.

These figures are startling. Of the approximately 90,000 Dutch people whose deaths involved end-of-life medical decision-making in 1990, 11,140 were intentionally killed (euthanized) or assisted in suicide—or 11.1 percent of all Dutch deaths involving medical decision-making! This is approximately 8.5 percent of Dutch deaths from all causes. Of these killings, more than half were involuntary (1,040 involuntary lethal injections and 4,941 involuntary intentional overdoses).

I wouldn't object if euthanasia would be possible to average people, of course under strict supervision, laws and moral standards. There are ways to die fast and with a minimum of suffering.

Our culture seems to demonize suicide, but if someone has a permanent problem that they can't do anything about, then suicide should be their right. One shouldn't be forced to live a miserable life just to make other people happy, what will happen is sooner or later that person will snap and quite possibly kill people who don't wish to die.

Like I said, suicide is a right, it's about self control and free will. Nobody knows what that person feels like except that person. Just as nobody has a right to take an innocent life against their will, one should have no right to make people live against their will either. A life is the express property of the individual who owns it. Take it from someone who has lived over 8 yrs riding the fence.

Are you gonna offer a non-religious-based argument why it's wrong? I've been riding the razor's edge for about 8 yrs and could fall off at any moment, I don't think it's being selfish, I shouldn't be expected to live a miserable life for others if I can't be happy myself. To suggest I should live for others and suffer an entire lifetime, that to me sounds selfish. I wasn't ever given an option, I didn't choose if I would be born, where, how, when, or any of this s**t. Why should I not have the choice to say no to it all if I feel it's my better option?

Although suicide cannot be defined as a mental disorder, the various risk factors—especially the presence of mood disorders—that predispose young people to such behavior are given special emphasis in this section, as is a discussion of the effectiveness of various forms of treatment. The evidence is strong that over 90 percent of children and adolescents who commit suicide have a mental disorder, as explained later in this section.