Euthanasia

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Check this out

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... story.html

We need to think carefully about assisted suicide...

Well I believe they ended his life because that is what he wanted, not because he had autism. They thought maybe they could make things better for him, so that maybe he would want to live, and that failed.

I watched an assisted suicide documentary that took place there, and they made very sure that that was what the person wanted. Like "if you drink this, you will die, do you understand?" Person clearly acknowledges they understand. "Are you sure?" again the person says yes. It was a very thorough process.

On the flip side, would it not be wrong to keep someone from doing this because they have autism?

I'm not judging. I think assisted suicide should be legal. I simply think, particularly in America, we need to be careful. There are people here (think Conservatives) who would like some (think Progressives) of us dead. You need only look here at WP to see some of that sentiment...

I do not believe doctors should help people with non terminal conditions kill themselves.

I think that it is a really difficult topic with no easy answers. There are many mentally ill people who can get better with treatment, and may decide instead to choose euthanasia. And there are mentally ill people who may never get better with treatment, and will instead suffer if they continue to live. I don't think it's an easy task to figure out which of these categories a person may fall into.

The man with autism must have suffered from anxiety and depression in addition to his autism, and perhaps PTSD from childhood trauma. So it was likely not just autism that caused his misery. Was he really treatable? Does anyone really know?

That's why I'm not sure if euthanasia is really a good idea for non-terminal illness. There doesn't seem to be a good way to determine whether it truly is the best option for the individual.

I believe where there is life there is hope.

I'm all for euthanasia. If people want to die just let them. I'd probably ask for it myself.

I think it depends on the alternatives. You don't need to be terminally ill to be facing certain death for example. We assume in our society that parents want the best for their children. But if they feel like it, they can force them to live on the streets as soon as they turn 18. That doesn't happen a lot fortunately because this general assumption mostly holds true. But it does happen, and if those people are unable to provide for themselves (most common neurological disorder among the homeless is ASD) they probably won't last very long out there. If nobody else will take care of them and/or treatment does not increase independence sufficiently, the result is often dying on the streets.

Sadly those people wouldn't be in a situation to apply for assisted suicide anyway because it requires money and making arrangements with multiple doctors and psychiatrists and what not which they may not be able to handle by themselves. I think it's worth looking into this, less suffering can't be a bad thing right?