I must apologize in advance, because I’m going to put a lot of videos and articles in this post and it will probably occupy a lot of space on the starting page of this site (needless to say, feel free to write your opinions about euthanasia in the comment section).
https://theconversation.com/separating-fact-from-fiction-about-euthanasia-in-belgium-58203
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3748787/Euthanasia-tourists-rush-Belgium-free-lethal-injections-staggering-2-023-medically-killed-year.html
https://newsmavens.com/news/aha-moments/2088/belgium-fears-euthanasia-tourism
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/24/brussels-denies-eu-rules-encourage-euthanasia-tourism/
And a PDF about euthanasia in Belgium:
Euthanasia practice in Belgium
10 comments
I was just watching a documentary about a girl in the Netherlands who got euthanasia for depression. After reading an article or two myself on my own time, I’ve learned that Oregon is reviewing it’s euthanasia statutes to determine whether or not euthanasia for mental illness should be included.
My opinion on the matter is biased. However, objectively speaking, I think the mentally I’ll should be allowed euthanasia. It’s a quality of life and dignity issue.
There was a time when falling on the sword, or going down with the ship, or ritual suicide after defeat was considered on honorable death. I believe euthanasia is just as honorable. It saves the living resources, and doesnt prolong suffering.
Thank you for posting this. very interesting topic.
You’re welcome, thank you for your comment.
I am a full supporter of euthanasia. I think that people who suffer from of illness (mental or physical) that makes their life a living hell, should have the right to end their torment. We euthanize our animals in order to end their suffering. Why can’t the same be done to people?
Well, some will say that human beings are different from animals. Religious people will probably say that God gave life, so he’s the only one to take it back. Also, should euthanasia be available to everybody, for people with serious mental and health problems or only for the terminally ill? Also, there’s the question if the patient or the doctor should be the one to make the decision and perform the act. And what if the doctor or the patient is wrong? And how can we know that?
To tell you the truth, I don’t have a clear opinion about this – I think that this is an objective decision that someone has to take… The only thing I can say for sure, is that this is a very divisive topic…
Thanks for posting this info for us. Great to see Belgium is offering euthanasia for free for EU citizens. It should be the same in all western nations including the US and Canada.
It’s nobody else’s business if I decide to end my life, it’s between myself and the doctor. Typically it’s religious lunatics who have been preventing euthanasia from being fully legal and available for all.
We have it here in Canada but it’s still pretty restrictive. I think things will only change when the older generation of religious wackos die off and more liberal-minded people take up positions of power and do the right thing and make it fully available.
No surprise they’re now trying to restrict it in Belgium because of death-tourism and “too many” people are dying. So we need quotas? Is this some sort of amusement park ride and only a handful a year get in? What a bunch of bs. I think it’s a wonderful service and about time we have it. It’ll give freedom to old and sick people or those who simply don’t want to live.
Well, it’s not exactly ”for free” – you don’t just go there and say ”please, kill me” and they do it… If you decide to do it, you have to go to Belgium, stay there for some time, and if the doctors agree, then they’ll set a date for you. This can take years and many, many visits to the doctors. And it’s not 100% sure that they’ll do it, or even that you’ll be able to do it – many apply for euthanasia, then they regret it and just don’t go on with it.
But I think that the debate about euthanasia is not so much about making it a law, but who should have access to it. For example, if someone’s terminally ill, has a few months to live and she/he is in constant pain, then euthanasia seems like a humane act. The problem comes with people who suffer from a psychological disorder, people who don’t have any health problems and just want to die and, last but not least, small children. Should they be able to apply for euthanasia? Some will say yes, others will say no. When it comes to these cases, there are many arguments for and against euthanasia…
Also, I think that we should think about the doctors. In the videos they seem to be fine, but who knows how they will be in the future…
As I said, it’s very complicated – that’s why there’s no general consensus about it and I don’t think people will reach a general agreement, at least in the near future.
This is what I need, need, NEED. It needs to be more readily available. I gave up hope on being euthanized because I found out it was very strict. You have to be very old and with a very terminal illness and dying already within 6 months. I don’t think I’ll die naturally for some time, but that doesn’t mean I’m not ready to. My suicide goal has always been a ‘less than 6 months away’ plan. More like, ‘Lord knows if I’ll wake up and commit tomorrow.. because I really should’ But before I found out it would be damn near impossible, it (Euthanasia) was one of my only hopes and lifelines, otherwise next to nothing else could save me. This is just the hands down safest, most structured way to suicide. Arguments for assisted suicide is ‘Two is better than one.’ True suicide people will commit no matter what but it could be messy, disturbing if they try to complete on their own. For example, gun shot/ unexpecting folks finding the mess. oh you know, brain damage.. this poor soul attempts because they’ve been suffering trying to commit for at least a couple decades and ends up with no temporal lobe. Why fight suicide when you can help it.. instead of police violence why not help them with euthanasia?
I knew you were going to write this. But, as I wrote before, it’s a very complicated matter and everyone has his own personal opinion about it. I don’t think there’s gonna be a general acceptance or rejection of euthanasia in the near future and the debate will just go on…
I’m just saying someone suffering and in pain will commit suicide no matter what. Good to know there’s no help out there.
Tip: You can take up much less space on the front page, if you insert the MORE tag where you want your post to be cut off. Its symbol looks like a sandwich with a dotted line in the middle in the visual editor.
One neat thing you can do is create a sort of cliffhanger, so that people will want to know “what happens next” and click on your post to view the whole thing.