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Brian Cox
  • Brian Cox
  • Cardiff By The Sea, CA
  • United States

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Euthanasia: In favor or opposed?

Some questions to get you thinking:

Should patients be allowed the right to die?
Are doctors obligated to assist patients with their dying wish?
Should assisted suicide be illegal?

Related Talks:
Topics: Assisted Suicide Beneficence Doc-Patient Relationship Euthanasia Medical ethics autonomy ethics
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    Elisabeth Buffard 500+

    • +2
    HostTED AttendeeTED TranslatorAssociateLanguage Coordinator
    Jun 26 2012: Whoever gives an opinion on this has to have been helpless next to someone suffering without any possibility of relief and a death verdict from doctors, day after day, night after night. There is no other legitimate position to give any opinion but being the one suffering and dying.
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      Brian Cox 20+

      • +1
      Jun 26 2012: I think your perspective highlights the importance of competence.

      In a perfect world, we would all be in complete control of our own destiny. The pursuit of dignity through autonomy is an essential facet of human freedom.

      However, how can those lacking competence (coma, brain trauma, severe depression, etc.) provide a reliable source of personal opinion? Shouldn't we protect these people?

      Most historical cases of euthanasia eventually fall into the debate of competence.

    • Edward Webber

      • 0
      Jul 5 2012: I fail to understand how I cannot have an opinion as to if I should be allowed, by a bunch of random people, to end my own life in a painless manner because I am not suffering. If someone wishes to die, that is their right, it is their life to end.

      The debate of assisted suicide (which need not even be assisted, but available) tramples on the rights of those who are competent. Competence is simply a red herring used to prevent any euthanasia at all. After all, even non-assisted suicide remains illegal in some countries. In more countries, advising a person as to how to commit suicide means prison. In yet more countries helping someone properly commit suicide means prison.

      The ACLU of America defines the prohibition of assisted suicide to be cruel and unusual punishment. I tend to agree. Forcing makeshift non-assisted suicides ensures the person dies in agony, or worse, doesn't die at all, when there are proven clinical methods of pain-free death.

      • Hava Owens

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        Jul 17 2012: Medical staff should not be responsible for taking or to help take a life. That would be up to the patient. It has gone on like this since the beginning of time. It is not a job requirement of medical staff nor should it be a job requirement of a medical staff to participate in taking a life. The job of the medical staff is healing and saving lives not taking them.

        • Edward Webber

          • 0
          Jul 17 2012: First, what part of my posting is this even a response to? These generic talking points are getting tiresome and do nothing to progress the conversation.

          "It has gone on like this since the beginning of time."

          Are you really using the "it's tradition" argument? Dogma is not a path to progress. If we all lived by dogma, we'd still be worshiping the sun on a flat earth below a firmament with bloodletting as a cure-all.

          "Medical staff should not be responsible for taking or to help take a life. That would be up to the patient."

          You are partially correct. Being a doctor is a profession, which is defined by a job description. You change the job description and the responsibility changes. It's quite easy. If you don't want to do the job, you don't apply for the job. It is basic employment. If you wish to avoid aiding in suicide, don't work for a place which requires it.

          "That would be up to the patient."

          You are entirely correct, and the doctor's job is to aid the patient in their treatment. Put simply, if life is the ailment, suicide is the treatment. If a doctor does not wish to perform euthanizing, there are thousands of other careers out there.

          I find "not my job" to be the most baseless of all of the regurgitated talking points regarding euthanasia. If you don't want to do a job, don't apply for it. There is always someone who has _all_ of the patients' interests at heart, not just the ones they agree with.

          Your entire argument of "should" is meaningless. Employers post job descriptions, employees fill them. If you don't wish to do the job, don't apply. There will be no shortage of doctors willing to take the job, after the doctors who feel they have the right to dictate what employers "should" do head to the unemployment office.

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