wel wat hav dey got 2 live 4 ?

Our life-at-any-costs obsession makes little sense in a world where life is both under and over-valued. If a person is compus mentus, they should of course have the right to make an informed decision about ending their own life. Why do so many people fail to see the irrefutable logic of this?

Exactly - we take away the right to live from those before they are even born, and from those who have lived their lives and Earned the right to decide whats best, we take away the right to die. Ironic really, and wrong. A consenting adult is just that - a CONSENTING adult.

If an animal is suffering and nothing more can be done to help its considered humane to end its suffering.  So why is it so difficult to understand when a human being wants to put an end to their suffering when there is no hope of them living anyway, it only prolongs the agony for both them and their loved ones who have to watch them suffer unecessarily. 

Well if it was done by a doctor I think it would be ok, but not by anybody who does not have a professional degree.

If they want to kill themselves make a machine that when activated by them kills themselves, doesn't have to be a very complicated machine, I can think of a few cheap machines that wouldn't take much stimulus by a patient (blink counter etc) to activate a Humane and cheap Nitrogen hypoxia ventilation system, apparently you feel elated before blacking out and then wait six minutes or so until the person is dead.

This way it would be suicide.

However I do not believe that a patient, however ill they may, be should legally be able to seek out someone who will murder them for them, Doctors kill enough people accidentally every year, and some people want to add more bodies to that list? I would strongly think about how the effects of Doctor administered Euthanasia would affect the community, I mean if Doctors become the child in this next analogy then I'll never see a doctor again, Mother to child- ''why did you do that!'' Child-''Because they asked me to''.

This is a reply to the Person calling themselves ''Buzz'',  I am not aware of abortion in Ireland? however your argument that a ''Consenting adult'' should be able to decide if they want to die because they are a ''CONSENTING''  and lucid enough to understand the dangers and implications of their decision is flawed.

For example, Consenting and intelligent adults are not legally deemed capable to decide if they want to take an illegal drug in a recreational dose. Even though the person may be an expert in the field of Pharmacology the State denies them the right to make the decision if they want to experience that drug. Whatever your opinions on this subject it matters little, as the state ''knows best'' and in the case of Euthanasia, I think they have it right.

Yes I do!  If the quality of life is poor.  If you are ' existing' and not living..It's selfish for others to want to hang onto someone who isn't living as such!!

Only when there is intense pain and discomfort, and no hope for remission or cure.

It is a very hard decision to have to make. I wouldn't let any of my family or friends suffer unbearable pain when there is no hope. Surely the greatest gift we can give someone we love is to allow them to pass on peacefully and without pain surrounded by love? I don't envy anyone who has ever had to make this decision but I know in my heart I wouldn't be able to watch a loved one suffer and do nothing.

I entirely agree with Pat and the general tenor of all meails on the subject to date......we reluctantly put our 17-yr-old dog to sleep 2 days ago. Others felt we should have done it some time ago, but we made it our business to accommodate her frailties in the latter weeks. The time came though :-(

I wish I could have done the same for my Dad, who following many weeks of much discomfort, then had to endure several days of absolute hell that he could well have done without. I for one would have sanctioned a little extra help to shorten that period. I suspect my Mum and other close family would have agreed. 

The palliative team arrangement of Dad having his last few days at home failed miserably too :-( He was very upset when we were forced to bring him back to the hospital, 3 days before he died. It was no one person's fault (for this straddled a weekend), just the system wasn't user-friendly. Nobody at the end of the phone at such an important time.

Hi Sa I am sorry to hear about your Father, and that his palliative care failed you all. It is so imperative that palliative care is of the highest standard to allow our relatives to pass with as much dignity and as little pain as possible. This is something that really needs to be lookied at, not only because a dignified passing is the least someone deserves but also because watching a loved one die is traumatic, and if this trauma is further compounded by a situation where there is unnecessary pain etc then this can interfere with the grieving process.

Re your beloved pet, people will always say "he should be put out of his misery" but these are the very same people who will put a dog down simply because its old. They are simply looking for absolution, so that they can sleep at night. We went through the same with a pet, and yes it is heartbreaking and tough and time consuming and it would be much easier to say "oh just put it to sleep" but most people who take this route are doing it for THEIR sake, not the animals. At the end of the day, life is bl**dy precious!

Kind regards

Whatever your opinions on this subject it matters little, as the state ''knows best'' and in the case of Euthanasia, I think they have it right.

My opinion matters little? It matters no more or less than yours joyfulwind (or should I say "the person who calls themselves" joyfulwind)

If you do not agree with euthanasia that is fine, but please do not single ME out and direct all your obvious anger towards one poster, when it is obvious that there are MANY more people on here who share my sentiments regarding this issue.

Thank you.

I am sure it would take a little more than a patient asking the doctor, and to view in such light is grossly unrealistic and simplistic. Such a decision would need to be clarified before a legal body for a start.

Mr. Buzz I am not ''singling you out'' you interpreted what I wrote incorrectly, When I wrote ''...whatever your opinions on this subject it matters little as the state knows best... '' The plural of the word Opinion was used to let anyone reading it know that I meant all the pro euthanasia opinion people here.

Please read carefully and don't accuse people of writing things they did not write.

Secondly, I replied to you explicitly as the text written by you contained a gross fallacy concerning abortion in Ireland, and your ''consenting'' argument was also flawed, I did not reply to the other people here as they didn't have hypocritical opinions.

Lastly, when it boils down to it, and you rid all the formalities the person just asks a Doctor after asking a judge etc. ''hey can I get someone to kill me please?'' it doesn't matter if you get it typed up with fancy ink and you pay a lawyer etc. to defend your right, you're basically saying ''someone kill me, please?''

Like in my case I had to ask a Garda ''Stop this guy from parking in my driveway please?'' when my neighbour kept parking in my driveway, sure I had to go to court and get a lawyer and spend money on fancy ink formalities but in the end it is just me asking a simple question.

By the way, I did win,

Have a good day.

Mr. Buzz

Its MS actually there you go again making assumptions

I am not ''singling you out'' you interpreted what I wrote incorrectly,

- YOU are responsible for the messages benhind your posts, so dont try to back out of them now

When I wrote ''...whatever your opinions on this subject it matters little as the state knows best... ''

-why did you not say that at the time? Convenient....Please read carefully and don't accuse people of writing things they did not write.

Secondly, I replied to you explicitly as the text written by you contained a gross fallacy concerning abortion in Ireland, and your ''consenting'' argument was also flawed, I did not reply to the other people here as they didn't have hypocritical opinions.

so now an opinion that goes against yours is a "gross fallacy.

Lastly, when it boils down to it, and you rid all the formalities the person just asks a Doctor after asking a judge etc. ''hey can I get someone to kill me please?'' it doesn't matter if you get it typed up with fancy ink and you pay a lawyer etc. to defend your right, you're basically saying ''someone kill me, please?''

- typed up in fancy ink? Way to insult ALL legal professionals! If you think the law is merely a stationery indulgence whereby we "type things in fancy ink" then you are seriosuly misguided to say the least

-and now we degrade the entire argument by likening it to a parking issue. Someone parking on YOUR property? Well at least you have a sense of perspective I will give you that!

By the way, I did win,

-its not a battle

Have a good day.

You are right I did make an assumption, I thought only a Man could be so inferior in understanding, as afterall, I was led to believe Women are more intelligent, as I am frequently reminded by feminists: females are more successful in the Leaving Certificate. Alas I was mistaken and you should be happy to note that I have dutifully revised my conceptions of the female gender.

Ha, You truly believe in the authority and morality of the legal system? I recommend you familiarize yourself with the case of Mordechai Vanunu and how Ireland refused him Asylum. However I digress, Your spelling is atrocious e.g ''benhind'' and ''seriosuly'' and to quote Jane Austen, I am burdened to read all your ''checkerwork''.

Secondly, You seem to clearly have an inability to grasp simple issues like the difference between an Opinion and a fallacy.

You said: ''An opinion that goes against yours is a gross fallacy''

Sigh, this is no further than the truth and I never insinuated such a thing.

I'll break it down for you.

Your opinion: I think Euthanasia should be practised.

this is a FACT and not a gross fallacy, if indeed this is your opinion.

A gross fallacy: written by You: ''we take away the right to live from those before they are even born''

This is FALSE and like I've said a gross fallacy.

So as you see, an Opinion is the expression of a belief, a gross fallacy is a statement not grounded in the land of reality.

I can understand your struggle with this issue, afterall, if as you say, you are in the legal profession, you more than likely are a bit fuzzy about the difference between fact and fiction.

Now I'll move onto the issue of your statement ''why did you not say that at the time? Convenient''.

Please, enlighten me as to what exactly you are talking about?

I will need to assume that you are referring to my statement that you copied and pasted right before making this bewildering statement, which is : When I wrote ''...whatever your opinions on this subject it matters little as the state knows best...'' You will, like I've said, find that I did indeed use the plural of the word Opinion and therefore did ''say that at the time'' It's the message Posted: 06/06/2009 12:09.

Lastly,

You- ''its not a battle''

I never said it was now did I? I could go on and on about how you were quick to point out I made an assumption about your gender and now you yourself are hypocritically making the assumption that I believed I was in a battle, but I'm not as childish as some. I would like to point out though that One does not need to be in a battle to win at something now do they?

Oh the humanity.