Jehova's Witness

[FoxyBunny]

I'll even engage in a little de-railment here, but what of assisted suicide? Is it suicide or murder?

Ohhh, I can't answer that from a religious point-of-view seeing as how I have discarded all the dogma. I look at it from a compassionate point of view. Look, I just had to put down one of our new kittens. The poor thing was gasping for every breathe, couldn't eat or drink or stand, was clearly suffering, and there was no hope of recovery. The only kind thing to do was gently ease its passing.

If we can be kind to animals this way, why are we so cruel to humans? Is their suffering less valid? Do they feel less pain? Is their own hopelessness less depressing? One of the greatest things to come about in medicine in the past few decades is the concept of hospice. Allowing someone to die naturally, in dignity and comfort, surrounded by those who care. The natural extension, in my opinion, is to let them choose the time and manner of their own passing so as to avoid prolonged suffering when there is no longer hope for recovery.

Humans have free will...yet we choose to forbid ourselves from exercising it in the most important matter of all: do we have to keep living when we no longer wish to do so? I don't think we should have to. Helping someone to commit suicide in a responsible and caring manner is neither murder nor suicide in my eyes. It is logical and compassionate and HUMAN.

[Bree Fletcher]

Ohhh, I can't answer that from a religious point-of-view seeing as how I have discarded all the dogma. I look at it from a compassionate point of view. Look, I just had to put down one of our new kittens. The poor thing was gasping for every breathe, couldn't eat or drink or stand, was clearly suffering, and there was no hope of recovery. The only kind thing to do was gently ease its passing.

If we can be kind to animals this way, why are we so cruel to humans? Is their suffering less valid? Do they feel less pain? Is their own hopelessness less depressing? One of the greatest things to come about in medicine in the past few decades is the concept of hospice. Allowing someone to die naturally, in dignity and comfort, surrounded by those who care. The natural extension, in my opinion, is to let them choose the time and manner of their own passing so as to avoid prolonged suffering when there is no longer hope for recovery.

Humans have free will...yet we choose to forbid ourselves from exercising it in the most important matter of all: do we have to keep living when we no longer wish to do so? I don't think we should have to. Helping someone to commit suicide in a responsible and caring manner is neither murder nor suicide in my eyes. It is logical and compassionate and HUMAN.

Actually, I think one of the problems with allowing humans this is that it is actually open to much abuse. A corrupt doctor could, say, kill a patient, and later claim with impunity (as the only other witness is dead) that the patient was dying and requested it of him. We allow people to "put down" their pets because humans, on average, care about those animals less. We don't really care if an animal is killed when it isn't suffering. (Yet again, on average. I realize there are certainly individuals who would care, me being one of them, but anyway...)

Point is, murder could go undetected under that allowance.