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Assisted Death……..
Did any of you lot watch the Richard Dimbleby lecture by Sir Terry Pratchett on Tuesday or Wed’s night? His speech was narrated by Baldrick from time team (name slipped off my tongue!)
it’s on bbc i player i think if you missed it, an extremely thought provoking lecture.
what a superb speech indeed. I know it’s a touchy subject and will probably upset some but, the man has a very sound point.
I for one am in full support of ‘assisted death’ and my wishes are quite clear to my family, we don’t allow animals to continue living in certain ways, even when they are still of sound mind yet we help them on their way to avoid pain and suffering, why can we not extend the same courtesy to our fellow human beans?
what do you lot think?
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12 Replies
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Human Beans…. Are they the same as Kidney Beans or Baked Beans?
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Wish someone would help assist me in getting rid of my mother-in-law. 👿
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I’ve been advised to watch it. Apparently Tony Robinson was brilliant, doing it without notes etc.
As a routine measure, I’m not sure about assisted death. There seems to be too many opportunites for abuse.
I’m prepared to be reassured/convinced though.
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quote John Childs:I’ve been advised to watch it. Apparently Tony Robinson was brilliant, doing it without notes etc.As a routine measure, I’m not sure about assisted death. There seems to be too many opportunites for abuse.
I’m prepared to be reassured/convinced though.
Hi Jhon,
Do watch it, if all it does is give you a few chuckles from the way it’s been written, then it was worth the time to view.
he read from an autocue i think, you could see it reflecting on the acrylic podium from time to time, must’ve been in the audience as he was always looking outward, mostly centrally! sorry!
if you’re a bit of a fan of Pratchett anyways, it is even more worth a look.
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Its interesting when both ends of the spectrum are in the news at the same time
People who favour ending life if they can no longer undergo any more suffering and the detection of some intelligent response to signals to a person’s brain who is in a veg like state
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quote John Singh:Its interesting when both ends of the spectrum are in the news at the same time
People who favour ending life if they can no longer undergo any more suffering and the detection of some intelligent response to signals to a person’s brain who is in a veg like state
yeah, I saw that about the coma guy. tests like that can only be good thing, they can be asked what they want perhaps,
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Thoroughly enjoyed it as well, for the reasons Hugh states. Entertaining and thought provoking in equal measure
I don’t think it will ever be applied to those in a vegetative state unless they have left explicit instructions
What Pratchett had to say about ethics and doctors was very very true.
I’m already a fan of Pratchett’s since I seen his work environment
Never read any of his books…are they any good? -
Who wants to be Harold Shipman?
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quote Harry Cleary:Thoroughly enjoyed it as well, for the reasons Hugh states. Entertaining and thought provoking in equal measure
I don’t think it will ever be applied to those in a vegetative state unless they have left explicit instructions
What Pratchett had to say about ethics and doctors was very very true.
I’m already a fan of Pratchett’s since I seen his work environment
Never read any of his books…are they any good?superb books, the discworld series is great!
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quote James Martin:Who wants to be Harold Shipman?
It was actually very good on that whole point James…Shipman did what he did anyway.
We trust doctors to treat us all our lives, including coming into the world, so why should we not trust them on the way out was the point he was making.Edited text of the speech here
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/ … e-tribunal
Full speech by Baldrick here! (Hitler was sweeping Europe and Baldrick was sweeping the basement!.. 😀http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUE3pBIu … re=related
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Like Hugh, I wholeheartedly agreed with Terry Pratchetts sentiments. Having seen many people at the end of their lives, and the pain and suffering they go through, I can’t understand why anyone would want to drag it out. I should think that it takes great strength to go through with it though.
I realise it could be well open to abuse, and I think that having to go to another country (ie Switzerland) shows the ill persons determination to see it through-it would be very difficult to drag someone abroad against their will!
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It is an interesting subject.
I’ve given instructions to my family not to revive me if I stop living.
We did have a case here of an Australian physician Dr Philip Nitschke PhD, MD. He is known as Dr Death as he tells people how to end their life through assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. http://www.exitinternational.net/
A women locally declared some time ago that she had terminal cancer and that she wanted to die in her own time. It got a lot of press here, and the TV followed her life until she decided the time was right and that she didn’t want to suffer anymore. She sold her story, paid off her debts as well as those of her children, and then ended it all.
An autopsy found that she was perfectly healthy. She didn’t have cancer or any other fatal disease.
She got a huge amount of support from Dr’s to mums and dads. However, all she did was prove that the system is open to abuse.
Australia actually had a right to die legislation approved for a short while before it was revoked by public pressure.
Personally, I think most Dr’s already perform a form of euthanasia.
Several friends and family have died over the years from Various forms of cancer, and I can’t think of one of them that didn’t die on the day that the Dr’s predicted some weeks before.
They essentially kept upping the morphine dose until they overdosed the person. I can’t prove it, but I don’t believe otherwise either.
There must be a formula/time frame they work on to be so precise.
I don’t have an issue with that though, as there was no hope anyway.
I just don’t think assisted suicide is probably such a good idea.
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