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How do you feel about physician-assisted suicide ?

It is legal where I live, with very specific guidelines; it has to be part of the person’s advance directive, but the person must be terminally ill and facing death within a relatively short amount of time.

Some people want to extend its reach to emotional or mental illnesses, like clinical depression. Occasionally I’ve seen people here express support for including such conditions.

I always want to ask them, "would you be okay if it were your child or a young person you care about who wanted a doctor to help them suicide due to depression ?"

Because I know that would break my heart and I would be trying to save my niece or my godchildren in that instance. 😭
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Captain · 61-69, M
Having lost somethign like 7 aunts and uncles over the last 2 years to cancer, very positive. I think most people come to that conclusion once they have seen a loved one suffer and with to end it all. Obviously the definiiton of when it shold happen is the detail containing the devil of the problem - complexity. I alos lost a second kid cousin last year to cancer as well. Any clues as to how I die in all that ...?
@Captain I support physician-assisted for those dying from painful illnesses. Our state won that right after a Californian who was terminally ill and had to leave the state to be helped sued.
We voted "Death with Dignity" laws in the following year.

But people have brought up the idea of including the option for emotionally or mentally ill, which imo is problematic and more easily subject to misuse.
Captain · 61-69, M
@bijouxbroussard Yes the emotionally or psychologically ill is a tricky one. However who in some way isnt metally ill ? If depression is an illness, how many people dont feel a bit glum at least once a week...? Mental illness is a minefield subject, but obviously distress due to pain or invalidity is a different thing.
ArtieKat · M
@bijouxbroussard I quite agree.
Kstrong · 56-60, F
@Captain i quite agree
Kstrong · 56-60, F