This was really interesting for me to read, especially since I am an AND because of a life limiting illness. Why is it that Canada always seems to take a more Holistic approach to many medical areas, including the ability to decide their own death.
Yes I do absolutely fully appreciate the moral and ethical issues attached to the issue. I digress, long and short of this one is that once again we're just proving we're all a host of contradictions. Ryan, thanks for this. Couldn't have come on a better day.
Perhaps "tired of living" is too mild a phrase to prompt support. What about "doesn't find living worthwhile" or "finds living intolerable?" And "assisted suicide" also seems a little biased given the negative connotations of "suicide" (mental illness). As a Canadian, I'll use MAID. An interesting one would be: Support medically assisted dying if the person had decided to voluntarily suspend eating and drinking (VSED)? It is reported (e.g., by palliative care workers) to be a peaceful way to go. The choice is not "MAID vs live" when there are alternative ways to die like VSED (MAID vs starve to death) or "accidental overdose," including other forms of killing oneself that are normally classified as suicide, which is elevated in older people, especially men.
These are all great questions, but I don't think that the average American has thought about this all that much. And, to be honest, they probably don't want to think about it all that much, either.
Agreed Ryan, but lack of knowledge/reflection doesn't stop people (American or otherwise) from holding strong opinions and taking political positions. I remember the intense controversy over the Terri Schiavo case 20 or so years ago. Was about terminating life support, another issue that overlaps with assisted dying. And today, discussion in Canada about broadening terms for MAID, likely influenced by religion as in your nice data. Issues likely to increase with aging populations?
The case of incurable disease is really a modern phenomenon. Before the rise of modern medical science, peope with incurable diseases mostly died quickly. I'm not a classical scholar, but I can recall many famous instances of suicide in ancient times, none of which involved incurable disease. If that had been the main issue, we might not have seen such a strong condemnation of suicide in the Christian tradition.
This was really interesting for me to read, especially since I am an AND because of a life limiting illness. Why is it that Canada always seems to take a more Holistic approach to many medical areas, including the ability to decide their own death.
Yes I do absolutely fully appreciate the moral and ethical issues attached to the issue. I digress, long and short of this one is that once again we're just proving we're all a host of contradictions. Ryan, thanks for this. Couldn't have come on a better day.
Perhaps "tired of living" is too mild a phrase to prompt support. What about "doesn't find living worthwhile" or "finds living intolerable?" And "assisted suicide" also seems a little biased given the negative connotations of "suicide" (mental illness). As a Canadian, I'll use MAID. An interesting one would be: Support medically assisted dying if the person had decided to voluntarily suspend eating and drinking (VSED)? It is reported (e.g., by palliative care workers) to be a peaceful way to go. The choice is not "MAID vs live" when there are alternative ways to die like VSED (MAID vs starve to death) or "accidental overdose," including other forms of killing oneself that are normally classified as suicide, which is elevated in older people, especially men.
These are all great questions, but I don't think that the average American has thought about this all that much. And, to be honest, they probably don't want to think about it all that much, either.
Agreed Ryan, but lack of knowledge/reflection doesn't stop people (American or otherwise) from holding strong opinions and taking political positions. I remember the intense controversy over the Terri Schiavo case 20 or so years ago. Was about terminating life support, another issue that overlaps with assisted dying. And today, discussion in Canada about broadening terms for MAID, likely influenced by religion as in your nice data. Issues likely to increase with aging populations?
The case of incurable disease is really a modern phenomenon. Before the rise of modern medical science, peope with incurable diseases mostly died quickly. I'm not a classical scholar, but I can recall many famous instances of suicide in ancient times, none of which involved incurable disease. If that had been the main issue, we might not have seen such a strong condemnation of suicide in the Christian tradition.