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"Euthanasia"

A.K.A. mercy killing.

I had to do an essay on the arguments for and against the legalisation of euthanasia in the UK today. After 1 week's research, 90 minutes of typing and 6 sides of A4 I have to say I'm thoroughly convinced that, with proper safeguards, euthanasia is the way to go rather than palliative care.

Surprising fact turned up by me during the research: Suicide was legalised (or should we say decriminalised) in 1961. There ya go, I never knew that.

In Oregon, where euthanasia is legal, they used to have Farewell Cards with messages like "I hear you'll be leaving us shortly". Not sure if you can still buy them though.

now that is sick, like some twisted science fiction film or something.

It's probably why the word 'American' doesn't appear under the word 'tactful' in the dictionary :)

*topic degenerates into Yank bashing*

yeah, well get this - I saw an article in a newspaper about a year or two ago. There was a 'pet bank' at a highway service station, where you took your dog or cat. You pushed it through a little door, it slid down a chute into a small room, where they were collected daily by the local animal pounds where they would be destroyed. You had different chutes for different types and breeds of animals. They said the rooms were about the size of a garden shed, and the temperatures rose to those akin to a sauna.

Can't remember which newspaper, but it wasn't a tabloid.

Unbelievable.

oh yeah - this was america also in case you needed me to tell you.

Bloddy hell. Next it will be "baby chutes" and the government will slap a tax on it.

I think I'm against euthanasia for the simple reason that I wouldn't like to ask someone to kill me. That's a burden no one should have to face. Doctors [or whoever would administer the fatal drugs] should not be put in that position. If it was made legal, a doctor could end his career knowing that he'd "put down" hundreds of people - that doesn't sit right with me somehow.

Hmmm... What's the name of that Charlton Heston film where it transpires that people go into a certain building when they want to die, are killed off amidst some wonderful pictures of the world and some calming background music, and then taken away to be recycled into food for the rest of the population?

FantasyMeister wrote:
> Pro-choice
> counter-arguments deny the slippery slope effect, for example in The
> Netherlands, where euthanasia is practised, there has been no
> increase (according to official figures) in the amount of involuntary
> euthanasia taking place since it was legalised.

This would be in the same way no one in the UK health profession noticed Mr Shipman's antics yes ? If someone is involved in involuntary euthanasia they're not going to willingly admit it are they, they be sending themselves to jail. It'd also be in the interest of the authorities to hush up any such activity as it would cast bad light on official policy.