Genesis Health Systems

Do you believe in Euthanasia? Can the Health Systems keep up with the high cost of keeping people alive?

This part is a bit personal for me. I have 3 chronic diseases, Insulin-dependant diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis & Heart disease. We have free healthcare in my country, but I can see our health system collapsing with all the technology now keeping people alive. Hospitals cannot keep up, staff shortages, lack of government funding, budget blowouts.......Should we get more sensible & let people die, with dignity?

Public Comments

1. I feel for you Freya, but if we had Euthanasia, I would have been gone a long time ago, and who would you propose to than?
2. We should be more sensible and spend more on healthcare and less on "freedomering" in Iraq.
3. I believe in it. However, it will most likely never be legalized due to religious beliefs (not mine). Religious people say it is a sin to take your own life. I think it is a sin to allow someone to suffer when there is an alternative. As long as it is their choice......
4. I wrote a paper on that one time long time ago when I went to college.. And I don't remember the stats or the countries that did it, but in certain countries where it's legal, the doctors could decide and they'd didn't just stop at the terminally ill. They killed retarded and severely handicapped children. I agree with euthanasia, but say for instance your HMO or Healthcare plan only allows euthanisia for end stage cancer, or if you're in a coma..then what? And you know that if it was legal, they take that option and not pay for your treatment!
5. Well, Euthanasia is simply another name for murder or homicide. Many other countries do not value human life. But At least in mine; WE DO!!! And anyone who committs the crime should be punished either by life in prison without parole, or death. Not having health care is no excuse for murder. Thats just like making babies and leaving them for dead. Your society created them, therefore they are to take care of them if they cannot take care of themselves. There is no excuse for murder. And euthanasia is murder. Its crime in my country. And a very serious crime. If you support Euthanasia, then you also support Adolf Hitler.
6. You bring up a point that is always ignored in the healthcare debate. If your country has a national health care program, the older you are the less aggressive treatments you will receive. So in practice, NHS's practice euthanasia.
7. It should be a matter of choice, as expressed by a Living Will. Mine is registered with all the local hospitals and the original is in my purse.
8. Bless you for thinking of others. I wish I knew the answer for the health system. One thing I'm pretty sure about is that euthanasia is not the answer. There is so many diseases that were chronic and/or terminal in the past, that we have been able to cure, or find ways to deal with now. If euthanasia had been chosen then, as a quick and easy solution, no progress in medical solutions would have occured, remaining ignorant and technologically backward is not the sensible thing to do. Chances are if we tried to save the government money by letting ourselves die when we became an economic burden, they would waste money on some other lame brained plan, because that seems to be human nature, and frequently happens in politics. These things usually work out, as long as someone really cares about finding a solution. The human lifespan has more then doubled from what people had a few centuries ago, this is good. There is bound to be some drawbacks, but I trust an answer will be found. I do think someone with a terminal, painful, sickness, should be allowed to decide to end their suffering, but it should be their choice not their families , doctors, and surely not the government.
9. Free healthcare is far from free for a country. The real issue is whether civilized people can afford the high MORAL and ETHICAL cost of euthanasia. I believe not.
10. Let them die, or kill them? Let's be clear on which you mean.
11. I don't think it should be anyone's choice but the one who is sick. I think if you're in enough pain, and you don't want to go on, then you should have that choice. I get migraine headaches, and if cancer pain is anything like that, I would blow my head off. There's no way I could live 24/7 with the pain of a migraine, and i've heard that's just a drop of pain some people with cancer have. Bless you Freya, I have a friend with insulin dependant diabetes, a brother n-law with MS - I have seen what these diseases can do to people - stay strong girl!