Mercy killing, right or wrong? (Euthanasia)

Member Name: Collywobs

Product:	Euthanasia
Date:	26/09/00 (4097 review reads)
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I previously had decided not to write about this subject, but having read what other people have gone through I though I would try and write my thoughts. Some may not agree with me but that's fine, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Be warned it is long.

Euthanasia- What exactly is it?
Also known as mercy killing. It is the practice of ending a life to release a person from an incurable disease, terminal illness or painful suffering. The term is sometimes used to refer to an easy or painless death. Voluntary euthanasia involves a request by the dying patient. Passive or negative euthanasia involves not doing something to prevent death, that is, allowing someone to die; active or positive euthanasia involves taking deliberate action to cause a death.

A friend of mine had a relative who was in the last stages of terminal cancer, he was hospitalised and put on drips for fluids and pain. He knew he was dying but did not want to die in hospital bed. His family didn't have the room, means or needs to have him with them. This broke her heart, every day she would go and sit with him and just look at him, he was so doped up with all the drugs that he didn't know at times, who she was.
The pain continued to increase and as he couldn't eat food they put a drip in to feed him, at times he would come round and say "why am I still here can no-one help me get out of this pain", each time he pulled the food drip out, he kept doing this all the time.
Two and a half weeks of agony later he passed away, from starvation. My friend said that one reason she wouldn't let him stay with her was because she knew he would ask her to help him go, and she knew she would have helped him. He helped himself by starving because he knew it was the only thing he could do.
This is positive euthanasia

While the following is negative.
Now I have a very different story. My grandmother passed away 7 years ago, she ha
d a long battle with asthma and chest complaints and used oxygen, nebulisers and spent many times in hospital due to her bad chest. However, when she felt fine she would be the life and soul at a night out and always made you smile. She would have us in stitches, she'd dress up in feather boas and sequinned clothes and enjoyed a good drink.
The last few months she hit an all time low, her chest was causing her discomfort and her breathing became affected . She was hospitalised after a bad spell and confessed to me that she was frightened, somehow this time was different. Her fighting spirit had vanished and I felt helpless. It was almost like she knew what was coming but was scared of the thought of it. The next day she deteriorated and went into respiratory arrest.
The doctor tried to bring her round but only for a short time, he said "she has been through enough, let her go peacefully", and they did. We will never know if she would have fought back and be with us again.

So, I have 2 very different stories but both relate to euthanasia.
My personal choice has already made and is a choice that will remain with me and my family.

All I can finish this off with is, if your closest relative or family member asked you to help would you refuse? It's so easy to yes, but you don't know unless you are put in that situation.

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