Should it be illegal to help a terminally-ill person die?

by הרב ריאן Rabbi Ryan Posted 2012/04/04 23:00:18

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177 votes
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	Yes.	39 votes	22%
	No.	109 votes	62%
	Maybe.	29 votes	16%

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הרב ריאן Rabbi Ryan 2012/04/04 23:02:32

No.

+5
We should have the choice to die, it's better than being a vegetable and/or a burden.
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More polls by הרב ריאן Rabbi Ryan

S.M. 2012/04/04 23:33:58

No.

+1
Or at least let them die under general anesthesia without the pain, worry and fear.

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S.M. to S.M. 2012/04/04 23:34:53

+1
Or keep them in an induced coma until they go so they don't know anything or suffer!

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Stix 2012/04/04 23:27:06

Yes.

+1
I think life should run its course. God knows when your time is up and we should honor that.

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Uranos7 to Stix 2012/04/05 00:03:04

+1
There were a couple of instances in the bible where even God approved of suicide.

1 Samuel 31:4-6 In a war against the Philistines, Saul's sons Johnathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua were killed, and Saul himself was seriously wounded. He asked his armor bearer to kill him, but his assistant refused. So he took a sword and fell on it. The armor bearer then also fell on his sword. Both ended up committing suicide. The same events are also described in a parallel passage: 1 Chronicles 10:3-7. Saul's justification for committing suicide was that because of his injuries, if the Philistines arrived, he would have been abused and killed by uncircumcised men.

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Stix to Uranos7 2012/04/05 00:21:06

Because it happened does not mean God condoned it. And in both cases these men took their own lives. No one else assisted in the death. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I'm saying life should run its natural course.

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msjazz79 2012/04/04 23:25:34

No.

+1
The way I see it, honestly if I was the one terminally ill, I'll be the one in control of what little left of my life I have left and what I wish to do with it. No one else has the right to prolong my pain and I wish someone would tell me it's illegal what I'm doing, if that's the case, trade places with me or shut the hell up.

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geneticmistake 2012/04/04 23:23:57 (edited)

No.

+1
Absolutely not if the person has the mental competence to make this decision and wants to move on. If the ill person is beyond making rational decisions, anything more than turning off life support would be a situation I can't generally address. Only if the dying individual had expressed in writing, when mentally capable of such a decision, the desire to have their life terminated could I see this being legal for someone mentally incapacitated.

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Dagon 2012/04/04 23:21:11
Dale 2012/04/04 23:19:01

No.

+2
Key word here, "terminal." And when added to quality of life, well...

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spencerific93 2012/04/04 23:18:27

No.

+1
But it should be done in a hospital or something, and the person should (if they can) sign a contract saying they want to die.

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Libertarian Right 2012/04/04 23:17:55

No.

+2
Why endure pain and misery unnecessarily when there is no hope of recovery? Death with dignity!

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NarcolepticGoat 2012/04/04 23:15:30

Maybe.

+2
Mercy is sometimes a gift. It should never be easy, nor should those who give it when it is truly need it be prosecuted.

Of course it seems perfectly legal to not pay for treatment and allow someone to die who doesn't want to or whose family doesn't want it.

Sometimes it seems like the universe is a huge conspiracy, don't it?

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SunshineInTheClouds 2012/04/04 23:12:03

Maybe.

Depends On if the person is savable, and if the person want to be saved...

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Jana~ una chica loca 2012/04/04 23:11:23

No.

+1
nope

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Kat 2012/04/04 23:10:35

Maybe.

+1
I don't agree with euthanasia, though I do agree with keeping a very sick person very comfortable. Pain medication slows respiration and that will in all likely hood speed up death. But to intentionally OD them no. Keep the meds at a higher then average level to keep them comfortable, and tell them when the time is close that it is OK to go.

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Jan Haskell 2012/04/04 23:07:21

Yes.

+1
That's an awfully big responsibility to assume. I think it's better to keep the person as comfortable as possible, but do nothing to prolong the process.

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Pixie·MzAwesome♠ƤĦĂĔŢ♠ 2012/04/04 23:05:55

No.

+1
If they give consent then no.

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pjbfny 2012/04/04 23:05:23

No.

+3
If a terminally ill person wishes to die, then it should be permissible to help them. I watched someone I love dearly waste away due to cancer, and I will not put my loved ones through it.

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Barefoot Peace and Love∞ijm... 2012/04/04 23:04:40

No.

+3
If it were me.... and I was tired of fighting a loosing battle.... and I said unplug..... I would hope they would listen!
Peace and Love♥

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Kat to Barefoo... 2012/04/04 23:12:27

+1
To unplug is different then to give some one medication that enables them to die.

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Barefoo... to Kat 2012/04/04 23:20:23

+1
I agree!
the result is still the same though!

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Huki68 2012/04/04 23:04:22

No.

+3
I agree with Sane

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Rowena Ravenclaw 2012/04/04 23:04:19

Yes.

Everyone has their own time to go. You should never cut it short.

I'm against euthanizing animals as well.

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Kat to Rowena ... 2012/04/04 23:13:46

+2
My cat was hanging on by a thread... he was 19 years old. I had to let him go......

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Rowena ... to Kat 2012/04/04 23:24:45

+1
As was mine. My parents made the decision...there wasn't much I could do. I was there with him though...the saddest day of my life.

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Kat to Rowena ... 2012/04/05 02:35:03 (edited)

+1
Yes, it was sad for me too. He was my sweetie. But he'd had a stroke I think. He could not even walk.

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Rowena ... to Kat 2012/04/05 02:38:22

+1
Sorry to hear about your cat. Mine had kidney failure. :(

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Kat to Rowena ... 2012/04/05 02:40:00

+1
Sorry too about yours.

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Karissa 2012/04/04 23:04:00

No.

+2
If they want to just go then that should be their choice. If there is no chance of saving them in the long run then it is pointless to fight what is in store for that person, though I may say that I would want to fight for that other person, but it is their choice not yours..

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Jason Krajniak 2012/04/04 23:02:48

Yes.

+1
It is

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pjbfny to Jason K... 2012/04/04 23:07:01

+1
No it's not. Not everywhere. At least 2 US states, and a number of countries allow it.

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The Sane One 2012/04/04 23:02:37

No.

+4
If they decide they want to die and are of sound legal mind, they should be able to.. and the medical personnel should be humane enough to assist if needed.

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הרב ריאן Rabbi Ryan 2012/04/04 23:02:32

No.

+5
We should have the choice to die, it's better than being a vegetable and/or a burden.

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Playerazzi to הרב ריא... 2012/04/15 14:10:31

Complete non-halachic answer. I'm disappointed in you.

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Jackie G - Poker Playing Pa... 2012/04/04 23:02:04

Yes.

+2
We call it murder

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Mel to Jackie ... 2012/04/05 01:12:47

Who is "we"?

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Jackie ... to Mel 2012/04/05 02:45:27

All of legal society and those who know it for what it is

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Mel to Jackie ... 2012/04/05 19:51:39

there are states where it is legal, so your argument is logically fragmented, and specious.

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Jackie ... to Mel 2012/04/05 20:28:51

Fine, it is still murder no matter who allows it. MURDER

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CTF 2012/04/04 23:01:59

No.

+5
It's the humane thing to do.

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