The pain this woman endured is heartbreaking, yet the story is one of amazing compassion.
Belgium is one of the few nations that allow euthanasia under strict guidlines. And for this woman, just knowing she could find peace, kept her going for years longer than she herself expected.
Inspiring story. To me, at least.
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
I think Oregon allows it as well. However, I believe there should a be a national right-to-die law. Too many people are left suffering and requiring expensive and addictive pain meds just to get through the day. If euthanasia were an option…..
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I would keep the Federal Government out of it. Leave it to the States.
You do not want the same government that runs Medicaid deciding who gets euthanasia.
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Actually, the real terms are physician assisted suicide. It is not a matter of you kids getting rid of you to inherit you millions, but rather your choice if life becomes too painful.
But I think the states should at least start it.
That would make the Republicans happy. Poor people can’t put themselves out of their misery if they are in the wrong place. Most red states probably.
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Can’t we leave one issue non-partisan?
If a person chooses to end their own life, it is their choice. No level of government should force them to do it the hard way.
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Ok, ok. I was just thinking of the mess regarding the abortion issue, which has similarities.
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No, it doesn’t.
The person seeking euthanasia has made a conscious decision to end their own life.
The life of the fetus is being ended without its knowledge or consent,or even being given the chance to live long enough to understand.
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It is a fetus and not a life. And the decision belongs to the mother and her doctor. It is a right that should be protected and not chipped away to prevent any and all abortions which is what the evangelicals and their toadies in the GOP want.
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Other than air in the lungs, how does a day old baby differ from a 1 day premie?
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A one day premie IS a one day old baby, just born prematurely. And premature birth is not necessarily a reason for euthanasia. What kind of life is that baby promised? If you would PLEASE go back and read the NYT piece I posted awhile ago concerning the decision making process in an instance such as this, then maybe you would understand. It was written by someone who had to make a choice about her child’s life. Until you walk a mile in those shoes, you don’t have a leg to stand on.
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“ The life of the fetus is being ended without its knowledge or consent,or even being given the chance to live long enough to understand.”
So let’s ask a fertilized egg what it wants.
Most effective birth controls are post fertilization. You seem to be favoring their elimination.
I know you are probably not, but that is the goal of many, if not all, pro-life movements.
Tough issue. Personally I think that knowingly bringing a fetus to term with severe birth defects that will lead to a short, painful and, in some cases, not even conscious life of total dependency is about as cruel as it gets. If you wantonly shot someone and they became a vegetable, you would go to prison. Yet pro lifers would send you to prison for preventing the same in a bad pregnancy.
Now the problem is, who gets to decide and when.
Keeping in mind that virtually all of the late term abortions are for medical reasons and are very hard decisions for the parents. Yet should we force them, and the child, to suffer needlessly?
That is the similarity to the euthanasia issue.
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“The person seeking euthanasia has made a conscious decision to end their own life.
The life of the fetus is being ended without its knowledge or consent…”
Right, and in the case of end of life decisions in such cases, we normally defer to the “next of kin”. Since that would be the mother, not without vested interest, then a guardian ad litem.
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If late term abortions were limited to such euthanasia situations, I would not object, but while such examples are always used to justify late term abortions, the laws allowing them all include ‘life or health of the mother’ including her mental health, effectively allowing abortion on demand.
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You really need to go back and reread the NYT piece I posted last week about the decision involved in late term abortions.
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Well Doc, some people actually have mental health to lose.
Only those without it tend to be cavalier about it.
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“… include ‘life or health of the mother’ including her mental health, effectively allowing abortion on demand.”
Few late term abortions are done for convenience. By then the parents really want the child. You are saying that the few who might abuse the “loophole” is justification for making other suffer horribly.
In that case, the state should assume all costs. It is as responsible for the life as a person who shot a person and made them a vegetable.
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No, I am saying that there needs to be more certainty that the late term abortion is euthanasia or that there is a health risk to the mother that would justify killing a born child before a late term abortion proceeds.
An agreement between the mother and the abortionist is not adequate due process for the child.
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“An agreement between the mother and the abortionist is not adequate due process for the child.”
You don’t trust the mother or her doctor to make the best decision. So you want to leave it up to bureaucrats to determine the safest course of action?
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I want the unborn child to have an advocate.
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You do realize that 24 weeks of pregnancy is an investment, and the later the term the bigger the investment.
A 28-30 week pregnancy is not ended on whims. It is not a “birth control” decision. It’s serious life-altering decision that is being made.
The numbers reflect that. In 2016, or 2017, in the 10 states with no restrictions, there were 700-some “late term” abortions. 700.
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That’s twice as many as homicides with rifles of all types, nationwide.
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“ I want the unborn child to have an advocate.”
In a family, the adult who might want to get physician assisted suicide could pick a family member to be that advocate should he become incapacitated. Like his spouse, for example.
Is there a better advocate for the fetus than the mother? The one who has carried the fetus for 6 or more months. Fed it, nurtured it and literally carried it.
Why would you be better? Or the state. At what point do they get involved? Fertilization? Implantation?
Personhood is where that kind of thinking is headed. Then what? Sexual activity logs to determine conception dates. Murder investigations for miscarriages? (That has already happened, btw)
If it were you and your wife that received devastating news about her pregnancy, do you want to consult a state “inspector” for permission?
Sorry, but I believe the mother and her physician are in the best position to make a choice.
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I agree, but isn’t Medicaid State-funded? The basic law should be federal, modified by the States.
I’ve long contributed to CHKD. One year they sent me a letter and brochure on “gifting” wherein I would purchase a life insurance policy, naming CHKD as beneficiary, via a charitable trust vehicle. I would continue to receive tax deductions and when I died, CHKD would get at least $1 million.
I thought, “Wow, this looks like a real good idea — for any other charity but a hospital.”
The last people to whom I want to be worth more dead than alive is a hospital.
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So where do you draw the line between ending your own life and suicide? Pass a litmus test of some sort?
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There are many hoops to jump through for physician-assisted suicide. Most importantly, a mental health evaluation and getting, I believe, at least 2 doctors to sign off on it.
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