[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Mercy killing for loved one? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 4/7/2017 2:53:03 AM EDT
| Xmas eve I helped "pull the plug" on my cousin. Dad has tongue/thyroid cancer (67yrs old) & my friends mom (59) has Alzheimer's & occasionally begs for us to kill her. What would be the legal ramifications if you walked into an old folks home or an ICU & ended your loved ones life? |
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Xmas eve I helped "pull the plug" on my cousin. Dad has tongue/thyroid cancer (67yrs old) & my friends mom (59) has Alzheimer's & occasionally begs for us to kill her. What would be the legal ramifications if you walked into an old folks home or an ICU & ended your loved ones life? 
Murder... |
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If your loved one stands absolutely NO chance of ever making it out of the hospital or has a "do not rececitate" in their will & you decide to "pull the plug" on their behalf you guys make it sound like murder. |
From personal experience ( ) I know that when a family member chooses to die at home
(From Pancreatic Cancer [VERY WORST WAY TO DIE AFAIC]) that hospice will give control of the pain meds in the last days to family members. People will show their love for someone with power like that and nobody looks too close. Try holding your FIL on a bed with your wife while he writhes in agony hours from death and you'll get it. |
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If your loved one stands absolutely NO chance of ever making it out of the hospital or has a "do not rececitate" in their will & you decide to "pull the plug" on their behalf you guys make it sound like murder. I know where you are coming from and I agree with you but unfortunately the law in most places is not on your side. |
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From personal experience ( ) I know that when a family member chooses to die at home
(From Pancreatic Cancer [VERY WORST WAY TO DIE AFAIC]) that hospice will give control of the pain meds in the last days to family members. People will show their love for someone with power like that and nobody looks too close. Try holding your FIL on a bed with your wife while he writhes in agony hours from death and you'll get it. |
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If I was diagnosed w Alzheimer's, pancreatic cancer, or Lou Gherigs disease & was incapable of pulling the trigger myself, I would hope 2 God one of my loved ones would do it for me. The ethics behind dying and suffering bother all of us. There can never be a concrete answer for every instance. Â |
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goddamn I get the it's mercy thing, but Jesus Christ man those are your parents Try to get some better medical care don't fucking kill them |
Move to Oregon? Oregon has a Death with Dignity Act and several other states have looked at similar legislation but emotions and religion tend to get in the way of rational discussion. Think about it for a second, we treat our pets better than our family sometimes. If you've ever watched a loved one in extreme suffering from something like cancer or lying there in a bed with only machines keeping their basal bodily functions going and not thought that it would be more humane to help ease their suffering then I don't know what to tell you. 
Assuming you're serious, know that this is an emotional hot button for a lot of people and as is already obvious, you’re going to get replies on both sides of the spectrum. I’ll give you a couple of my personal experiences because it’s something I feel strongly about having worked in healthcare for over twenty years and having seen lots of people die. My grandfather died from Alzheimer’s and my father is scared to death of getting it and has made me promise to not let him suffer like that. He's in his seventies and very healthy so fortunately it's not really a concern but I have no idea what I would do if I were to actually be placed in that situation. I suppose I would talk it over with him before it got too bad, decide what his exact wishes were then when the time came I would try to follow his wishes. As someone else noted, hospice can be a God send in terminal cases (God bless the really caring hospice nurses) and an extra dose of pain medication can help relieve the dying person's pain. No, I know I could never pull the trigger or anything like that on my dad but I will admit that when my other grandfather was dying it was obvious he was suffering. He went downhill rapidly and hospice can take a while to get set up so he was not in the hospice program. After my mom and aunt decided to discontinue the vent, his physician prescribed more morphine for the pain he was obviously in and which would get worse as he struggled to breath- morphine is also a respiratory depressant (you make the connection). I actually cut the machine off after the nurse gave him the morphine IV since my mom and aunt weren't sure they could do it (the nurse offered). They sat on either side of his hospital bed holding his hands while my mom talked to him quietly until he quit breathing. It took a few minutes then his suffering was over. Sure he could have stayed on the vent and been around bodily for maybe a few more days as his organs continued to shut down but there's no dignity or honor in that, only more suffering. Again, if you're serious, make sure you discuss everything with your family beforehand if possible and know what your state will and won't allow as far as palliative care. Also talk to your local hospice care; even if you don’t need them at this time they can provide you with information and support. |
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goddamn I get the it's mercy thing, but Jesus Christ man those are your parents Try to get some better medical care don't fucking kill them He's basically said he would never want to continue his own life like that. But they provide the best they can. Money doesn't solve everything...
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| I've discussed this with my wife and she said if it was getting to the point where it was necessary for me she would move me to Oregon. I friend's mother had got to the point where the end was near and she was suffering. He had a talk with the attending physician and his mother was soon gone from this world. As far as doing it yourself you'd face the posssibility of giving up your freedom for a life in jail. |
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We just took my mother off of life support a couple weeks ago. Thankfully, she passed in less than 10 minutes and didn't suffer. I can tell you that it is NOT an easy decision to make. But it was the right decision.
My dad has advanced dementia and ALZ. He is in a care facility that takes great care of him. Mentally he is gone, physically he pretty healthy other than being very week in the legs. he is 84. I wish the Lord would end his suffering and take him home. But to walk into the home and shoot him dead, or even to inject him with something that kill him. that's flat out Murder |
| My dad was a huge man, 30yr Marine, VN combat vet and I just watched him shrivel away to nothing, gasping for breath, shitting himself, in constant pain, in and out of consciousness. I don't know if he would have wanted to go out that way, I know I don't. I'm planning to off myself when I get to that stage, I won't put my family through that pain and torture. |
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Had to do that 4 years ago with mom. Gradually lowered the O2 until she coded. Was in an autonomon state due to a cerebral episode which started from a broken hip. Sister said mom departed the previous morning - woke up and said goodbye to her.
Life is harder than you are taught growing up. Best to you in a difficult spot. |
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Quoted:
From personal experience ( ) I know that when a family member chooses to die at home
(From Pancreatic Cancer [VERY WORST WAY TO DIE AFAIC]) that hospice will give control of the pain meds in the last days to family members. People will show their love for someone with power like that and nobody looks too close. Try holding your FIL on a bed with your wife while he writhes in agony hours from death and you'll get it. |
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Quoted:
From personal experience ( ) I know that when a family member chooses to die at home
(From Pancreatic Cancer [VERY WORST WAY TO DIE AFAIC]) that hospice will give control of the pain meds in the last days to family members. People will show their love for someone with power like that and nobody looks too close. Try holding your FIL on a bed with your wife while he writhes in agony hours from death and you'll get it. |