What Is The Right To Die And Why Does It Matter?
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- Опубліковано 6 гру 2023
- What lies behind the wish to hasten the end of your life? And what does that process involve for someone with a terminal prognosis? In this episode, Curly Velasquez explores current legal parameters, surprising facts, common myths, and a brief history of medical aid in dying.
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My friend had terminal cancer in her spine. She lost the ability to walk, control of her bowls, her vision in one eye, and a host of other heath issues. The last time I saw her she was in excruciating pain even though they were basically just overdosing her with the strongest painkillers they had. I don't know what she would have wanted because she would come in and out of clarity. I just wish she had the option presented to her. We give more compassion to our dying pets than we do other human beings and it's sad. No matter what you believe, religion shouldn't be put into our laws.
Instantly teared up on the idea of having a loved one pass on with the sound of laughter of friends and family in the background. Sounds beautiful.
my family has firmly been on the side of death with dignity for as long as I can remember, I've never understood how can give the kindness of a painless and quick death when we know they're dying and can't be saved, but we can't give that same kindness to our human loved ones. my Granny suffered needlessly for nearly 24 hours after being in hospice care for weeks. her pain was avoidable and should have been prevented. my aunt's husband is currently headed down a similar road (though different disease) and should be allowed to have that option to choose how and when to die.
it's legal in canada, and it saddens me when people can't get it when they need/want it. One family member had cancer and suicidal thoughts, he couldn't bare to live anymore. He was allowed to this option and it felt like something was lifted from his shoulder. he could say his goodbyes and end his suffering.
Weirdly, my sister telling me she would help me die if I needed to made me less suicidal. Knowing I had a worst case scenario plan in place has helped me deal with my chronic pain better. I wonder if other deaths could be prevented by giving people autonomy over their own existence. Food for thought.
Thank you for sharing this story. I also deal with chronic depression and pain. I agree that the right to death can help save lives.
I don't understand that logic. I'm open minded to understand.
@@Watch-0w1 I think part of it is the desperation of feeling like nobody cares about your suffering and nobody cares enough to help you stop it. Once I had someone who understood that it was okay to want to end the torture I endure and I could rely on her to help me if I felt like I couldn't do it anymore helped me feel less desperate and alone and that made me less suicidal. It also made the idea more real which helped me solidify in my own mind what that line would be and why so it's easier to get through the bouts of suicidal ideation. Part of what makes someone suicidal is the idea that your suffering will last forever. Knowing that I have an option to end things makes powering through the hard times easier. Also I decided I had to live long enough to take my niece to Greece (we're big Percy Jackson fans) and she's only 11 lol.
That's the best way I can explain it.
@@Watch-0w1 I cannot speak for everyone, but I know a lot of people the ability to be seen and heard and understood can make a big difference. There is a loss of hopelessness in knowing that if things truly got dire, there would be someone willing to help.
Obviously, people should contact suicide hotlines and seek support anywhere they can.
It's anecdotal but you're not the first person I've encountered saying this.
Great video and great program. I realize these laws are critical to the long term process, but current laws on MAID are still far too restrictive. Many people have agonizing illnesses that have no hope of recovery but they are not expected to die within 6 months. Parkinsons and ALS for example. MAID needs to be made available to a larger number of people by expanding the time frame. Also, many people diagnosed with dementia would like to have this option available to them "when the time comes". They should be able to specify while fully aware that when they reach a certain level of dementia that they be allowed MAID.
Great points. Plus the restriction that the person has to physically self-administer the medication. If they've gotten to the point that they have difficulty swallowing or have trouble with motor control, they technically don't have this option anymore and just have to endure until the end.
As a person with early-stage dementia, I agree 100%.
Thank you for this!! Medically assisted death should be legal country wide. After seeing my grandmother sit in a bed for 10 years..this is beautiful
This is a beautiful piece. This topic is so important and needs better public education. Thank you for bringing awareness.
This was such a lovely segment as always ❤
Omg it’s nice to see Curly on the channel!
I was just about to comment this! I love this for Curly!
True Hero's.
True Angels.
Thank You.
Death with Dignity was big when i was a teenager and what got me into politics. Mostly bc I'm a depressed person by default. It truly was selfish. But I'm still into politics, so plenty of good came from it.
Beautiful video. Thank you. ❤
Assisted dying is a thorny issue for me tbh. I’m coming from this as an autistic person and I see so often parents acting like it better to have a dead child than an autistic one (see: refusal of vaccines based on that debunked MMR vaccine “study” and giving kids bleach). Add in entirely too many caregivers up and murdering their autistic kids, and assisted death does frighten me in some capacity. Granted, these restrictions as is? Do sound like a good idea. I’d have to see how these stack up compared to other countries’ rules for it but. These might be the best set up we have.
Otherwise, I also see a lot of situations in Canada’s MAiD program where there are folks choosing that bc there isn’t enough assistance available for a person. But also, the restrictions are less up there so that’s also a factor. It’s a lot tbh.
Victoria, Australia has had voluntary assisted dying for quite a few years now (pre covid). We have some of the strictest laws around though. You must be over 18, you must jave 2 doctors agree you have less than 6 months to live, you must have full cognitive capacity, no one is allowed to recommend it, and you must bring it up yourself to the doctor more than once. Most people who access the drugs never actually take them (80% off the tip of my head but don't quote me) but knowing you have the option can give you a sense of control in a very out of control situation. So it can't be used for a child or a disabled person by someone else and there has not been any push to loosen these rules.
We have a fairly robust health and hone palliative care system here though. Having palliative care nurses visit at home is free snd usually available in all but quite remote areas.
THANK YOU.
But do you want to live?.
The lack of support for disabled and dying people is the ableist devaluation of life, not the existence of MAiD as an option. It horrifies me as well. I've also heard the horror stories of disabled people in Canada getting a suggestion like "well you could always choose MAiD if we refuse to give you any support or other aid" which is eugenics, plain and simple.
Interesting
…. aaaand that’s the way new ideas are introduced 👏
Hard to watch and great video
If this is a pressing issue that will continue to affect Americans, will you please do another piece that balances this one? Will you educate viewers about all of the disabled people who have been shouting so loud about the problems surrounding this issue, instead of just a passing comment about it? This piece reads like a commercial for the organization Death with Dignity.
A huge problem is, normalizing their language directly affects the lives of disabled people and will lead to the same removal of restrictions that Canada is experiencing. Our laws will not continue to be the strictest if you do not amplify the voices of disabled people and organizations that are working against weakening restrictions.
When you asked the question, “What might motivate someone to hasten the end of their life?” you skipped over the fact that poverty, lack of resources, and inadequate healthcare is a major reason why people around the world seek MAID , why our disabled peers in Canada are forced to choose MAID, and why people in the U.S. choose to pursue MAID in other countries.
And when you asked that question of the CEO of Death with Dignity, their first response didn’t describe a terminally ill person. They described the every day lives of MILLIONS of disabled people across the country. They described MY life. And while I do process grief around the things I’ve lost, I’ve decided that my life is worth living. But according to Peg- the person in charge of the organization that is pushing for more access and less restrictions on MAID- my life isn’t. Assisted dying is not what they are normalizing, devaluing disabled lives is what *actually* results from their words. And this normalization- in tandem with societal beliefs like people who are on welfare/benefits are faking, medical racism and ableism, etc.- has real impacts on our daily lives, in our personal relationships, in our access to resources to keep us alive.
Many of us against the loosening of restrictions around MAID are not totally against assisted dying. We understand the choice and hope that we have access to that choice at the end of our lives. But we don’t want to be forced into that choice like many of my disabled Canadian friends- who died because they were living with my same exact conditions and level of function, but did not have the resources or healthcare to continue to live.
I have loved PBS Voices, but I am deeply disappointed and saddened that this piece was allowed to air without a single disabled voice who, again, have been very vocal about the problems around this issue.
With all do respect, as another disabled person, that is not what Peg said, but your reflection of your own insecurities with being disabled. I can understand that, since as an American my access to affordable healthcare is extremely limited, which has put me in a position where I’ve needed to ration my medication before. Even so, death with dignity is extremely important. Your description of MAiD in Canada is only theoretical and the actual metrics do not match this. I’m sorry you’ve known part of the 0.08% of people who have used Canada’s MAiD program (there have been 31,000* assisted death since it’s implementation in 2016 of Canada’s 38.25 million inhabitants.) I believe no one should die from a medical condition, assisted or otherwise, solely from lack of resources. Since this is the problem you are worried about, you should be advocating for better access to medical care for the disabled and not against medical aid in dying.
*this figure comes from the Canadian medical association journal.
@@AvalonCN Let me go talk to my dead peers real quick. Oh wait. I can’t.
I am, as I said, NOT against MAID at its core. I am against loosening the restrictions without the resources in place to allow one to actually live a life. I fight for both.
@@WaterGaveMe Again, so why extend energy to that, opposed to focusing on the expansion of access? Part of the requirement for MAiD is being “mentally competent” and “cannot be the result of outside pressure or influence”, which is assessed by a physician. So, anyone who has received MAiD should have been mentally competent and it been their choice. Obviously, without explicitly hearing from an individual that they did it due to lack of access to care we’ll never know, but if that was shared in the evaluation process they would not be eligible. Again, I’m sorry you have lost your peers, but it very well could have been their wishes. And if it is a person’s wishes, access should not be limited.
@@AvalonCN Because the expansion is where it is headed and must be talked about *now* before it goes further. Canada didn’t start with their current expansions. They had strict access in place. And without acknowledging the process that Canada has been through, we will see the same thing happen here and lose more people who do actually want to live.
And you clearly have not been listening to those voices who have spoken up about why they were forced into MAID. There are people *right now* who are speaking up because they’ve been accepted for MAID, are not terminal, and desperately want to live, but do not have the resources. And the voices of people whose doctors and healthcare workers have encouraged them to seek MAID when they weren’t terminal. And the messages and letters left behind by people who went through with MAID, explaining that they didn’t have any other choice. This isn’t a “we’ll never know” situation. There is plenty that we know.