Question for non Christians.....

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I did not say I would let person B die. I just said that I would not automatically choose person A because person B will suffer or have less pleasure.

The point I am trying to get as is that most of the responses were talking about happiness and worldly pleasures. I am asking if suffering and lack of pleasure would then make a life less valuable. I reason that the reason euthanasia is favored by the more liberal and secular societies is because they can only see happiness and value as consequence of more pleasure and lack of suffering. There is the old “quality of life” thing thrown by euthanasia advocates, yet at the same time they will support counselling people who are not old or disabled to escape from suicide. Clearly they are saying that lives are less valuable because they will continuously suffer.
 
InJesusItrust said:
I did not say I would let person B die.

The point I am trying to get as is that most of the responses were talking about happiness and worldly pleasures. I am asking of suffering and lack of pleasure would then make a life less valuable. I reason that the reason euthanasia is favored by the more liberal and secular societies is because they can only see happiness and value as consequence of more pleasure and lack of suffering. There is the old “quality of life” thing thrown by euthanasia advocates, yet at the same time they will support counselling people who are old or disabled to escape from suicide. Clearly they are saying that there lives are less valuable because they will continuously suffer.
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This is a description from Wiki of the types of euthanasia
Euthanasia is categorized in different ways, which include voluntary, non-voluntary, or involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is legal in some countries and U.S. states. Non-voluntary euthanasia is illegal in all countries. Involuntary euthanasia is usually considered murder.
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It appears that you are talking about the type of euthanasia known as assisted suicide. Am I correct?
 
Yes I am.

If you think that the things that give your life value is worldly pleasure, what value is your life when all that is taken away? I see assisted suicide as being founded on this utilitarian mentality.
 
InJesusItrust said:
Yes I am.

If you the things that give your life value is worldly pleasure, what value is your life when all that is taken away? I see assisted suicide as being founded on this mentality.
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I looked up the report from Washington state where assisted suicide is legal. The patient must already be terminal and the drug they take to end their lives is self administered. Physicians may prescribe such drugs but they cannot administer them.

I have a problem with the law as it is implemented in Washington because although there are reporting requirements, they are not detailed enough to insure that the patient isn’t under outside pressure to end his or her life. The reports that are required are too vague.

That said, 80%of patients had terminal metastatic cancer; 18% had terminal respiratory disease or neuralgic disease. The report states
the top three reasons expressed by participants for wanting to die were ranked “losing autonomy” (100%), “less able to engage in activities making life enjoyable” (91%), and “loss of dignity” (82%).
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Are these people self indulgent, weak willed hedonists? I hardly think so. I have volunteered in Hospice for the past three years. I can fully understand and have compassion for those who can no longer endure the suffering of chemotherapy or could no longer cope with the the feeling of slow suffocation due to the inability to have their heart pump enough oxygen. By the way, Hospice does not provide euthanasia. That is strictly between the patient and his or her doctor.

Again, my main concern with euthanasia is that the patients become a burden on their families and the families put subtle, unintentional, pressure on the patient. The patient is force to watch his or her caregiver become exhausted with the effort to care for the patient. The loss of autonomy and privacy is a huge burden on the patient as the caregiver is forced to assist the patient with all bodily functions. Patients become so weak, they have to ask for help just to change positions in bed. They have to have someone come into the room to hold a glass of water when they are thirsty. Many can’t hold a telephone to talk to friends. They can’t digest food so they can’t eat more than a couple of mouthfuls at any one meal and even those few bits must be given by a caregiver…

Why don’t you volunteer with your local Hospice and have your experiences with the terminally ill further inform your understanding and judgment?
 
I am plenty informed. I have FA and no friends or dignified future. The compassion of euthanasia informs me that my life has no intrinsic worth but is only valuable insofar as I enjoy it.
 
InJesusItrust said:
I am plenty informed. I have FA and no friends or dignified future. The compassion of euthanasia informs me that my life has no intrinsic worth but is only valuable insofar as I enjoy it.
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My deepest sympathy for you and what you are facing. I tried to look up a forum for FA, but it is so rare that I was only able to find this one. mdjunction.com/forums/friedreich-ataxia-discussions

I belong to a breast cancer forum and I think you will agree, as much as people have sympathy for others, it is only those who are in the same situation who truly understand.

You may have already been to this site but just in case, ninds.nih.gov/disorders/friedreichs_ataxia/detail_friedreichs_ataxia.htm
Scientists also are exploring ways to increase frataxin levels through drug treatments, genetic engineering and protein delivery systems. Several compounds that are directed at increasing levels of frataxin may be brought to clinical trials in the near future. To check for current trials, visit clinicaltrials.gov.
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Are you taking any supplements that reduce free radicals? Here is a link to PubMed which is sponsored by the NIH. PubMed publishes abstracts of studies done on various subjects. Your doctor can access the full documents. I searched “free radicals antioxidants” and this is what came up.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=free%20radicals%20antioxidants

In addition to standard treatments, I take several supplements to reduce inflammation and that show effectiveness against cancer. I am a regular on PubMed and so is my doctor.

Best wishes.
 
I am not living in a Western country, and there is no treatment in this country. So I have accepted that this is my life. There is no cure at any rate

When I was first diagnosed in middle school I started hating my life. The thought of losing my autonomy made me feel unworthy to live. As life became less enjoyable and it got worse, I became filled with despair. I did not want to live.

But then I learned that the purpose of life is not to enjoy but to understand what is your eternal destiny. Sorrow is meant to turn you to God, but we keep trying to fill that sorrow with idle pleasure. We try to escape suffering, when suffering is what turns us away from this passing world to look towards eternity. The reason we feel like extra and useless when we depend on others is because we take pride in our accomplishments and satisfaction at pleasure. We want to be independent and self-reliant, but we need to learn humility and how to take help from others without feeling ashamed. The prevailing culture of the world looks scornfully at weakness, everyone wishing to be strong in one way or the other. Rather than accept weakness and sorrow, it tells us it is better to die.

Please read what the wise popes write about the culture of life and the culture of death. We can’t take a utilitarian outlook to life. That we would console , say, a heartbroken teen but kill a sorrowful victim of terminal illness has staggering logical implications.
 
PubMed may still be useful to you to check out supplements and alternative treatments. Pub Med also lists clinical trials from countries other than the USA. I contacted the head of one clinical trial and she was very helpful in answering a question I had. She was from Canada. Researchers from all over publish on PubMed.

Do join the forum. Although small, it is open to anyone in the world.

If you can get supplements in your area, I suggest Omega3 fish oil which is an anti-inflammatory and good for the cardiovascular system. My husband’s cardiologist recommends the supplement alpha-lipoic acid to strengthen the heart muscle. Bromelain (from pineapple) is also a good antioxidant. Check with your doctor, of course.

I check and recheck PubMed because new studies come online almost daily.
 
YKohen said:
I worship G-d 3 times a day, every day. I say a blessing before and after I eat or drink anything, after I go to the bathroom, see a rainbow or lightning, hear thunder, even when I see a close friend that I haven’t seen in a long time.

And a multitude of others as well.

We say 100 blessings a day or more- every day.

And many things make me happy: Good times with my family and/or friends- and “me-time”, doing what I believe is right, a job well-done; especially if it is difficult, etc.
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Are you secure about where you will go when you die? I am hoping in Jesus to take me to the new heaven and the new earth when I die.
 
Lokabrenna said:
I agree, if that were true, most of us would probably be worshiping work! Or in my case, reading and writing.
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I think there is this nasty tendancy within christianity to claim that non-christians worship their desires or pleasures. just because a person likes to drink beer (or maybe is even addicted) dosnt mean he worships it.
 
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