Should a terminally ill person decide when to die? / myLot

Chile

October 10, 2015 6:18pm CST

There are many things to consider about this subject as it is not an easy one. But my mother, aged 92, and after being in dialysis for over 2 years and each day with more pain, one day decided that enough was enough. She talked to us, she told us to excuse her, but she was going to stop having dialysis. At that moment, her body was very frail, everything hurt her, but her mind was sound. In my country you have the right to accept or not a dialysis procedure as it is not what you´d call assisted death. Doctors were very helpful as to give her all the pain meds that she needed and she passed aways in peace. I think that quality of life is more important that the quantity of it. She had a good and long life. What else could we all want? I would like your opinions on this. What do you want for yourself?

10 people like this

12 responses

Jabo

@jaboUK (64354)

• United Kingdom

11 Oct 15

I would hate to be kept alive if I wasn't getting any enjoyment out of life. I think your mother was very sensible.

2 people like this

marguicha

@marguicha (223863)

• Chile

11 Oct 15

That´s exactly what I told my mother. Her pain was worse than her possibilities of enjoyment.

2 people like this

rebelann1949

@rebelann (113001)

• El Paso, Texas

11 Oct 15

I agree with all of you @marguicha I wouldn't want to be kept alive just to undergo dialysis or any other med procedure, to me quality of life is more important than quantity.

2 people like this

marguicha

@marguicha (223863)

• Chile

11 Oct 15

@rebelann I saw that my mother´s life was, at the end, mostly suffering, although she read and watched movies at home. But she at to accept losing a lot of her life, little by little.

2 people like this

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Tony Lawrence

@pcunix (210)

• Middleboro, Massachusetts

11 Oct 15

I think it should be the person's choice - after mental health counseling for them and all involved parties.

2 people like this

marguicha

@marguicha (223863)

• Chile

11 Oct 15

O wholly agree with you. The person has to be able to decide what to do.

theSids

@thesids (22180)

• Bhubaneswar, India

11 Oct 15

As you said, it depends on many factors not just the age. Quality is always important to me.

1 person likes this

marguicha

@marguicha (223863)

• Chile

11 Oct 15

I guess every case is a different one. So it is impossible to set laws for it.

1 person likes this

theSids

@thesids (22180)

• Bhubaneswar, India

12 Oct 15

@marguicha Right. But somewhere, I do think that this should be permitted by law - but upon the discretion of a panel of doctors - I would not say just one doctor as it is easy for one person to be biased and give a wrong judgement. In places where they dont permit this, there are many who keep dying multiple times every day which is more painful.

Pinaki Chakraborty

@Pinakikrishshna (14)

• Kolkata, India

11 Oct 15

Your mother took the right decision. It is the quality of life not the quantity that matters.

1 person likes this

marguicha

@marguicha (223863)

• Chile

11 Oct 15

I am glad that she could legally do it. It saved her a lot of the worst pain.

Jillybean1222

@jillybean1222 (6407)

•

11 Oct 15

I think stuff like that is very difficult. I completely understand someone to stop having the treatments.

1 person likes this

marguicha

@marguicha (223863)

• Chile

11 Oct 15

Stopping treatments is not the same as having a lethal injection. Still, I would not want to live in lots of pain.

Cris Bernal

@Cdjran2015 (273)

• Manila, Philippines

11 Oct 15

Let God decide for that. He has reason for everything. What we need is to trust in Him. That's my opinion.

1 person likes this

marguicha

@marguicha (223863)

• Chile

11 Oct 15

I´m afraid that human beings meddle too much with life and I don´t think that God has anything to do with it.

Cris Bernal

@Cdjran2015 (273)

• Manila, Philippines

12 Oct 15

@marguicha I believe God has a reason for that. As for Human being, the way some people accept their destiny shows how great is their faith in God and how strong they are.

katsmeow1213

@katsmeow1213 (28716)

• United States

11 Oct 15

I think it is their choice, as long as they are in their right mind they should be allowed to make that decision for themselves.

celticeagle

@celticeagle (168478)

• Boise, Idaho

11 Oct 15

I agree with you. Quality, not quantity of it. If it were me I would also want my family to feel okay with letting me go. I am so thankful to the hospice nurses who helped me when my mother was in the last stages of rectal cancer. She had had the surgery to remove the cancerous tumor but were only able to remove 97% of it. That 3% is what finally killed her. The Hospice nurses told me that patients will try to hang on for the family. If I were to tell her it was okay then she could go peacefully.

1 person likes this

Always smiling

@allknowing (137959)

• India

11 Oct 15

i cannot agree with you more. I too would not want to go through all that more because with me in that condition would be a nuisance for those around.

Marlina

@marlina (154130)

• Canada

11 Oct 15

I think your Mom was right to make that decision. I would do the same.

James Higgins

@JamesHxstatic (29413)

• Eugene, Oregon

11 Oct 15

In the US, some states have right to die law. Oregon, where I live was the first state to adopt that law and now, California has I too. I am glad to live where I have a choice.

1 person likes this

marguicha

@marguicha (223863)

• Chile

11 Oct 15

It is not, as some people say, that other will "kill" you. IT is the person who asks for it in a sound mind.

Audrey

@lilnana1111 (2305)

• United States

11 Oct 15

I don't want to be kept alive my machines, no heroic measures, I think it's to painful for the person as well as the family.

1 person likes this

marguicha

@marguicha (223863)

• Chile

11 Oct 15

I wholly agree. And when people talk about God´s will, I don´t think that machines are part of it