I thought people only did shit like this to unwanted pets!!

[starguard]

I am truly at a loss of words about this

..Deaf Twins Going Blind Euthanized
By Russell Goldman | ABC News – 8 hrs ago


Two deaf twin brothers in Belgium were euthanized by their doctor after realizing they were going blind and would be unable to see each other ever again, their physician says.

The 45-year-old men, whose names have not been made public, were legally put to death by lethal injection at the Brussels University Hospital in Jette, on Dec. 14.

The men, who were born deaf, had a cup of coffee and said goodbye to other family members before walking into hospital room together to die, their doctor told Belgian television station RTL.

"They were very happy. It was a relief to see the end of their suffering," said Dr. David Dufour.

"They had a cup of coffee in the hall. It went well and a rich conversation. Then the separation from their parents and brother was very serene and beautiful," he said. "At the last there was a little wave of their hands and then they were gone,"

More than 1,000 people legally availed themselves of doctor-assisted deaths in Belgium in 2011, most of them were terminally ill cancer patients.

The brothers are unique in that their illness was not terminal. Belgian law, however, allows doctors to euthanize "suffering" patients who are both mentally sound, over 18 and want to die.

Belgian lawmakers are considering a law that would extend euthanasia to dementia patients and children, whose families and doctors consented.

Link:http://news.yahoo.com/deaf-twins-going-blind-euthanized-165500992--abc-news-topstories.html

 

[kaonashi.shinu]

In a way, I can see how people would react negatively to voluntary euthanasia. It seems very much a waste of life. On the other hand, I do not oppose it.

There are times when it is inappropriate. If, for example, a Belgian 18 year old is suffering from what they feel is depression because "no one likes them," then the case for euthanasia falls flat. There are then the cases where people lie bedridden, defecating and urinating through tubes, unable to speak due to breathing apparatus, unable to communicate due to brain damage, lack of motor control, etc. Sure there is a life behind that shell of a body, but what kind of life is this? Is it better to let your loved one suffer for years hoping for a cure, or allow them to make the life or death decision for themselves, so they can say goodbye properly and be remembered - not as a body hooked up to machines, but as a member of the family.

I witnessed a family beg a doctor to keep their mother alive so she could reach her 100th birthday. I've heard parents say of their newborn, who is born with severe complications, "Would it be easier to just let her go?"

Within reason, it should be an individual's choice who to love, who to marry, how to live their life, where to live, what to eat, how to speak, what religion they follow, what gender they associate with, and how and when to die.

The majority of us will not need to make that decision, as we'll live until old age claims us. But for others, that decision either is made by health care, whose only aim is to prolong "life," or by themselves after much thought.

The problem I have with this article is that it gives a very shallow view into the lives of these brothers. I do not know what challenges they faced day to day. I do not know how capable they were of caring for themselves. But I do know they greeted death on their own terms, in a way that suited them.

 

[Enkephalen]

This is why Living Wills/end of life directives are important to consider and act upon prior to being in a position where others have to make the decision for you.

 

[Sarek]

This is why Living Wills/end of life directives are important to consider and act upon prior to being in a position where others have to make the decision for you.

I agree wholeheartedly!

In fact, I've taken the liberty of drafting up a living will for Starguard so that when the time comes, we can put him down and relieve ourselves or OUR misery!