New Jersey law allows terminally ill to get life-ending meds

Associated Press ^ | April 13, 2019 | Mike Catalini

[LostInBayport]

I agree with you.

[onona]

You’re right. Nothing is ever easy is it.

[Tired of Taxes]

This type of legislation does much more than simply give you access to suicide pills.

This law affects those who don’t want to commit suicide, too.

Already, if you’re deemed terminally ill, hospital staff treats you as a waste of time and resources. What do you think will happen under this law?

[GailA]

BINGO

[Tired of Taxes]

Yeah, if only life were easier!

[ronniesgal]

you think the hospital staff is going to go out of their way to kill someone that is already dying? I don’t think so.

[Tired of Taxes]

you think the hospital staff is going to go out of their way to kill someone that is already dying? I don’t think so.

This law isn't about people on their deathbeds. It's about people declared "terminally ill" with 6 months or less to live.

[ronniesgal]

i know that. and if they want to hasten their death, that’s ok by me. You seemed to imply that this law was going to allow hospital staff to hasten their death for them. I don’t think that would happen.

[Tired of Taxes]

“Hastening” someone’s death already happens. It’s been happening for a long time, just by stopping treatment and/or denying food.

But, this law isn’t about “hastening” anyone’s death, either. It’s about killing someone outright.

Not wanting to be a burden, not wanting to live in a certain condition - all of that is understandable. We all worry about those things.

But this kind of law opens up a can of worms. Some people will be pressured into suicide - by people who stand to inherit, or by doctors who think a patient is wasting resources. Some people may be tricked into agreeing to it.

A sick person wishing for death is understandable. But this is bad policy, all around.

[JoeFromSidney]

My first wife was in a coma for weeks before her death. Every bit of improvement in her condition mislead me into thinking she was going to recover. However, it wasn't to be. She never came out of it.

I visited her ever day in the hospital, and talked to her in the hope of sparking a response. It didn't work, and I have no way of knowing if she even head me.

There is no way I would have done anything to end her life. I didn't want her dead, I wanted her back to health. I ultimately had to accept that she wasn't going to recover. Still, her death was a shock, and it took me over a year to get over it.

Ultimately I met a widow, fell in love, and got married. We've had a good life together. However, we both know what it means to lose someone we love. One or the other of us will have to go through it again. It isn't a pleasant thought. Even so, it's better than being lonely. I wouldn't wish loneliness on my worst enemy.

[sparklite2]

. I wouldn’t wish loneliness on my worst enemy.

---

Thanks for sharing. Yes, loneliness sucks, but
being alone does not equate to being lonely. The
astonishing number of one person households is
high and growing. There are reasons many of
us choose to live alone.