Why are people against euthanasia?

[gnomeboy17]

I think it's purely misunderstanding.

People get the wrong idea that some will be forced into it, when the reality is that it's the same people that kill themselves, just in a far more ethical way.

Barroness Grey-Thompson, a member of the HoL in the UK, said she's against euthanasia because the government will force disabled people to die, even though that's literally not how it works.

If we have any hope of passing euthanasia legislation in our lifetime we need to try and educate people, both the public and MPs, cause it's crazy the amount of times I said I'm pro choice and people are like "oh so you want everyone to die?"

And another thing, people are like "well everyone would get it" like no they wouldn't being suicidal isn't normal lmao

 

[Sherri]

Hi, because they want us to wok and pay taxes till we die. That's my opinion.

 

[Buffy5120]

I think it's purely misunderstanding.

People get the wrong idea that some will be forced into it, when the reality is that it's the same people that kill themselves, just in a far more ethical way.

Barroness Grey-Thompson, a member of the HoL in the UK, said she's against euthanasia because the government will force disabled people to die, even though that's literally not how it works.

If we have any hope of passing euthanasia legislation in our lifetime we need to try and educate people, both the public and MPs, cause it's crazy the amount of times I said I'm pro choice and people are like "oh so you want everyone to die?"

And another thing, people are like "well everyone would get it" like no they wouldn't being suicidal isn't normal lmao

I think this could only work if they have spect machines to determine if people really have chronic illnesses vs people that want to go because its a "trend" or because they're in a temporary rough spot....this will prove that the person really has a illness that may be incurable..1 year would be enough to determine this 6 months of natural supplements + therapy, if that doesnt work 6 months of medication and obviously since u tried everything you could throughout that whole year, you should get the green light to go..this would prove to pro lifers the person really tried everything they could without any relief and this would protect the operation from being shutdown...obviously funding it would be questionable but this will never happen so whatever

 

[gnomeboy17]

Hi, because they want us to wok and pay taxes till we die. That's my opinion.

True, I think that's why the government probably wouldn't pass it (certainly conservative) but I still don't really understand why most of the general public are against it

 

[Superdeterminist]

I think different people have different reasons for it. Reasons might include:

• Believing that all life is 'sacred' and that we aren't entitled to sovereignty over our own (typically inspired by religion, but not necessarily)
• Believing that allowing euthanasia will have some kind of profound negative impact on society
• Believing that all human problems are surmountable and that there's a light at the end of all tunnels

These are just a few examples that I hear a lot, there are many more. None of them are convincing or justifiable to me.

 

[mimiopo22]

because democracy does not really exist and nobody can make choices for themselves yet, that's all.

 

[Sherri]

True, I think that's why the government probably wouldn't pass it (certainly conservative) but I still don't really understand why most of the general public are against it

There's only one county that approves it for mental illness and it's Belgium. Needless to say it's a long and expensive process.

 

[demuic]

It would not be profitable to the people in charge.

 

[Nymph]

Because people are selfish and want to keep their miserable loved ones around themselves as long as possible. Also the state wants us to work till we die, if they legalize it and a bunch of ppl ctb there will be less ppl working and that's horrible!! Can't you imagine?? :/

 

[lifeistryingme2020]

I think its mainly the stigma against suicide, people think you MUST be mentally ill or completely out of your mind to be suicidal but I disagree. I think mental illness can influence it to a degree but I hate the idea that because it is a mental illness, it isn't "real" and that our thoughts are fake or tailored by depression.
My doctor will tell me to take my meds because you can't treat diabetes without insulin but then when I say I'm suffering from depression OR suicidal thoughts, its suddenly the mental illness and my "triggers"(stuff that stresses me makes me wanna die but thats normal I think idk) and not taken as something more physical? I guess it is a side effect but I'd like to believe my suicidal tendacies are just.. me and justified.

The only reason I can think to stay is because I like some things, and people, but it feels selfish to force me to stay when things will end anyways.

I guess the best way to put it is the government chooses what it can profit from... as everyone else has said already. Idk if I even make sense at this point.

 

[Panna]

I recently chose pro euthanasia for my research paper, and one of the most common things i've seen is "hypotheticals". We have to protect elderly and mentally ill!!! Families could "bully" a relative into it so they can stop having to care for them, or to collect some form of money. The other one that I saw was Doctors might bully mentally ill into it whose treatment is lower than more expensive patients so that they can make more room.

 

[profoundexperience]

Think of the world we would live in if everyone had the choice (both legally and without any social stigmas)... I bet to hell people would be a lot nicer to each other... and perhaps things would be more equitable.

We're where we are because people like controlling other people... economically, philosophically, religiously, and through relationships of "friends" & "family".

It's advantageous to me that the people I depend on NOT have the right to control their lives... because allowing them to end their lives could hurt me. In this way we're all types of "slaves" (and slave-masters).

 

[MindFog]

Alot of what I've heard is the "where do we draw the line?" argument. Some people think this will escalate to other morally bankrupt acts and can be taken advantaged of by higher ups.

It doesnt make sense tho since they already kill people. "It's just under the veil of "haha that's against the law" but when you point out shooting mortalities, they'll say it's the bad kind of people anyway.

It's like they just dont want to see the truth anyway. That we're already morally bankrupt.

 

[Apathy79]

I recently chose pro euthanasia for my research paper, and one of the most common things i've seen is "hypotheticals". We have to protect elderly and mentally ill!!! Families could "bully" a relative into it so they can stop having to care for them, or to collect some form of money. The other one that I saw was Doctors might bully mentally ill into it whose treatment is lower than more expensive patients so that they can make more room.

I got to attend a conference on this about 20 years back as a young medico-legal.

The arguments against it are largely what you describe, but also that attempted suicide itself is a symptom of mental illness, and informed consent from a mentally ill person for something society considers extreme is almost impossible. Especially if there's not a debilitating physical illness, injury or disability that goes with it.

When I argue attempted suicide is not a symptom of mental illness, they come back with stats that ostensibly show that most people who attempt suicide have a mental illness. So even if I'm right in my assertion that it's not a symptom, most people that want euthanasia have one and we would have to limit the euthanasia category to exclude them in order to pass just that step towards establishing "informed consent".

This "informed consent" is really the sticking point. Other arguments against it are what you have described there - others bullying the suicidal patient into it due to unknown motives. One example they used stuck with me referring to someone without a mental illness - the doctor said I can just turn off the morphine and he'll want euthanasia. Turn it back on and he won't. So I can control his decision. Does that sound like something you want to allow?

There's certainly a groundswell of support for euthanasia. Advocates like us go in with great intentions but nutting out the particulars hits a lot of snags. It's really tough to get off the ground without opening more cans of worms. Even receptive governments usually end up putting it in the too hard basket or if they do manage to go through with it, the limitations are so severe that hardly anyone can get it. I'd be surprised if that changes anytime soon - the same arguments are being made now on both sides that were being made a century ago, basically word for word, and this is where we are.

 

[Panna]

When I argue attempted suicide is not a symptom of mental illness, they come back with stats that ostensibly show that most people who attempt suicide have a mental illness. So even if I'm right in my assertion that it's not a symptom, most people that want euthanasia have one and we would have to limit the euthanasia category to exclude them in order to pass just that step towards establishing "informed consent".

This here gets me, sticking everyone under this hypothetical umbrella in order to help their argument to hold water. There is plenty of individuals who do have mental illness, but are more than capable of giving consent. (myself included). It honestly feels as if desperation is the main point that fuels this attempt at restricting and controlling access to something safe. They will grasp at any straw whatsoever in order keep it illegal.

 

[usernameforhere]

there's a good argument to put obstacles in the way so people don't make a rash decision

also I think thoughts are really common. I think ten percent of people have admitted to thoughts during covid, so the actual number is probably higher. I image those people aren't comfortable with the topic and it scares them so the act out.

 

[Apathy79]

@pannazidofski I've probably over-simplified their arguments there. It was a long conference and the subject of informed consent for mentally ill patients did get a lot of attention with conflicting views based on the illness and surrounding circumstances. The different mental illnesses and their degrees in particular created widely divergent results. But in general, the circumstances where they believed the informed consent test was passed without a concurrent physical issue were very few in that conference.

 

[WornOutLife]

According to many religions:
It's a sin. Nobody should "be killed" but die naturally at their 90s, probably suffering from a terminal disease. (if that's not hell, wtf is it? lol)
In other words, believers hate the idea of suicide and even invented a place for those who CTB: the limbo lol

As @Sherri said, TAXES. The government wants to explode us as much as possible. Fuck them!

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

Adding onto what others have already said, the hypotheticals, the ever elusive "economy" shrinking because there are not enough cogs in the machine, and so on, I think there is a huge stigma against those branded as "mentally ill" that will make it difficult for fair euthanasia laws to pass.

Currently what is deemed as mental illness is conflated with having a warped view of reality and an inability to make rational decisions. For the majority of people who are "diagnosed" with a mental illness, this is simply not true. There is quite a large difference between a very very young person experiencing their first bout of depression post breakup and having impulsive feelings because these emotions are foreign and new to them, as opposed to someone who has been depressed for many years, exhausted every possible treatment, and has decided objectively there is nothing more that can be done.


It's quite insulting that such beliefs are so prevelant. Many people get diagnosed with a mental illness when they are reasonably upset regarding their circumstances--poverty, abusive relationships, horrible working or living conditions, discrimination, food insecurity, the list goes on and on. Are these people irrational and incapable of making their own decisions? And if such assumptions were true, that suicidal people are incapable of rational thought, why are we shoved into the workforce, where one would need to have an astute sense of competency to properly perform their assigned tasks?

I have always seen my ptsd as a neurological condition and not a psychiatric one, after experiencing how incompetent the mental health industry is at dealing with atypical conditions that aren't well understood, such as ptsd, which is lumped in and classified as something that one can manage or cure with antidepressants and therapists. As long as ptsd is seen as something one can overcome with mental fortitude/CBT shit, rather than honest to God treatments that target the affected areas of the brain and the associated traumatic memories, I believe the MH industry and the gatekeepers to euthanasia are the mentally unsound/irrational ones.

They shouldn't have the right to tell others what to do with our bodies anyways, but I believe it makes sense to have some form of regulation to prevent nefarious actions of family members and impulsive ctb. However, that should be a waiting period, not an outright ban and restrictions for those who are clearly suffering and have always been capable of making their own choices, yet are told their reality is false because it is not a shiny happy one.

 

[profoundexperience]

Currently what is deemed as mental illness is conflated with having a warped view of reality and an inability to make rational decisions.

And it's ironic... because it's possible that some of us may actually have a more accurate view of reality than the average person. As in "Depressive Realism".

I used to think my MDD was mainly something wrong with me. More recently, I've begun to realize that life/existence is fundamentally a bad thing & it's unfixable... and that the nature of reality itself is what has probably made me depressed all these years (or at least it is a very important cause).

So, I think it's less about "seeing reality as it truly is" and more about "seeing reality as human beings have decided to believe it should be". One has to agree with the consensus... otherwise you're "mentally ill",

Depressive realism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[262653]

Think of the world we would live in if everyone had the choice (both legally and without any social stigmas)... I bet to hell people would be a lot nicer to each other... and perhaps things would be more equitable.

We're where we are because people like controlling other people... economically, philosophically, religiously, and through relationships of "friends" & "family".

It's advantageous to me that the people I depend on NOT have the right to control their lives... because allowing them to end their lives could hurt me. In this way we're all types of "slaves" (and slave-masters).

Yes, indeed. I like how you think. I don't have to go far for examples. Unemployed wife who deals with breadwinner husband's bullshit because she's financially dependent on him and the alternatives are even worse. Children who comply with parent's bullshit. Employees who comply with employer's bullshit.

People who employ the methods you mentioned betray the actual extent to which they care about others.

 

[Deformationalplagio]

People are self centered. They think because they are happy everyone else is happy. People tend to mirror themselves in others not knowing that everyone is different and have different experiences. Movies and media make it look like everything has a happy ending. Look at game of thrones ending everyone hated that not because it was poorly written but because they ending was just not what they wanted or expected. Those people are weak and most of them have a negative eq

 

[Buffy5120]

People are self centered. They think because they are happy everyone else is happy. People tend to mirror themselves in others not knowing that everyone is different and have different experiences. Movies and media make it look like everything has a happy ending. Look at game of thrones ending everyone hated that not because it was poorly written but because they ending was just not what they wanted or expected. Those people are weak and most of them have a negative eq

Exactly people are afraid and are in denial that life can really get to a point where its not worth living anymore.....they always put their lives in our shoes and try to understand why? at the end of the day they dont want to accept the fact that life really is meaningless

 

[CTB-London]

Not everybody is against it. Some oppose it on medical ethical grounds, religious people see it as a breach of "thou shalt not kill", each opponent has his grounds.

i personally favour assisted suicide because euthanasia requires somebody else to cause the death.

 

[esse_est_percipi]

Because they lack proper insight into suffering and have a limited awareness of how existence can be experienced by some people.
Either because they aren't capable of such empathy and lack imagination, or they just don't care and rest content with their glossy illusions of moral superiority within their little ego bubble.

 

[_Kaira_]

"Because It is not the answer."

But seriously... because some people live under the illusion no one has tried to live before they decided life wasn't for them.
Just get help and over time you'll be happy again. Sigh, I wish that were true...

 

[Amumu]

Europe is a result of 2000 years of Christianity, America 500 years. Atheism is really new...
The idea according to which suicide is a sin is not going to go away so fast, as mentioned above.

 

[newave3]

Cuz they're assholes.

 

[Bigpink]

To me it's a bigger existential issue, the right to live or not and how we live, choices we make should be our ultimate responsibility. If I don't want to be here then in a pure rational sense I should not have to be, however I have to live in a society that cannot stomach ever thinking about death, let's keep busy with pointless frenetic activity to distract ourselves, let alone that some of us may want to have I dunno a say in whether we live or not.

I would like to think at some stage in the future there may be more enlightened ways of considering all this. Doesn't help me now however.

 

[Buffy5120]

"Because It is not the answer."

But seriously... because some people live under the illusion no one has tried to live before they decided life wasn't for them.
Just get help and over time you'll be happy again. Sigh, I wish that were true...

This statement right here ☝