Euthanasia

[Jubal]

So a new debate has sprung up in the UK over assisted dying and people having the right to end their own life. Famous proponents include Terry Pratchett and Stephen Hawking, and more recently former Archbishop Lord Carey. Opposition is mostly from faith groups though by no means entirely, with some worried that people will feel pressured to die to not be a burden to family or society.

On Hawking's recent contribution to the debate:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-28337443

What do people think about this?

[comrade_general]

Total freedom of choice in one's own affairs as long as that choice doesn't infringe on the rights of others. Offing oneself would not conflict with that.

[Tom]

I believe that if someone has absolutely no quality of life and truly wants to end it they should be allowed to as long as it does not negatively effect any uninvolved parties. :/ It's obviously a tough choice though to both make it legal and for someone to go through with it and I do not wish it to get to that stage for anyone.

[Othko97]

I am of the opinion that people should be allowed to top themselves if they want to. Obviously things become a little more complicated when you need a doctor's help, but I see no reason that with proper guidelines and common sense that Euthanasia shouldn't be legalised. We have a right to life, so surely we should have a right to death.

[TTG4]

I'm for this. The one caveat is we need appropriate controls. I don't know what they might be, but we don't want people offing their sick relatives because they're expensive.

[Jubal]

I think we're basically all in agreement on this. 

[comrade_general]

Groupthink ftw!