To what extent do you think assisted suicide should be a legally available option to those who want to end their lives?
In Switzerland, anyone who assists a person to commit suicide is not punishable unless they do so for vested reasons. The relevant article in the Criminal Code paved the way for assisted suicide in the 1940s.
Today, more than 1,000 terminally ill patients or people suffering from other severe conditions receive such assistance to end their lives every year.
To what extent do you think assisted suicide should be a legally available option to those who want to end their lives? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
If you or a loved one is experiencing mental health struggles involving thoughts of suicide, help is available within Switzerland by calling the number 143. International resources can be found hereExternal link.
From the article Why assisted suicide is ‘normal’ in Switzerland
I have a responsibility to live.
I have a wife and young children. I have a responsibility to live and support my wife until she is able to live financially and my young children grow up to be independent in the future.
Conversely, if my wife can live financially after my death and my children are independent, then I have fulfilled my responsibility to live.
It is because my life is limited that I can shine.
My dream is to fulfil the above-mentioned responsibility and at the same time become nothing in the form of death.
My dream is to fulfil my responsibility and then become nothingness in the form of euthanasia, where there is no light or darkness.
Perhaps it is precisely because I have the dream of death that I can shine in the present.
私には生きる責任がある。
妻と幼き子がいるからだ。妻が経済的に生きる事ができ、幼き子ども達が将来自立する力を持つまでに成長するまで私は生き彼らを支える責任がある。
逆に言えば、私の死後も妻が経済的に生活でき、子ども達が自立したならば私は生きる責任を果たしたと言える。
限りある命だからこそ輝ける。
私の夢は上述の責任を果たしたと同時に死という形で無となることだ。
責任を果たした上で安楽死という形で光も闇もない無となることが、私の夢だ。
死という夢があるからこそ、今を輝けるのかもしれない。
An animal in the wild never suffers the way a human can in civilisation. No human being should suffer like that in life. Whether suffering from cancer or a mental breakdown. When life no longer makes sense and there is nowhere else to go, every person should be given the autonomy to choose suicide. No matter how old and how long the suffering is. Life is a gift, nature is a miracle, all of this is a miracle. And if I can savour it, that's fine and is my responsibility. But if I have fought my life and am tired, I am allowed to go. It is the concept of freedom to live when the breath is free, the soul is light, the heart beats regularly and loves. However, if this is not the case, a person should be able to walk. Mental pain is worse than you can imagine.
Ein Tier hat in der Wildnis niemals einen dermassen Leidensweg, wie ein Mensch in der Zivilisation haben kann. Kein Mensch sollte so leiden im Leben. Ob Krebskrank oder Psychisch am Anschlag. Wenn das Leben keinen Sinn mehr macht und die Wege nicht weitergehen, soll jeder Mensch die Autonomie bekommen, den Freitod zu wählen. Egal wie alt und wie lange der Leidensweg ist. Das Leben ist ein Geschenk, die Natur ist ein Wunder, all dies, ist ein Wunder. Und kann ich das auskosten, ist das schön und liegt in meiner Verantwortung. Habe ich jedoch mein Leben gekämpft und bin müde, darf ich gehen. Es ist der Begriff von Freiheit zu leben wenn der Atem frei, die Seele leicht, das Herz regelmässig schlägt und liebt. Ist das jedoch nicht der Fall, soll ein Mensch, gehen können. Seelischer Schmerz ist schlimmer als man sich vorstellen kann.
We are free over our bodies. You don't have to be seriously ill to have the right to die, and what's more, you don't have to pay a considerable sum of money to benefit from assistance, because that would close off this possibility to the less well-off.
Nous sommes libre de notre corps. Il n'est pas nécessaire d'être gravement malade pour avoir droit à mourir et ce qui est plus de payer une somme considérable pour bénéficier d'une aide car cela fermerait cette possibilité aux moins aisés.
Life is a precious gift and privilege, not a force. A precious gift is meant to be enjoyed, appreciated, and maintained. That’s what we should do throughout life journey.
And it should be a fundamental human right to decide when to end the journey with dignity, even if the person is perfectly strong and healthy. People who are ready to go are not selfish, people who want to force other people to live, against their will are selfish.
A best friend with ALS went to Switzerland with his son to end his life. I support his decision.
The counter to not legalising euthanasia in Japan is "Then would you be satisfied if the law forbids you to eat meat or fish?".
What this means is that under Japanese law, active euthanasia is considered assisted suicide.
And as for the counter, killing animals such as dogs and cats is a violation of the Animal Protection Law, but slaughtering cows, pigs and chickens for meat is permitted.
Euthanasia is a means of making life easier for many people in Japan and around the world who have become tired of living, so to regard it as assisted suicide without legalising it is like saying that even slaughtering domestic animals is a violation of the Animal Protection Act and a crime.
In other words, all laws should be consistent as to whether or not they create situations where euthanasia is legal, depending on the time and circumstances.
Therefore, euthanasia should be legalised.
日本で安楽死を合法化しないことに対するカウンターとして「なら、法律で肉や魚を食べることを禁じられても納得するのか」ということです。
これはどういうことかというと日本の法律上、積極的安楽死は自殺幇助とみなされるとされています。
そしてカウンターに関することは犬や猫などの動物を殺すことは動物保護法違反になるけど、牛や豚、鶏を食肉にするための屠畜(とちく)は認められています。
日本だけでなく、世界には生きることが嫌になった人が多くいる中で安楽死はその人々を楽にするための手段であるためにそれを合法化せずに自殺幇助とみなすことは家畜動物の屠畜さえも動物保護法違反で犯罪になると言っているようなものです。
つまり、時と場合によって合法とする場面をつくるかつくらないかを全ての法律で統一するべきなのです。
よって、安楽死は合法化するべきです。
I think living in pain is really only pain. On top of the pain, there are living and medical costs.
It is also a nuisance to those close to you.
There are tens of thousands of suicides in Japan. The fact is that the number is increasing every year. When a person commits suicide, the people around the suicide victim also become ill. I think it is a vicious circle.
苦痛で生きるって本当に苦痛しかないと思います。苦痛な上に生活費、医療費もかかります。
身近な人にも迷惑かけてしまいます。
日本は自殺が何万人もいる 年々増え続けている事実。自殺すると自殺者の周りも病みます。悪循環だと思う。
What is important is the wishes of those who wish to die. When someone is suicidal or permanently sad, it is also a worry for their loved ones. That's my opinion.
Ce qui importe est le souhait des personnes qui désirent mourir. Lorsqu'une personne est suicidaire ou triste en permanence c'est aussi un souci pour ses proches. C'est mon avis.
Euthanasia should be made legal for anyone who was willing to end their life, whether physically or mentally. This world is apathetic beyond comprehension. People would only mind if they could take advantage of you, people lack empathy and sympathy for those in need, people would always hid behind their mask instead of revealing their true feelings.
I did not chose to go through the superficial conventions that was set by the society
I did not chose to undergo this 9-5 slave to the grind routine in where you have no autonomy over your work.
I did not chose to be born in a world where your wealth dictates your position and how well people treated you.
Yes, I support Euthanasia wholeheartedly.
Dying with dignity should be a right...
Morir con dignidad debe ser un derecho...
I experienced this kind of selfishness when my daughter died. She left behind a 7-year-old child. My family left me to mourn. There was no communication: no messages, no phone calls. They were afraid of the death. It was the same for my son-in-law. There was nothing. Yes, the world lacks empathy and I wanted to kill myself many times. But my friends supported me enormously. I would have liked my daughter's suffering to have been put to an end when she was nearing the end of her life. It was horrible... But then she had to undergo this medical relentlessness because of tradition and Catholicism. Always the religions. Yes, I'm in favour of assisted suicide, even for people in good health.
J'ai vécu ce type d'égoïsme suite au décès de ma fille. Elle a laissé au monde un enfant de 7 ans. Ma famille m'a abandonnée à mon deuil. Personne ne communiquait: aucun message ni coup de téléphone. Ce décès leur faisait peur. C'était pareil pour mon gendre. Rien. Oui, le monde manque d'empathie et j'ai voulu me suicider bien des fois. Par contre mes amis m'ont énormément soutenus. J'aurais aimé que l'on abrége les souffrances de ma fille lorsqu'elle arrivait en fin de vie. C'était horrible... Mais voilà elle a dû subir cet acharnement médical parce qu'il y a la tradition et le catholicisme. Toujours les religions. Oui, je suis favorable au suicide assisté même pour les personnes en bonne santé.
In favour of euthanasia. Religion is a personal thing limited to your domicile. Laws should be secular or without religion in the 21st century, Religion is an act of faith, it is not scientific, It cannot be imposed by law. In my experience people who decide to end their lives, it is not usually a spontaneous act. Nobody has the right to decide about our lives, only oneself. Better to reinforce protection laws so that this is not used for murder.
A favor de la eutanasia. La religión es algo personal limitada a su domicilio. las leyes deben ser laicas o sin religión en el siglo XXI, La religión es un acto de fe, no es científico,No puede ser impuesta por ley. Por mi experiencia la gente que decide terminar con la vida, no suele ser un acto espontáneo, Se piensa por años o meses.. Nadie tiene derecho a decidir sobre nuestras vidas, solo uno mismo. Mejor reforzar leyes se protección para que esto no se use para asesinar.
I agree with you. Catholics don't want to hear anything. They are bogged down in their traditions as seen through the eyes of the Passion of Christ. It seems to them that in suffering there is salvation and something beautiful. Personally, I see nothing but horror.
It's the same for other religions, but we have to evolve.
Je suis d'accord avec vous. Les catholiques ne veulent rien entendre. Ils sont englués dans leur traditions vues au travers de la passion du Christ. Il semblerait pour eux que dans la souffrance il y a le salut et quelque chose de beau. Je n'y vois personnellement que de l'horreur.
Il en est de même pour d'autres religions d'ailleurs mais il faut bien évoluer.
In my opinion these things should absolutely not exist, for goodness sake, every person has the right to decide about their own life, but this seems excessive to me. Thanks to this machine there will certainly be more cases of suicide because it offers a non-painful and calm death, whereas before people would think twice before suffering too much to commit suicide. No doubt it will then be misused, perhaps only for money. However I repeat, this is my opinion and I respect everyone else's.
A mio parere queste cose non dovrebbero assolutamente esistere, per carità, ogni persona ha il diritto di decidere della propria vita, ma questo mi sembra eccessivo. Grazie a questo macchinario aumenteranno di sicuro i casi di suicidio perché offre una morte non dolorosa e calma, mentre prima le persone ci pensavano due volte prima di soffrire troppo per suicidarsi. Senza dubbio verrà poi utilizzato in modo errato, magari solamente per soldi. Comunque ripeto, questo è il mio parere e rispetto quello di tutti gli altri
It's important to realise that when your parents, spouse or friends find you hanged, bloodied or drowned in a bathtub, it's also a lifelong trauma. When you're in a bad way, people run away from you, fed up with your state of depression. You talk about excesses, but that's all life is these days. Even some doctors can be malicious. So what does that famous phrase "life is beautiful" mean? But I respect your opinion.
Il faut bien se rendre compte de ceci : lorsque vos parents, conjoints, amis vous retrouve pendu, ensanglanté ou noyé dans une baignoire c'est aussi un traumatisme à vie. Quand vous allez mal les gens vous fuit, de lasse de votre état dépressif. Vous parlez de dérives mais la vie n'est faite que de ça de nos jours. Même certains médecins sont parfois malveillants. Alors que signifie cette fameuse phrase "la vie est belle" Non pas pour tous. Je respecte toutefois votre opinion.
I think that people also think before they enter the death machine. It's not easy to commit suicide.
Je pense qu'avant de rentrer dans la machine à mourir les gens réfléchissent aussi. Ce n'est pas simple de se suicider.
The future of the elderly is uncertain, but so is that of young people. Governments have work to do to recognise that there is a major problem with the population.
When we retire, we no longer have enough to live on in Switzerland and we are forced to move to various countries where currency exchange allows us to survive better.
The possibility of choosing the date and time of our death is a decision not to harm our family and the government. Is it the ultimate solution for a human being?
It's difficult to answer and give a valid opinion. I think living with drugs is a horror, but the law doesn't cover possible mistakes. So human choice must take precedence and not be condemned. Watch out for the slippery slope...
L'avenir des personnes âgée est incertain, mais aussi celui de la jeunesse. Les gouvernements ont du travail pour reconnaitre qu'il y a un problème majeure avec la population.
A la retraite nous n'avons plus de quoi vivre correctement en Suisse et nous sommes obligé de s'expatrier dans divers pays ou l'échange monétaire nous permets de survivre mieux.
La possibilité de choisir la date et l'heure de notre mort est une décision pour ne pas nuire à notre famille et au gouvernement. Est-il la solution ultime d'un être humain ?
C'est difficile de répondre et donner un avis valable. Je considère que vivre avec des médicaments est une horreur, mais la loi ne couvre pas les erreurs possible. Donc le choix humain doit être prioritaire et ne pas être condamné. Attention aux dérapage...
Everything human goes wrong. The Internet, medicine, politics, the police, the law, religions. Everything. We must move forward
Tout ce qui est humain est dérapage. Internet, la médecine, la politique, la police, la loi, les religions. Tout. Il faut avancer
I understand, it's a big question, I think euthanasia should exist.
Je comprends, c'est une grande question ,je trouve que l'euthanasie doit exister
What happened to the body of an assist in Switzerland in the 1940's and today?
I do want it to be legal because many of us have or may have emotional or family problems and many times nobody understands us, they just tell us no for this or that, according to them, to "help us", which is useless in the end, in my case I would do it and I will do it in my country it is forbidden, but if one day they legalise it, I will say no to everyone and I would escape because it will be worth it in the end.
Si quiero que se legal ya que muchos de nosotros y nostrosas tenemos o podemos tener problemas emociales o familiares y muchas veces nadie nos entiende solo nos dicen que no por esto o lo tro según para "ayudarnos" cosa que no sirve al final en mi casó si lo haría y si lo haré en mi país esta prohibido pero si in dia lo legalizanlo haré digan que no todos y me escaparía porque si valdrá la pena al final.
10 or 15 thousand is an horrific burden.... but having said that, it's necessary for loved ones to be their to hold the hand of the wife or brother or grandmother, when that person is gone those that remain still will feel as though their heart has been torn from their bodies and the grief can linger, striking when you least expect it even a decade later.. maybe a revisit of the costing structure can help the situation, I apologise for not being more thorough in my first post
I am in favour of euthanasia.
I would like to be able to choose my own time of death, regardless of physical or emotional stress
安楽死に対して賛成です
身体的、精神的なストレスにかかわらず死のタイミングを自分で選択できたらいいと思います
I fully agree
Totalmente de acuerdo
That's exactly how it is.
Genau so ist es.
It's not that delicate in most countries of the world the government's don't meet their expectations, for example in australia it would be a simple 2 minute effort to mandate passive solar design principles into planning law that would get us carbon positive, but it remains not done but the point is after all this effort generations they can't even seriously offer even a promise of a better future the best they can manage is to make dying a cash positive source of revenue for a incompetent lot of radically dysfunctional architect of our future, really what a lot of hum bug... dying with dignity after a life of shite how hard can it be.... really that's pretty basic
Certainly it is a very delicate subject and merits a lot of thought before initiating procedures. If sane of mind, it is up to each individual (male or female) to decide and family and church should respect the wishes. For those terminally ill "assisted dying" is a blessing...being relieved from all suffering.
This means that if you're not in your right mind, i.e. if you're too old or too ill to make a decision, you'll have to suffer and suffer some more, with endless palliative care. I'm dubious, but it's not easy.
Cela signifie que si on est pas sain d'esprit c'est a dire trop âgé ou trop malade pour prendre une décision il nous faut souffrir et souffrir encore avec des soins palliatifs interminables. Je suis dubitative mais ce n'est pas simple
Those who do not approve of euthanasia may feel that they do not want it, and moreover would feel very uneasy if it were forced upon them. Of course, this feeling should be respected.
However, it must be realised that denying others the right to euthanasia is arrogant and an infringement of their rights. This is because, unless you are an ancient slaver who does not want your slaves to run away or die, it is absolutely unacceptable today to have control over the life and body of another person.
The only thing that can be done for another person who wishes to be euthanised with sufficient capacity to do so is to respect his or her wishes, and even if it is a parent and child or husband and wife, it is only permissible to try to persuade the person through discussion.
安楽死を認めないという人は自分がそれを望まないし、ましてや強制されるようなことがあればとても不安になるという思いなのであろう。もちろんその思いは尊重されるべきである。
しかし、他人が安楽死を望むことまで否定するのは横暴であり、他人の権利を侵害することになると気づかねばならない。奴隷に逃走されたり死なれては困るという古代の奴隷商人でもない限り、他人の生命身体を支配することは現代では絶対許されないからである。
十分な意思能力のもとに安楽死を望む他人に対してできることはその意思の尊重であり、たとえ親子、夫婦であっても話し合いによる説得を試みることが許されるのみである。
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