Fatal Flaws: The Assisted Death Debate (Euthanasia documentary) | Real Stories

We as a society REALLY need to stop treating death as "the worst thing that can happen." It isn't even close to the worst thing that can happen to a person.

This is another health topic that should be left in the hands of the individual. I am 65 years old, and I had a horrific childhood and a horrible 40+ marriage. In my early 30’s my health started getting bad— I had a total hysterectomy, my gallbladder was removed, and I found out I had Type II diabetes. I’ve had numerous mental health issues the worst being anxiety. I happened across Meditation, and for years I used it to control my anxiety, until at work in 2003 I was witness to a double murder suicide. I always took my job very seriously, so when that happened I worked 3-days straight with no sleep. It was a very traumatic experience for me, and it called forth a health concern I and my doctors knew nothing about— Fibromyalgia. For almost 2-years I could not walk and my whole body was wracked with unbearable pain. I continue to live with whole-body pain that never goes away. I’m 65 years old now, and I’ve had esophageal cancer and now struggle with my breathing— only able to walk short distances. I am extremely tired— literally and mentally. I am ready to go, and no one understands unless you’ve experienced what I have. I believe I also have some autoimmune problems and now neuropathy too. I’m tired of fighting to live— tired of fighting to breathe. I should have the say when I go— instead people want to drag it on with everything possible! I don’t, and right now I wear a bracelet that states DNR— don’t resuscitate me, because I’ve had enough of this life!

As a retired hospice nurse, I have seen suffering that is horrific! Obviously, this is not for everyone, but in some cases, people should have this choice rather than suffer until the very last breath.

I watched my Mum suffer while dying from Ovarian Cancer and i truly wish that that Euthanasia was legal here in the UK. It should be based on a case by case situation.

I was born with a chronic illness and as someone who has had to go through so much surgery, poking, prodding, and pain, I think it should definitely be up to the individual who is ill. And if you try and talk them out of it because "you're going to miss them" then people are just being damn selfish. That's my opinion, it may not be everyone else's and that's okay.

Cancer patients must be given the right to choose what they want!

It took my stepfather 8 months to starve to death. His cancer wasn't killing him quickly enough, and he was such a big man that even once he stopped eating, it took him ages to die. My mothers last few memories of him were him begging to die. Making humans suffer in ways I'd never make a pet dog suffer is abhorrent. Death is inevitable, there's nothing wrong with accepting it and speeding it along when it's happening anyway.

We are kinder to animals then we are to human beings. No one or no living creature should be made to suffer.

Yes, it should be made possible to ANYONE suffering. It is inhumane to allow such suffering. If you personally don't want to do that, I respect it. I know for a fact I am not going to suffer, and have my family have to watch me suffer, become a burden. There is peace in knowing YOU have the control.

I'm a pss and had a client with Parkinsons do this. He was in assisted living but moved back home for his final week and spent it surrounded by friends, family, and tons of amazing food. I'm so glad he was able to pass in such a wonderful way before the disease processed any further.

Psychological bad health should matter just as much. Especially people who have been going through psychiatrists for decades, TONS of antidepressants, PTSD,. I am an advocate for this. I'm 38 and have been on tons of meds and nothing works. So, 25-30 years from now in my mid 60-70s, if I'm still on meds living in mental hell...I want this qualification.

Hippocratic oath says first do no harm. Isn't continuing a life of suffering doing harm to the sufferer?

I have worked with and for animals most of my life and we allow animals more humane, painless deaths than we do human beings. If a person wants to set up for a quiet and gentle assisted death for themselves, why should they not get it? I have my mother’s medical and financial power of attorney. She has already put into writing that she wants no life extending procedures. That is the best we can do for her now. She made these decisions shortly after my father’s fast passing and was completely lucid and able to make these decisions. Now she is suffering from Dementia and losing so much of her mind so fast. Dementia is not the easiest way to go. It is usually long and drawn out. I would rather my mother could be assisted before she has to shrivel up and die bedridden and insensible. I know she would prefer that as well. I prefer it for myself. So does my husband. If my mind is clear and I can still enjoy relationships, sure I will go on living. I have plenty of family to love, but to sink away into a dying brain? A living shell with a beating heart but no mind to engage the world around me? No thank you.

This angers me so much. I understand people who do not want assisted medical dying. The battle is NOT against them. The woman with the sweet young girl at the beggining she just needed to say "I am not interested" . She got offended but, she did not needed to go to tribunals, to public scrutiny, to moral debates with her family, to be signaled as a weirdo, to fight for help, sometimes in many kind of needs. i am happy both her and her's daughter story is a happy ending story, but sadly it is not the same for everyone. If the rule was EVERYBODY has the right to ask for assisted medical dying, no doctor would be asking you that or giving you that information. There should be a medical office just for that, where dying patients can ask information as the most normal thing. People love life, they are not going to ask to die just because they have that option, but if someone is in a situation of health where life is not worth living for them, they should have the right to have medical help. My mother just passed away some days ago. She suffered A LOT. Doctors had the duty to do whatever they could till the end and that ment a lot of SUFFERING for her. My mother was very christian. It was her believe to endure till the end. Nobody was against her will. After witnessing her awful way of dying, I am more and more convinced, I am not like my mother, I do no want to suffer like that. I wish when my time comes, if I will pass for healthy issues, I hope assisted suicide will be available in my country.

"Travelled 50000 miles and talked to people on both sides of the argument", incredibly biased work. For sure there needs to be very clearly defined and monitored but in the end it comes down to quality of life for the patient. The biggest concern of those opposed seems to be oversight, for a start I would separate the role healer and assisted death advocate, have specially trained individuals who work alongside the healers to listen to the patient make all paths available. I am in my 50s, both my physical and mental health have been on the decline for many years, I am divorced, I have no social contacts and am unable to work. I am alone and refuse to become a burden on the few family I have. I would much prefer to say goodbye to everyone and leave peacefully, than be found by some stranger unexpectedly.

Decision is not for the doctors or Family but for the patients...some people are in real pain for a long time and deserve mercy ...

Anybody who's against doctors just putting you to sleep are out of their mind. Have you ever seen somebody dying? Have you ever seen somebody suffering? Well I have and it's horrible for them to go through that, for the family to go through that. To be hooked up to machines it's just not a way to live it's not life. I'm all for it if there's absolutely no way back no matter what. If the person is lucid it should be up to them to decide

My wife recently died of cancer, she spent her last days in agony begging for it to be over, We have assisted suicide in our country but doctors cannot bring up the topic, and the wait time is long enough she never made it that far Of course there’s scope to abuse the system, but there is no ethical reason she should have wasted away like that

Right to live but no right to die??? Who are you, or any government, to take decision on my behalf ???

I have watched more than a few people die slow horrifically painful deaths. I believe that people should have the right to die with dignity if they should choose to