In Tony Nicklinson's heroic suffering, I can't help but see the case for life

[ljtaylor]

It is harrowing to watch the anguish of a man who wants to end his life but cannot - yet his message somehow backfires

Comments

[kyra_neko_rei]

To address some of these arguments, I don't think the phenomenon of some people changing their minds later is a relevant argument for denying it. To force people to remain alive because they might change their minds later is someone else choosing to gamble with their well-being as the stakes, or rather forcing them to gamble their chance at relief for a change of heart that might never come.

In any other situation, the threat "I'm going to force you to keep doing this until you tell me you like it, and then I'm going to use that statement as justification that I was right all along," is monstrously creepy.

Yes, sometimes people change their minds, and they will always have the option to step back and wait if they think that likely to be the case. But I don't think protecting people from themselves ought to go this far, to the point that it fails to protect them from other things they can't escape.

As for the risk to people of legalizing euthanasia, a solid series of thorough but achievable failsafes to make consent clear and recognized should be required. If it is more burdensome to fake the person's consent than to simply kill them and make it look like an accident, then this will not be the method of choice for murder to be committed.