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Sory if it has been discussed before but they are looking at the law again in regards to this.

What are the thoughts of you lot then?

Its legal in Luxembourg (I think)

i think it should be legalised for those with terminal illnesses. personal choice is definately the way forward.

I have to agree fully.

Having watched some nearest and dearest suffer.  I'm all for it.  Death with dignity is the way to go.  But and there is always a but, Intimedation (sp) will be a problem.  Awful to think relations could talk people into suicide simply to make the familys lives easier.

Being a nurse and having to face death and suffering a fair bit im on the fence! I think it does possibly have a place in society but it would have to be so strictly monitored. Some peoples reasons for suicide can be very questionable.

You wouldn't let an animal suffer...

I'm sorry but the nurses were next to useless in my case.  I don't know you and i have no wish to insult you but my dealings with you're profession as turned me against the nhs and coming from a long standing socialist this hasn't been easy to wright. Again no personal insult to DanJ intended.

I think it could lead to further legal complications. Will an application need to be made and who will approve this? Will this take a long time? I think it's going to be difficult to make this workable in practice.

My main concern would be if it became more and more common, the NHS would push this instead of treatment in order to free up resources.

I think it's very unfair to generalise. I also find it insulting to make such a sweeping statement against an under funded and over worked facet of something destroyed by his Tonyness and the wonderful legacy he's left this country with.

Nurses and anyone who works with the pathetic constraints imposed upon them, and still manage to care for patients, whilst keeping their own heads up, deserve much respect imo. Hate the game not the players.

Fuck off my future wife to be works god damn hard. 12 hours shifts and in no sequence. She looks after premy babies, and the amount of stick she gets is unbeleivable especially on such a low wage. If it wasn't for her, and the other babies in scbu, many families would be destroyed.

But on the other hand, its like any profession you get good and bad. But in scbu its all good.

Hey I'm not looking for a fight here and i can only call it as i see it.  PMH hada bad reputation amongst the profession and that seems to be carrying through to GWH, im ny limited experience.  PMH reputation I  learnt from my niece who when't to Reading to train.

It's there for all to see.  Take a look around the wards dedicated to the old and confused.  Patients laying in there own filth wasn't a rare occurence when I was visiting.
If I allowed a dog to die in the conditions my step father in law did, I would of been locked away.

Again, limited experience but the three nurses I know socially, I wouldn't want anywere near me if I was in need and thats not me being fatuose(really bad spelling)  Any compassion these women stated out with was soon knocked out of them.

1 more thing they are good at getting their nearest and dearest through the system.  My opinion is, the NHS can work for a selected few but is no way near what it was first set up to be.

I'm all for it and can’t imagine the thought of becoming a vegetable and would rather be ushered along that bit quicker along this mortal coil.  Likewise I’d support anyone else’s decision to make that choice.

However, what I found a bit disturbing is a young lad who was crippled and confined to a wheelchair after a rugby accident then went on to take  assisted suicide supported by his folks.  Now wheelchair confinement I’d imagine is hell for some people (not all) and not something I could conceive of understanding especially for anyone having been so active but there’s a big difference between it and having a terminal or debilitating illness.

It's a vague area isn't it Dazzza?

I guess they could do it on a ruling that without treatment this person would be unable to survive, so the wheelchair bloke wouldn't be allowed it. Problem is you'd get nutters who were diabetics who wanted to end their life and would exploit such a loophole.

I just can't see it ever being workable.

Although if legalised, the person who dies must be sane to approve it in the first place, otherwise it could be murder. Meaning that somebody who is insane cannot be aided in committing suicide no matter how much pain they might be in.

There is also the argument that many people are still able to take there own lives without help, it would only be those who are completely paralised or dependant who would need help.

I am all for euthanasia in the right circumstances and hope that I would not be made to suffer myself, it's not as black and white as it may seem though,

If someone wanted to end their life I'd prefer they could do it in a safe environment then say jump off a bridge. Bit extreme I know but you know what I mean. If someone also wanted to end their life, it gives them the opportunity to say goodbye rather than dying and not knowing when.

I have no problem with it and hope someone would sort me out if I needed it.
I do have to defend trogladyte on the nurses at GWH - over the last few years I've had 3 people very close to me admitted for long periods of time and the nurses have invariably been crap and uncaring. There seems to be a real morale issue there which manifests itself in an uncaring attitude. I found the foreign nurses provided better care.

With the huge post second world war generations very quickly getting old and about to put us all under a massive strain with their care, forced euthanasia might be something worth considering soon.

Never has a group gone through history with such a selfish greedy attitude as those born in the 50's and early 60's.

Got to say that i have to agree..a family member who was old was treated appalingly at the Great Western...ive never forgiven them...cant say i agree with legal suicide,there is too many times when people are mentally unstable through stress or bereavement...and hasty decisions may ensue...leaving the familys to pick up the peices....also will make a massive mess of life insurance policies!

Can i just say that not all nurses are bad and that many including myself provide the best care and treatment we can under the constant pressure that we face. On my unit we get aprox 10-11,000 patients a year, many of which are acutely ill and it is understandable and predictable that some may not be satisfied with the care they recieve but i feel it is massively unfair to put all nurses in the same breath that some have and talking as though we dont give a toss about our patients.
If anyone ever has a problem with the treatment that they or their family recieve it is important to make the hospital (at the GWH it's pals) aware so those who dont do their job properly know about it, not just go off and slag "the hospital" off to all their friends and family. It gives those who really care about their job a bad name.

I've not got much love for the NHS, but this isn't really the time and place to get on the back of someone you haven't met before, let alone seen at work.

What has someone's feelings about nurses got to do with the youth in asia?

Agree Dan...wasnt having a dig at nurses in general....as for making people at the hospital aware...i tried to do that everyday this poor woman was there...no one wanted to listen and the one time i lost my rag i was told that the police were on there way....she was old,scared and ill and its someone i still feel bad about...unfortuanatly Dan like everything in society now the bad minority spoil it for the good majority.
Its no good having a complaints proceedure that deals with things after events...there should be someone at the hospital on hand 24/7..to deal with problems as they happen.
PS no ones having a go Sie....Dan chose to get involved with the discusion...alot of the stuff you post isnt relevant to the thread...so what.

and the game is privatisation of the NHS by the back door.


The NHS may not be perfect but it is still free to all at the point of delivery, we won't know what we've got until we no longer have it.

Im with you leefer and it makes me angry too when i dont see people doing their job properly and i can asure you that there are people who do care like myself. If I see anyone who I feel are not doing their job right i will tell them no mistake because at the end of the day patients are vulnerable and its peoples lives.
Sorry if i seem a bit defensive but I work hard and my job is not just a job to me and I feel I have to stick up for nurses who work hard and provide good care.

Anyway enough of the serious stuff, im gonna go talk about sarnies and make up rumours about our next signing :)

Well no, Dan mentioned he was a nurse and then someone kicked off about NHS nurses. Having a go directly at someone who has naff all power to change the ways of the NHS is a bit harsh.

I just felt like sticking up for Dan and my last point was a lighthearted attempt (and poor reference to an Ali G interview) to ease the tension a bit. Next time I'll use a boring stereotype and say Dan is a very brilliant and very gay nurse.

if it wasn't for the nhs my dad would have died when i was 12, of course there are problems with the service but 17 years on with my dad still alive and kicking i'm perfectly happy thank-you

Love you too si :)

All I would add to this is that I have used the NHS numerous times for non-serious things (ie sporting injury requiring stitches) and they have been absolutely fantastic.  So many people in the world have no such service - we really need to appreciate that the NHS exists at all, and is staffed by mainly hard working, decent, caring people.

my mum had a major op this year, the nurses at the JR were superb... well, as were all the staff. i have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone in the health industry. on the other hand, i've been waiting since february to receive a date for an operation and have had no help from PALS. yet it has been and still is an important source of support for my ongoing mental health.

on the original topic, i'm fully behind assisted suicide (where's the word euthanasia gone?) in most cases. obviously a proper system will need to be applied and it should only be considered when the person (or people) is in a fit state of mind to consent to it.

nurses have saved my life 3 times a week 52 weeks a year for nearly 5 years. they will forever have my gratitude.

This is so black and white for me. It`s my fucking body and I`ll do what I want with it, it should be legal - absolutely no question of it.