Chantal Sebire

[nbda1997]

This is huge news in the states; I just happened to notice the story in passing on CNN.com:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/20/france.tumor/index.htmlIn short, this woman has had a rare form of cancer which has been causing her extreme pain and has drastically disfigured her face (just do a search with her name on Google images to see

Comments

[godemperorleto]

Dude, to say suicide and "die with dignity" in the same sentence is oxymoronic. Suicide has no dignity, period. If she wanted to kill herself, she should have just overdosed on sleeping pills or something (like she ultimately seems to have done). I see no reason that French peoples' taxes have to go to helping her die when she can do it for free.

Assisted suicide is abject cowardice. Period. I see no reason that France should legalize suicide. Besides, if you are successful in your attempt, what are they going to do to you? Throw your corpse into jail?

Euthanasia is a slippery slope. Once you make it okay for some people, it will become okay for others. Parents too old to work, and you can't afford to take care of them? Euthanize. Children born disfigured or mentally handicapped? Euthanize. Someone gets a rare but curable disease that costs to much to cure? Euthanize.

[nbda1997]

Dude, did you read anything I wrote? You're basically re-iterating a lot of what I said.

[bridgetwannabe]

1) I see nowhere where anyone's suggesting that tax money should be spent helping people commit assisted suicide. Unless France has socialized healthcare? Fine, in that case change the law so you have to pay for it yourself if you want it. Other countries with national health coverage have similar setups for elective procedures.

2) I also don't see anyone advocating for the kind of "euthanasia" you're talking about. A terminally ill person deciding to end their own life is entirely different from someone else deciding you have no quality of life and killing you.

[ensign_amazing]

France has socialized medicine.

In completely unrelated news, France consistently rates as having the world's best healthcare.

[cowgirl00]

In many cases suicide nullifies a life insurance policy. For someone who is terminally ill, killing themselves is not an option as they may need the insurance policy to help the family left behind deal with what may be high medical bills. It might be one reason why she was outspoken on the subject. Wanting go in peace and leave the pain behind but not wanting to push problems onto those still living.

[nbda1997]

Thanks, I didn't think of that...

[nbda1997]

...However, I think that, regardless of whether you kill yourself or have a medical professional help you do it, electing to end your own life probably voids your life insurance policy. I'm willing to be that wasn't the issue here.

[ensign_amazing]

as you can see, CNN.com is quick to point out that France is predominantly Roman Catholic, which may or may not have anything has everything to do with this particular law

FTFY

[nbda1997]

I don't know, dude... We all know that CNN is very left-wing biased. I just didn't think it was necessary for them to point that out if they weren't going to present any further imperical evidence that one thing had anything to do with the other (even though it most likely does).

Don't get me wrong. Fox is just as bad with their ultra-conservatism. But, in the end, I'm gonna call 'em like I see 'em.

[bridgetwannabe]

If France's Catholicism has nothing to do with this issue, then you're never allowed to discuss Islam and terrorism in the same post again. Fairness and consistency ...

[nbda1997]

Agreed. I will never discuss Islam and terrorism in *THIS* post. ;)

[bridgetwannabe]

Maybe she was going to such lengths because she felt it was a personal choice into which the government had no right to pry

[nbda1997]

You can't really compare DNRs with assisted suicide because the first is basically a death by "natural causes" while the other involves someone taking an active participation in the death of the other.

The comment you made about doctors having a HUGE number of legal and ethical hoops to jump through is something to think about. I guess the issue is how do you define that process? How can can we design the workflow so as to prevent foul play with 100% confidence?

[bridgetwannabe]

I don't know that I agree with you about DNRs. It's a medical directive. Isn't the point that the patient could have lived and instead died because of a decision the patient him/herself made?

I don't understand the emphasis you're putting on foul play. We're not talking about doctors deciding their patients have no quality of life, and killing them. That is murder. What we're talking about is a terminally ill person deciding to die peacefully and painlessly instead of continuing a protracted, pointless struggle and ultimately die an excruciating death.

In this country we allow death row inmates to drop their appeals and allow the state to execute them. There are legal standards that must be met before the justice system will allow that. They have to pass mental health tests and provide testimony that they are making the decision of their own free will. That would work here as well.