So I just voted on a referendum here for/against legalising euthanasia. What are my chapos thoughts on the matter?
I’m torn. Not being alive to see through the climate apocalypse or terminal illness sounds pretty good, but this has to exist under capitalism and a healthcare system that’s underfunded.
Disability rights groups always come out against bills like this, and it does seem like it could easily lead to abuse.
Could this lead to less funding for palliative care? Is a young person with non-responsive depression a valid context for euthanasia (wouldn’t be legal yet but has been added to the law in other countries like Belgium)?
Thoughts?
In the US deathcare is a huge industry. They'll siphon off all your assets until they're gone regardless of your actual wishes. Once you get on the conveyer belt it's almost impossible to get off. If your family tries to help enforce your decisions, the administrators will say they're deranged with grief and make sure they're forbidden to see you or make any healthcare decisions on your behalf. This may be more widespread in some areas than others, but money is such a huge motivator here I don't see any alternative but making sure patients have an out.
When you say deathcare here, are you meaning palliative care and symptom management type approaches? That's a fair point, if there's more financial incentive to keep you alive for a long time to charge healthcare fees, rest-home care etc then that's also a perverse incentive. I'm not in the states at least so public healthcare should limit this aspect a little bit, although the rest-home system is still a rort.