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Disfigured woman's plea to die rejected!

news.com.au — What are your thoughts on right to death? CANCER sufferer Chantal Sebire has vowed to find a way to end her life after a French court rejected her plea to die by euthanasia. Suffering rare cancer that has left her disfigured she says she'll find other means to end her life.

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  • Chassit, on 03/17/2008, -9/+375In my opinion, a right to live inherently allows for a right to die.
    • uziko, on 03/17/2008, -61/+7that is idiotic, you have the right to do what you want with what you own, it has nothing to do with "the right to live"
      • norman619, on 03/17/2008, -0/+33That sound was the point flying over your head.
      • tdogg241, on 03/17/2008, -0/+25And who, may I ask, "owns" your life?
      • reichg, on 03/18/2008, -2/+3can't she just buy a gun like everyone else?
        • Qumahlin, on 03/18/2008, -0/+14France
          • Chompy, on 03/18/2008, -0/+7They have tall buildings, right?
          • djvchris, on 03/18/2008, -1/+8They have cars and garages, right?!
          • Pixelante, on 03/18/2008, -2/+3Yes. She would drop the gun instead of shooting herself. Right.
        • SuperCujo, on 03/18/2008, -0/+9I reckon she should get a gun and then blow her misshapen head off while standing on the steps to the court.

          It would make a good political and social point. :)
      • Spuy767, on 03/18/2008, -2/+2It's a trap!
    • rholland356, on 03/17/2008, -33/+8Well, think of it this way: you did not get a choice in the time or era of your birth. And you don't get a choice for the date of your death.
      Oh, wait a minute. You CAN decide when you will die, and by what means, as long as you don't ask anyone to help you. It's the asking of others to help you that becomes the sticking point.
      • sarixe, on 03/17/2008, -0/+13well once you're born, you can do anything you want, or work to do anything you want, so long as you're capable. being allowed to, however, is another story.
        • rholland356, on 03/18/2008, -1/+1Where do YOU live? I live in downtown Baghdad, bub. Just goin' to 7-11 is killin' me!
      • norman619, on 03/17/2008, -3/+12Who are you to decide when or how I can or can't die?
      • ThumperThumps, on 03/17/2008, -2/+22If somebody wants me to kill them and I want to kill them too, then everybody gets what they want, right? We have got too many damn people on this planet as it is. Let them die! Not everybody fits the bill for a happy life.

        I vote for suicide booths.
    • ep53, on 03/17/2008, -6/+19Ummm this may sound stupid, but cant she just commit suicide? Take a whole bottle of painkillers and it will have the same effect as the lethal drugs shes not allowed....
      • bitterbug, on 03/17/2008, -2/+43Drug overdoses are by no means a certain method of death. The end result could leave you worse off then before you tried. Imagine aspirating your own vomit so that your lungs are seared by acid, but surviving, so now you wish you were dead and are stuck on a ventilator.
        A gun is no certainty either. Bullets do some pretty crazy things while bouncing around in a body.
        People fear the thought of drowning, but if you combine it with the other methods it's a pretty sure closer.
        For example, taking a large dose of whatever and then trying to swim out to sea. Or attaching a cement block to your foot holding on to the edge of a boat while you shoot yourself in the head. Hard to screw up that.
        • benplaut, on 03/17/2008, -0/+50Suddenly, Lassie the Dolphin jumps out of the water and knocks the cement block off your foot, up into the air deflecting the bullet. Then, you fall into the water where a team of maring EMT's stick a charcoal tube down your throat, and then return you safely back to land.

          Foiled again!
          • benplaut, on 03/18/2008, -0/+4oops, "marine"
          • jcims, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2that's ok, i read it as marining...worked for me. lol
          • Clumber, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Oddly, I read it as "manatee" initially. Too much Simpsons or too little sleep... or a lovely combo!

            Stay tuned for the new trailer for "BoBo - Manatee EMT!" (cue sitcom music)
        • xadious, on 03/17/2008, -1/+8lol @ lassie the dolphin.
        • jason4188, on 03/18/2008, -1/+15I would say bullet to the dome is a pretty effective way of ending it all, because even if it fails, more than likely you will never know it was a failed attempt. Not to mention, what about carving a star into the bullet before hand, so that it sends fragments through the brain, instead of just one bullet bouncing around in there you have several pieces of a bullet, an instant brain blender, I am sure would do the trick. If you are still worried, what about the good ol 12 guage to the the dome. surely a few hundred pellets dancing about your dome would be a very effective measure of a quick end. Not to mention given that bullets travel over a thousand feet a second, you are not going to have to think about weather or not it hurt. You pull the trigger, its over, the only draw back to the gun method, is somebody has to clean that ***** up, so its a rather inconsiderate way to end things, pick a good spot in the woods for this method I say, have some damned suicide etiquette.
          • themanmachine, on 03/18/2008, -0/+4Thanks for the tips. They'll come in handy soon... before my Calculus final on Wednesday.
          • jason4188, on 03/18/2008, -1/+2I was just making an argument that it was possible with no risk of survival, I would say committing suicide over something like calculus, would not only be retarded, but a final show of disrespect for everyone around you. I would condone it under this womans circumstance, but because you are failing a class? Then again if that is how you think maybe Darwin was right, survival of the fittest, but don't be that retard, reconsider your thoughts.
          • Pixelante, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Fill your mouth with water and fire a 9mm (minimum) JHP under your chin. It will blow your head off.
          • chrisxkelley, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2pixelante:
            Why the water? An odd question to ask, sure--but what effect does that have?
          • jcims, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Water doesn't compress, so when the bullet blasts a cone shaped wake through the blob of water in your mouth, the water expands with a force like steel. Certainly would blast all of your teeth out, remove your tongue and cheeks. Not sure that it would 'blow your head off' though, there isn't that much water.

            Best bet is to hit the brain stem, which is (more or less) directly between the eyes from front to back, or just behind the top of the ear from the side. Don't use a small caliber, either...you may just end up with a killer headache.

            Carbon monoxide is probably the best way to get the job done, as long as you don't endanger anyone else.
          • Clumber, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1another vote for CO1 here. Having experienced carbon monoxide poisoning (not intentional - car tried to kill me...) I can state that during the poisoning I just got warm, comfortable, and wanted nothing more than to close my eyes...
            The restore to normal is a bitch, though. KILLER headache, barfing, internal bits feel like they have each been singly beaten with a ball peen hammer... Yeah, the recovery sucks, but the poisoning itself is somewhat pleasant.
            YMMV and not recommended. Consult a physician.
          • jcims, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Good to know...CO took someone very close to me.
        • 3HackBug77, on 03/18/2008, -1/+7it's creepy how much thought you put into that comment.
        • Tetraca, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2One of Hitler's advisors said that the best method of killing oneself is to shoot oneself in the head while biting a cyanide capsule, so that if you have aimed wrong, the capsule can finish you off relatively painlessly (since a part of your brain is probably splattered accross a wall, you probably aren't going to feel anything or have enough cognitive ability afterward).
        • Zarokima, on 03/18/2008, -0/+8Even better: Tie a noose around your neck at the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea (so you get the drowning thing as a last resort). Take whatever poison of your choice, light yourself on fire, then jump off the cliff with a gun so that if your neck doesn't snap you can shoot yourself in the head. Actually, one guy tried this. His neck didn't snap, the bullet missed and cut the rope, the water put out the fire, the force of the impact made him vomit the poison back up, and a nearby dude on a boat fished him out before he could drown, but he did die of pneumonia in the hospital about a week later.

          Okay, maybe that's actually not such a good idea unless you really want pneumonia.
          • benplaut, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2LOL! That was better than mine...
          • Pixelante, on 03/18/2008, -0/+5What about suicide bombing? No one survived. Seems to be a surefire way for any dumbass to off himself.
          • Clumber, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1pneumonia sucks.
      • uziko, on 03/17/2008, -1/+12taking painkillers will do nothing except cause liver failure which will kill you in agonizing pain 2 weeks later
        • dreamlayers, on 03/18/2008, -0/+5Depends what kind of painkiller. You probably mean Tylenol. Opiates would be a better choice but they're harder to get.
      • moiremusic, on 03/17/2008, -1/+18Also, this woman is now blind. Being blind significantly cuts down on one's ability to procure any resources without help, not to mention resources that could kill them. This woman cannot get in a car and go to the pharmacy by herself. She cannot read a bottle of pills.
        • wellyuk, on 03/18/2008, -17/+6How can she be blind with an eye that big? She should be able to see through walls.
        • chrisxkelley, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2Cant read a bottle of pills... even better! Just take every bottle of pills ya got :)
      • blackinthmiddle, on 03/17/2008, -3/+3Well there's also the issue of insurance. At her age, I'm sure she doesn't have a policy but if she were 35, for example, and killed herself, insurance wouldn't cover.
        • Qumahlin, on 03/18/2008, -0/+7I don't know about you, but my health insurance fully covers suicide after 5 years of coverage. That way people can't go out, get insurance and kill themselves. They have to wait 5 years, obviously having to wait 5 years weeds out most of the "quick buck for my family" crowd; otherwise its fully covered.

          This is standard with most insurance plans in the US. Suicide is covered, but only after a probationary period.
      • xptoast, on 03/18/2008, -3/+4I suggest if she is in that much pain then a large ammount of constant drugs such as pot or alcohol or something that can keep her flying high kind of happy and out of pain. That way she doesnt die and still gets to have a good ol time.
      • gradeahonky, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1In my opinion, the right to live inherently allows for a right to take a ***** every so often. But I don't need the government to hold my hand as I do that.

        It makes perfect sense, suicide can be obtained by anyone who really wants it. The government is just avoiding the inevitable legal nightmare that would follow if assisted suicide is legal. I'm sure a government assisted suicide may be nicer, or more dignified, but it ends up the same in the end.
    • Bartboy919, on 03/17/2008, -2/+101As Richard Dawkins put it, "Why is it alright to euthanize a suffering dog, yet immoral to euthanize a terminally ill patient who is in constant pain?"
      • Jonno549, on 03/17/2008, -7/+48Because it impacts on the bottom line of big pharma. Dead sick people don't need meds.
        • pintomp3, on 03/17/2008, -4/+15big pharma's right to medicate.
          • deviantsteve, on 03/17/2008, -1/+8What about some OTC euthanasia?
        • Qumahlin, on 03/18/2008, -4/+20It has nothing to do with big pharma, it has to do with morality, and those in charge feeling the need to "save" others from a "mortal" sin. The real sin is that these people believe there is a god who actually wanted this woman to suffer.
        • bigt8dogg, on 03/18/2008, -2/+3@Qumahlin and pintomp3 - I think it's more to do with the fact that big pharma doesn't want to lose money, however, I feel that they influence the lawmakers by using the morality card, so that it appears the laws don't get changed due to morality, but in actuality, big pharma is pulling strings to make it look that way, so they can make their money.
      • minnymoo, on 03/17/2008, -1/+18well put Dawkins, well put.
      • earthceltic, on 03/17/2008, -0/+24..and dogs don't even ask for it
      • xptoast, on 03/18/2008, -20/+4Because of the same reason we dont cattle humans. We are the masters of the creatures of the world. We have always have been given that responsibility. We are not to kill ourselves but to toil all the days of our life. We are not as the animals are. You may think so because you cant keep it in your pants but that doesn't mean we are. Have a great day:)
        • ICSU, on 03/18/2008, -2/+12We don't cattle humans?
          Have you ever heard of slavery?
          • xptoast, on 03/18/2008, -11/+2To eat you numbnut. Did we ever cattle slaves? Also slavery isn't legal here anymore now is it. You suck with logic. NM you wont even know that you suck at it.
          • ParaSwarm, on 03/18/2008, -1/+5What does eating have to do with anything? I love how you end your sentences with "have a great day :)" and "NM you suck at logic", as if you've delivered a fantastic verbal finishing blow to your opponent... when it's anything but the case.
        • howlinrain, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Keep telling yourself we are the masters of the creatures when you come face to face with a bear, shark, lion, or any kind of beast that will completely maul you. Just wave your hand in front of him and calm him with some masterful jedi mind tricks...he will chill out and bow before your almighty command.
      • HolemCross, on 03/18/2008, -1/+5*sniff*
        Why did I have to euthanize you companion cube?
      • diggopolous, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Why should I listen to Richard Dawkins? Who wants advice from The Family Fued guy
    • VladislavIII, on 03/17/2008, -16/+2I think that if she truly wants to die rejected, she should try being a little more offensive to the people around her. They'll clear out pretty quick and leave her to die alone.
    • dkern, on 03/17/2008, -5/+11The elite who control everything want to reduce the worlds population, so I fail to see why situations like this aren't pushed through the bureaucratic process.

      What it really comes down to is trying to understand why situation like this exist at all. If you think about it from a spiritual perspective, about all I can come up with is Karma.

      Anyone can certainly understand why she would want to die as anyone would in her situation. I find it funny that people get on a moral high ground over an issue like this- then go shoot Iraqi citizens. Nothing makes sense anymore. To euthanize her and her ilk seems like the humane thing to do- while spiritually beneficial- religion will not allow it- hence, she and those like her continue to suffer in God's great plan.

      The world is whacked.
      • bananasplit1586, on 03/18/2008, -1/+15I don't really understand how capital punishment is legal but not euthanasia...
        if the state can prove beyond reasonable doubt that someone has forfeited their right to live .... and you can prove beyond reasonable doubt that you want to die .... how can you allow one and not the other...?
        • ceero55, on 03/18/2008, -1/+0The issue of capital punishment doesn't really apply here, since it was a French court and France doesn't allow capital punishment.
        • bananasplit1586, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2very true, but I mean addressing it on an international sphere as the media has done, where in some parts capital punishment is legal & practiced but not euthanasia.
      • bananasplit1586, on 03/18/2008, -3/+1***** i posted that comment twice by accident. oops
      • gannina, on 03/18/2008, -0/+0I could of sworn they want to increase it... nothing better then an endless supply of slaves!
    • bananasplit1586, on 03/18/2008, -2/+8how capital punishment is legal but not euthanasia...
      if the state can prove beyond reasonable doubt that someone has forfeited their right to live .... and you can prove beyond reasonable doubt that you want to die .... how can you allow one and not the other..?
    • DivisibleByZero, on 03/18/2008, -0/+6Well said sir. Though I'm a little bit hesitant to allow that right to people who are mentally ill and would be better off with the proper treatment. I was on the edge once and am glad I didn't go through with it. But with some cancer patients, etc, it makes sense for them. So I've always advocated a permit-based system with a waiting period, kind of like buying a gun. You go to court and say you want to die. They sit you down with a shrink to determine whether or not you're crazy, then either let you die or prescribe whatever treatment they deem appropriate.

      It sounds like that's what happened in this case. She took it to court and lost.
      • RazDakarn, on 03/18/2008, -2/+1"Though I'm a little bit hesitant to allow that right to people who are mentally ill and would be better off with the proper treatment."

        It's not YOUR right to allow. The sooner you understand this, the better.
    • p51d007, on 03/18/2008, -10/+7Hey, if she wants to die, that is her own problem, DO NOT INVOLVE THE MEDICAL FIELD IN THE PROCESS.
      You can hang yourself, take 100 sleeping pills, suck an automobile exhaust pipe, jump out of a 10 story building
      etc, etc....what this woman wants is for SOMEONE ELSE to kill her off!
      When you allow the medical field into this, then, you run the risk of saying, well, she's bad off, let's end her life,
      then, well, this other person looks almost like her, end her life too.
      Screw that! Eventually you run into the Soylent Green type of thing. The "government" eventually will find a way to
      say these people die, these people live.
    • rosco01, on 03/18/2008, -0/+9I'm for decreasing the penalties for assisted suicide (or just not prosecuting it), but taking laws off the books presents several moral dilemnas. The most pressing one for me would be the potential pressure to commit suicide put on "burdensome" old or disabled people. For instance, my grandmother was very dependent the last couple years of her life and we were happy to help her out, but if euthanasia was legal she might have felt pressured to die sooner. Then again, working as a nursing assistant in high school I saw people die horrible, painful deaths-- they deserved a break. Either way, it's not a slam dunk :(
    • jozb, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2We should have those Futurama style suicide booths. "Quick and painless or slow and horrible."
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH_FxJRv-Uk fast forward to 3:00
  • AmyVernon, on 03/17/2008, -7/+113Huh. That's a hard one. While I understand the feelings, somewhat, of those who oppose the right to die, who are we to tell people how they can live their lives? (Or end them?) Having read the article, it's clear that she's suffered greatly not just emotionally, but also physically.
    • trogdor282, on 03/17/2008, -10/+5What I don't get is how come she can't find a way to do herself in? I mean, a bottle of Tylenol will kill you. (Granted it's a horrible death)
      • lotu, on 03/17/2008, -2/+3I hear that jumping off tall buildings kills you very quickly.
        • norman619, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4People have survived such things. It would suck if you tried that and you wind up living but now have to add being paralyzed to your list of reasons you wish to die.
          • feliks2, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2Not people like her, I'm sure her ilness affects more than just her face. I would be incredibly surprised if her entire body and all of her organs aren't greatly weakened by the cancer and its treatment.
      • norman619, on 03/17/2008, -0/+17I'm sure she wants to die in as little pain as possible.
        • Pake, on 03/17/2008, -4/+2Jump off a cliff, use a gun, OD on other drugs, or just tape a garden hose to a car exhaust and trap yourself in the car. Lots of painless and near painless methods. Hell, just hanging yourself (when done properly) is considered painless.
          • norman619, on 03/17/2008, -1/+3All those you can survive if you don't do it right. A doctor would know the correct dose and drugs to use to let you drift painlessly into your death.
          • Pake, on 03/17/2008, -7/+4A doctor has the same chance of messing up as a bullet. There have been lots of people who were suppose to be executed and were given "just the right amount" that failed.
          • LemmingJesus, on 03/17/2008, -1/+7It's not that hard to die, people do it on accident every day.
        • NSResponder, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4Heroin OD should do it. Not hard to find anywhere in Europe.

          -jcr
        • TBoneFever, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1If I were her, I would stay in my home, and I'd try to OD on marajuana.

          (note: I know you can't OD from mary jane)
      • HyperionHK, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4She's blind. All of these other methods, besides their potential for not working or being very painful, are also much harder to do when you are blind, considering anyone who helps her could probably be convicted of murder or something along those lines.

        My guess is she also wants to go out fairly painlessly
    • cplusplus, on 03/17/2008, -0/+13What's hard? Its her life. She should have control of it.
      • Pixelante, on 03/18/2008, -7/+3No. This is Europe. The State has control over her life.
        • radu79, on 03/18/2008, -0/+6Yeah, not like in the US, land of the free, home of the brave, where you are in control of your own life.
          /sarcasm
        • fabthegerm, on 03/18/2008, -1/+1yeah, and that's why she could go to switzerland, for example, and do it there. recently american scientists have proven not only that global warming is a myth, but also that switzerland is actually in america, the land of the free, and advised the woman to go there and ask for euthanasia.
          • Pixelante, on 03/18/2008, -0/+0Let me see: if she goes to Switzerland and successfully dies, will the French arrest her when she comes back? I don't think she would like to live the rest of her death in Switzerland. Life as a dead person is very expensive there.
    • corneliusJones, on 03/17/2008, -11/+3If she can't off herself, then she doesn't deserve to. Come on, it isn't that hard, jump in front of a ***** train or something.
    • kelly, on 03/18/2008, -7/+2Nobody is saying she doesn't have a right to die... what's at issue is whether it be legal to give that person the tools to make it happen... i.e. assisted suicide. THAT is (and should be) illegal.

      If the person in question is bed ridden... that is nothing more than just a reality that helps those those supporting her opposing argument. THAT ought *not* allow her special consideration. If assisted suicide is wrong (and it *IS* wrong) then it should be wrong for everybody including those who can't do it on their own.
      • Klinky, on 03/18/2008, -2/+4If she is truly unhappy and suffering greatly(which she is) and there is no cure for her condition, I do not see the point in forcing her to continue to live in pain. You're trying to protect someone from killing themself by making them live in pain for the rest of their life. How is that moral?
        • kelly, on 03/18/2008, -6/+2Again... they're more then welcome to kill themselves... I'm saying that it shouldn't be legal for someone to assist someone else with that suicide. If that person can't commit the deed without the help of someone else... that's unfortunate for them but assisting someone with that is the immoral act.
      • DivisibleByZero, on 03/18/2008, -1/+3Actually suicide is also illegal (in the US).Though it's really because they can't force people to get mental help unless they commit a crime, so not really relevant here.

        If we grant that a particular person does have the right to die, I don't see how it makes any difference who sets up the machine or even who pulls the trigger.
    • Verz, on 03/18/2008, -0/+6Families don't get life insurance for illegal suicides.
    • Pritchard, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Well it's right to die vs right to commit irrational suicide.

      I think people should be allowed to end their lives if they wish, but at the same time, you shouldn't just be assumed to be in a healthy mental state if you're wanting to harm yourself or others - Basically, yes, you should have the right to die, but if you're thought to be in a mental condition where you can not make rational decisions, then the doctor or whatever should be allowed to say no and attempt to prescibe you medical help.

      Alternatively, I'd love the right to end my life if I thought I was a harm to others, meaning that I was mentally unstable, yet arguably dangerous enough to others where it would be reasonable to allow me to end my life.
    • notouch, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2While I think it's one's right to choose to die, I can understand why the laws cannot allow that, because it'll create opening for murdering. We already have a lot of cases of murder disguised as suicide. Imagine a billionaire were suffering and wish to end his own life, however before that he wanted to change his will so his dog will get all the money, the wife found out about his intention and killed him before changing the will and claimed he suicided. How can you determine if it his intention or hers for him to die?
  • breeder, on 03/17/2008, -2/+33Interesting article, and brings up some great debatable points. Is it someone else's place to say whether you live? How about whether you die? Is it your "right" to be say either way? If not, who's is it?
    • sarixe, on 03/17/2008, -5/+5well if you wanna have a debate, then we can argue whether rights are fundamental or auxiliary, whether they're dealt by the government, or instilled by the people who surround us, and a whole slew of other things. my personal stance on this is that we as a society have decided to give people rights, and that's great. but as evidenced by cultures such as extremist islam (and even the usa), human rights are not at all fundamental and can be taken away by people who have the means to do so.
      • NSResponder, on 03/17/2008, -1/+19" decided to give people rights, and that's great."

        Um, NO.

        We institute governments to secure our rights. Governments do not grant rights.

        -jcr
        • aadnk, on 03/18/2008, -2/+3Then how come different governments "secure" different rights? It doesn't look very intrinsic and a priori too me, unlike the physical laws for instance.

          I think I'll let George Carlin settle this (watch from 04:25):
          http://youtube.com/watch?v=hWiBt-pqp0E
          • NSResponder, on 03/18/2008, -0/+5"Then how come different governments "secure" different rights?"

            Some governments are tyrannies. Next question?

            -jcr
          • Testiculese, on 03/18/2008, -1/+1"to secure our rights" is subjective. We create the government to secure OUR rights. Someone not under this government doesn't have the same rights. Period.
  • VikingoTJ, on 03/17/2008, -2/+194The government should not have any right to decide whether someone lives or dies.
    • jesuswuzanalien, on 03/17/2008, -9/+3Which government, the US? Ha!
    • djtansey, on 03/17/2008, -0/+3I don't know the specifics of this case, but I can bring up one legal issue. I think the issue is more one of insurance. Would a dependent get the life insurance if she killed herself? If her deal was "illegal?" Their worry is that you'll buy life insurance today for a million dollars and then kill yourself tomorrow. Bam! Your kids get to retire. I can't speak to the moral claims.
      • DivisibleByZero, on 03/18/2008, -0/+4Most life insurance policies actually have clauses saying they don't pay out for suicides. And they'd still have them even if suicide were legal.
      • Qumahlin, on 03/18/2008, -0/+4Also most policies that do cover suicide, such as mine, have a probationary period. You can't sign up for insurance today, kill yourself tomorrow, and have your family profit. My policy has a waiting time of 5 years from the policy start date, but I have seen some policies as low as 2.
      • silentboom, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1People have allowed this to happen. It should be simple.... you die and were insured, they pay. The agreement shouldn't contain stipulations on how you die even if by your own hand. People should be reading the fine print and fighting for simplification of these things. If we continue to allow these companies to make the rules, they will continue to add fine print. Eventually if you choke on something and die, they will say you were negligent for not chewing. The death is insured, so the death is paid when it happens....simple.
    • dynelol, on 03/18/2008, -3/+2What if you're young and emotional? You should have to be a senior citizen or guaranteed to be in pain forever to qualify for this.
      • Qumahlin, on 03/18/2008, -0/+6How young? If it's anything over 18, it really shouldn't matter the reason, if you want out that bad at that age, your going to do it. It's not like they would offer some door to door service where they come kill you. Even if you provide someone the means to kill them self its not exactly a easy thing to make yourself do. Overriding your natural survival instinct is harder then you can imagine.
      • Jemulov, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1In most cases, teen suicide is a cry for help or something resulting from that person's in ability to cope with a malignant part of society (being teased in school for being different) It's usually just a phase that comes with puberty and school drama. Though suicide is a very extreme circumstance.
    • dbacker, on 03/18/2008, -2/+3The only government (that I know of) that doesn't have a death penalty and provides euthanasia rights is: The Netherlands.
      The US has it the wrong way around.
      Note: Euthanasia is not the same as suicide. Easy way to keep them apart: Euthanasia applies to those with a sick body and a healthy mind while suicide applies to those with a healthy body and a sick mind.
      • Octaman, on 03/18/2008, -0/+3FYI: Belgium and the Netherlands are the two countries in the EU where euthanasia is legal, and Luxembourg recently passed a bill to legalize euthanasia. In Switzerland euthanasia is not legal, but assisted suicide is decriminalized.
    • androothebear, on 03/18/2008, -7/+1it's God's decision. I'm tired of all of these Atheist clones out there on Digg. Seriously. The majority is NOT Atheist and to act like those who believe in a higher power are inferior or stupid is so god damn arrogant it drives me up the wall. People should not be allowed to kill themselves as they please. That goes against everything society and faith hold dear. The government needs to take some action to help maintain an appreciation for life, even if the life they must protect is one of disfavor.
      • alienunknown, on 03/18/2008, -1/+6blah blah blah. Well if its god's decision then its god's fault too! What a sadistic piece of *****, your god is. Letting people suffer like this.

        If there is a hell, which I highly doubt, it will be a place for people like you my friend :)
        • Zyphron, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2I do not agree with androofthebear's point really, but your retort is logically flawed.

          If there is a god, then sadism (as well as evil, and good) would naturally be defined by that god. In fact, the concepts of evil and good really make no logical sense outside the confines of a theological system.

          Without a theistic power defining these ideas "Good" and "bad" become simply a matter of personal preference, on the same level as my preference or non-preference for chocolate cake. That is not to say that people do not define secular morality systems, it just implies that those systems do not mean anything for anyone other than themselves. So you cannot say to someone else "You are bad" or say that something is wrong because these ideas are simply a matter of personal preference. What you are really saying is "Murder is not convenient to me." as opposed to actually claiming that murder is wrong.
      • Jemulov, on 03/18/2008, -1/+2The government cannot force someone to want to live if the want to die. Now killing yourself over something trivial like school drama and whatnot is retarded. Killing yourself because you have a debilitating illness or terminal cancer is fine by me.
    • metric7, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Just kill yourself there are many ways.
  • beetyjoose, on 03/17/2008, -2/+148give me liberty or give me death; or give me both.
    • flashingcurser, on 03/17/2008, -11/+7Even though I agree with you, Patric Henry would not. He was a very religious.
      • TheAtomicMoose, on 03/18/2008, -9/+1I knew Patrick Henry and you, sir, are no Patrick Henry, Living Rooms, Kitchens, Dinettes, Oh Yeah, You can find it, at the market, montgomery, flea market, oh yeah. poop...

        I'm bored.
  • Pennyhead, on 03/17/2008, -2/+36If someone is untreatable and wants to die, that is their right. Of course "untreatable" becomes murky water, but you know what I mean. If she isn't just acting on a passion caused by some kind of brain imbalance and has really thought it through, she should have the right to die. get on a ferris wheel, fall off at the highest point. problem solved.
    • sarixe, on 03/17/2008, -2/+1but murky water is not untreatable.
      also, if she wants to die, then she should be psychologically evaluated to see if her judgment is clear.
      • parax, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4The psych evaluation would be biased. The very fact that someone wants to die, according to modern psychology, indicates their judgment is unclear.
      • NSResponder, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4If she really wants to die, as a practical matter there's nothing the state can do to prevent it.

        -jcr
        • blackinthmiddle, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2However, there's the insurance angle. It probably won't matter for her because of her age, but if a 25 year old takes out a 20 year term policy, insurance won't pay one penny for suicide, which is what they'll call it. Then again, I wonder what her medical bills must be. I know it's France, but for specialized care like this I'd think her family has to pay something. In any event, the insurance angle is a good reason not to try and kill yourself.
          • BlackGlenn, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1"...but if a 25 year old takes out a 20 year term policy, insurance won't pay one penny for suicide..."
            That may or may not be true depending on the policy language. Some policies may exclude payment for suicide over the entire term of the policy or some only for a year or two (to discourage those from buying a policy solely to commit suicide and have their benefactors collect).
    • norman619, on 03/17/2008, -1/+8Not really. If someone wants to end their life that is their choice. Not as complex of an issue as people make it out to be. Most of the arguments against the right to die are selfish and/or religious in nature. Not really based in facts or logic.
    • pintomp3, on 03/17/2008, -0/+1there is a slippery slope argument that can become an issue. how do you define at what point someone can choose to take their life? how do you define their competence to make this decision. i think people should be able to and the parameters should be explored and defined. i still don't understand why there is such a stigma about it. we claim to be a society about protecting life, but we have the death penalty and constant war.
    • PassinGass, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1jumping off the ferris wheel is messy and you might injure someone else falling down, not to mention traumatizing the kids when you go SPLAT! on the ground

      better to take a cruise ship and jump off in the early morning, no muss no fuss
  • WilliamDS, on 03/17/2008, -1/+110if someone wants to die, I suppose it's ok with me. Why force someone to live and be miserable
    • RadiatedAnt, on 03/17/2008, -5/+11because all your lives are belong to us! imagine if theres a sudden epidemic to commit suicide, then who will fight our international wars.
    • rancidpony, on 03/17/2008, -3/+11...because it's the christian thing to do.
    • Testiculese, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Think of the lost tax revenue! Keep these people alive and consumering!
  • whiteblue1942, on 03/17/2008, -3/+24wow powerful article
  • putergirl, on 03/17/2008, -1/+21This sees to be more of a persoanl moral issue than legal and should be determined in that light alone. What you and I think or believe should not matter, what she thinks and believes is all that matters.
    • funkyjunk3, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2I personally withhold judgment on any part of this.
    • Cyberbladewolf, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2Societies morals are supposed to be what determines the law. Whether animal cruelty or murder are alright could be considered personal moral issues, should we leave those to the personal moral light? Of course not.
  • Tantalon, on 03/17/2008, -49/+6i think people should never give up!!!
    • WilliamDS, on 03/17/2008, -2/+35In some cases, people aren't giving up.. they really aren't going to get better.
    • unicronband, on 03/17/2008, -5/+60And they should never let you down. Never turn around and desert you. Never make you cry. Never say goodbye. Never tell a lie and hurt you.

      C'mon Tantalon. You know the rules and so do I.
    • vade79, on 03/17/2008, -3/+29Easy to say, Joe Normalface.
    • desapig, on 03/17/2008, -9/+2or let down, or run around, or desert you.
      • dynelol, on 03/18/2008, -4/+1or make you cry, tell a lie and hurt you.
    • buhbyebot, on 03/17/2008, -3/+2You're a douche.
    • lougoose, on 03/18/2008, -1/+2This is Digg, we give up all the time.
  • yayintertubes, on 03/17/2008, -2/+64A person should have the right to choose. It's as simple as that. Anything else is slavery.
    • dkern, on 03/17/2008, -0/+10Brilliant and poignant.
    • DrZmobie, on 03/18/2008, -0/+5A man chooses, a slave obeys!
    • IglooBurner, on 03/18/2008, -0/+0But our right to choose is only an illusion. We're all slaves to the physical laws of this universe.
  • ShuTian, on 03/17/2008, -1/+48This is a case of what is humane. She is suffering and her sentence is death anyway. Why not make it pleasant and soon rather then making her suffer all her days. Do we allow our pets to suffer in such a way or do we do the humane thing and "put them to sleep"?
  • JenniferSlayton, on 03/17/2008, -3/+10it's a moral issue of all times...
    • undershirt, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2Pain weakens hope. Health empowers it.
  • mshifley, on 03/17/2008, -1/+104"One would not allow an animal to go through what I have endured,'' she said before urging President Nicolas Sarkozy to intervene and grant her request.
    Very true.
    • taokr, on 03/17/2008, -1/+10Exactly. It is so screwed up that to allow a dog to go through this would be considered cruel and inhumane, but somehow it's morally (and legally) wrong to allow a suffering human who wants to die to end their life. And I bet you the human suffers even more--the dog doesn't comprehend its disfigurement and why children run in fear from it, whereas it's torture for the person.
    • snugglebear, on 03/18/2008, -0/+3Too bad Sarkozy's too busy getting drunk with the russian ambassador and banging his model wife while on vacations to do anything of actual merit.
  • americangoy, on 03/17/2008, -5/+18Well since you asked me so nicely Mr, diggboss...

    I am all for the right of a citizen to decide what he/she wants to do with her body. If he/she wants to use drugs, kill himself/herself, for whatever reason, in a free society that is your right.

    Now, a state with say socialized medicine can make you sign a document stating that "since you use these drugs/do risky activity etc. we, the state, refuse to provide you with socialized healthcare/healthinsurance".

    That's it.

    Otherwise, the charade is gone, and you realize that your body does not belong to YOU, but that it belongs to the STATE.

    In simpler terms, Of course this poor woman should be allowed to die in dignity!
    • shotgunefx, on 03/17/2008, -2/+3I disagree with the drug use comment to a point. Not all drugs are equal and, IMHO, some rob people of their will, or at least severely hamper it (ie heroin and other opiates, meth). Someone smokes some grass, or drinks, they are back to normal. I think it's way too broad an umbrella.

      As far as the right to die, having been front and center for more than a few end of life experiences, I definitely think at least in certain situations, it should without a doubt be an option. It's a slippery slope though.

      There has to be a line somewhere and where it will or should fall is going to be very hard to determine.

      For some cases, it seems relatively obvious, people who are terminal and/or suffering with no hope or help from medicine

      In this case, if there is no way to help her, I would hope to God that she could find a way to live, and be happy and content with the horrible hand dealt to her, but if she can't, and she has pondered it and it's not a rash decision, who am I to force her to live a life of suffering? I'm pretty sure I'd kill myself in the same situation.

      But what if someone hated themselves because of a perceived defect? Maybe it's more mental, is that ok?
    • blackjack75, on 03/17/2008, -6/+1With socialized medecine your body might belong to the state.. but I guess it's not worse than it belonging to some corporation whose only goal is to make benefits.
      • captainchris, on 03/18/2008, -1/+1no. illegal euthanasia is having one's body/life belong to the state.
    • ozborn, on 03/18/2008, -0/+3"Now, a state with say socialized medicine can make you sign a document stating that "since you use these drugs/do risky activity etc. we, the state, refuse to provide you with socialized healthcare/healthinsurance"
      Actually the opposite is more realistic. In Canada, everybody gets health insurance - period. Doesn't matter if you smoke, how old you are, hang glide, etc... A more likely scenario are people being denied insurance coverage by any insurance company since they have a "pre-existing condition". Think of a better example. The best point you can make though is that with socialized medicine you may get more annoyed to see people smoking/driving a motorcycle without a helmet since you end up paying for their medical costs.
      • captainchris, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1exactly. by taking away people's health rights for people to do drugs, dangerous activities... you are giving yourself less liberty to do that as well, an in a way hurting your liberties.
  • cashman57, on 03/17/2008, -2/+21Lying there in the hospital after my neck surgery with pain and immobility very real the thoughts that went through head varied greatly and I imagined the worst. I can't imagine what I would think with that level of pain for that long. The government should not be able to decide for you. The church should not be able to decide for you.
  • angusm, on 03/17/2008, -1/+39The right to die should be as basic a human right as the right to live. To force someone to continue suffering for the sake of compliance with an outdated set of laws and values is simple cruelty.
  • poidh, on 03/17/2008, -4/+20She ought to catapult herself against the judge's house. That'll make him wish he had let her have an injection.
    • Strikersgun, on 03/18/2008, -7/+0or commit suicide...
      • manteca29, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1people digg the fact that she should jump to her death but digg down suicide. i dont understand how this digg thing works.
        • Ender008, on 03/18/2008, -0/+3By catapulting herself at the judge's house, she would be committing suicide. People dugg him down because he missed the dark humor.
          If you're gonna go, may as well do it with a bang.
  • jetblackz4, on 03/17/2008, -1/+7Dr. Kevorkian is out of jail, it is her right to choose if she wants to live or die.
    • RadiatedAnt, on 03/17/2008, -2/+6I wonder why Kevorkian became a household name ?!
      • KLowD9x, on 03/17/2008, -1/+5Could it be the 130 people that he has helped move on?
      • funkyjunk3, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4with that kind of name it's hard not to.
  • mrfunktastic, on 03/17/2008, -0/+6This poor woman has every right to be able to die in any manner of her choosing, as we all do. She is asking for medical help from the "State" in doing so, which involves lots of other people. That's why it gets complicated.

    I agree with her and I wish her godspeed in her quest to find peace and rest from her suffering. But why is this a big media deal? If it was me, I would have been gone, gone, gone, long ago.
  • RoflCoptah, on 03/17/2008, -5/+2to live and to die, choices we make in life...dam
  • msgus, on 03/17/2008, -7/+6This is sad :-(
    This is a complicated situation.
    • wissler, on 03/17/2008, -4/+8"It's complicated" == "All I know how to do is parrot what people tell me and they're telling me different things"

      This isn't complicated. Each human being as a right to their own life, which means a right to give it up. Most governments have a hard time with this simply because they do not acknowledge a right to life in the first place.
  • RhodesSkolar, on 03/17/2008, -11/+6Remember how awful we all once felt about that zit in the middle of our foreheads, just before a date? Not to minimize this poor woman's dilemma, but she can't postpone the date or dab on a cover-up. Let her have her wish, let her die with some dignity and power over her own choice, her unfortunate destiny.
    • sheldonnbbaker, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2It's a litle more than a zit I'd say...

      • RhodesSkolar, on 03/18/2008, -0/+0Are you incapable of analyzing a statment?
    • mrjit, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2What a horrible comparison.
      • RhodesSkolar, on 03/18/2008, -0/+0Read carefully.......read with your heart. If you'd really like to comment there's plenty of room to do so about the story itself. I'm just a sympathetic slob with nasty intentions.
  • InspectorGadget, on 03/17/2008, -1/+7Can you legally have your house demolished? Can you sell your car? Then you must have the right to end your own life, because you don't own anything as thoroughly as your own body. To draw from Locke, your body is even more yours than property gained from mixing your labor with raw material - it is, essentially, only a product of your own labor.
    • TrystTempleton, on 03/17/2008, -0/+5Yeah, no kidding.
      To the government: Keep your laws off my body!
    • jjohnstn, on 03/18/2008, -1/+2Actually, isn't your body a result of your parents' "labor"?
      • InspectorGadget, on 03/18/2008, -0/+3I'd say after 5 years most of the original material is gone.
        • MadOtaku, on 03/18/2008, -0/+2If I remember my biology correctly, after 7 all of it's gone.
  • RadiatedAnt, on 03/17/2008, -17/+11Not Safe For Lunch!
    NSFL!!!
    • aldableep3, on 03/17/2008, -2/+1the fact that you had to explain the meaning of the acronym makes it useless
    • selmer, on 03/17/2008, -2/+6wow... heartless dude
      • gravytrain73, on 03/18/2008, -2/+2I don't know... I can't read the article because the picture upsets me too much to open the page.
  • jp12380, on 03/17/2008, -3/+13I don't understand why she is pleading with them. If she really wants to die there are many ways she could kill herself. Does she really care if it's legal or not? She must believe that it's moral for her to want to do it, so who cares what the state thinks? Are they going to punish her when they found out what she did?
    • JonTheGoose, on 03/17/2008, -0/+14I think the issue is that she wants to have it done by a doctor or someone with medical expertise so that it's as painless as possible.
    • Kronos6948, on 03/17/2008, -0/+3All she needs is a heroin OD.
      As far as the legalities go, if she's dead, they can't take her to court, send her to jail, or prosecute her. She'll be dead!
    • ThumperThumps, on 03/17/2008, -1/+6If you were going to kill yourself, you'd want to ensure that you don't ***** it up. That's why you'd want a doctor to prescribe you an easy, painless, and assured death. Otherwise you could end up nearly vegetabled, in incredible pain, and no way to express your pain, b/c your face is frozen in a permanent smile. Kinda like Terri Schiavo.

      Just imagine the nightmare that would be.
      • wautrey, on 03/18/2008, -3/+3Terri Schiavo is an absolutely horrible example. That woman was not "suffering" in the slightest, nor was she in "incredible pain" when her feeding tube was removed. Her brain was in a state of Hydrocephalus. It had TURNED TO WATER. Her brain activity was NIL. It was impossible for her to "feel" anything. She was MEAT. Anything you saw on tape was an unconscious reflex.


        • Pixelante, on 03/18/2008, -2/+1Do you have some kind of body-swapping ability that allowed you to be her for a minute, so that you can be absolutely certain?
    • wissler, on 03/17/2008, -0/+3She's probably trying to do one last good thing before she dies--help all of us with these nanny states running amok.
  • pelayostyle, on 03/17/2008, -33/+8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _________
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  • xaxen8, on 03/17/2008, -3/+7Death is like the ultimate DIY Project. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
  • ep53, on 03/17/2008, -1/+9She should take a trip to Switzerland, its all legal over here....You wanna die? Just give the doctor a signature and your on your way to the Pearly Gates. :-)
    • blackjack75, on 03/17/2008, -0/+5It's a bit more complicated than that and it takes some time. But yes, if you are terminally ill you can get the magic drink and go away peacefully.
    • MrARPA, on 03/18/2008, -1/+6If only we could do that in the UK. Unfortunately, the religious types continually block progress.
  • Jimbob200, on 03/17/2008, -1/+5I think (from what I understand JUST from this article) the government concedes it has no power over her right to live. As was mentioned above, if she (excuse me) cut her wrists, overdosed on prescription medication, or shot herself, well, what's anyone going to do right? But if the doctors are allowed to give her medecine to kill herself, that's government subsidized suicide, and I don't think that's something they want to get involved in. And the reason I think that's true is because then you might get a family suing the gov't because the patient didn't express to them his/her intent to end their life, and went ahead with it, and the family would be distraught.

    But, like she says at the end, she's determined to find drugs elsewhere and I've no doubt she will.
  • DarkoKun, on 03/17/2008, -0/+8Video of her interview. It's in french but still worth watching even if you dont understand.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTLvJNPefkU
  • notesofmyheart, on 03/17/2008, -2/+0Wow. Yea, I agree- there are so many ways to kill yourself, and really, you don't need a court to do it. But I guess she can't do it on her own- it's hard to commit suicide when you are in your normal-right sense- unless you're insanse and really depressed and can't think of anything else.
  • wtfunkymonkey, on 03/17/2008, -2/+8Why bother making such a big deal about this? Who needs euthanasia when you can just take about 50 benadryl, fall asleep, and never wake up?
    There must be at least dozen painless and over-the-counter ways to take your own life, a little determination and some research and you'll be on your way to the afterlife in no time.
    • Qumahlin, on 03/18/2008, -0/+5Because most of the methods such as "take 50 benadryl" and fall asleep really aren't that easy. Most "overdose" methods go anything but quietly. Some people may not even have the capacity to keep the drugs down till a fatal level can be reached and instead will be in even more horrible pain while they are dying.

      If your going to overdose on pills you ALWAYS want to put a plastic bag over your head as well after you have taken the pills to help assist your passing out and asphyxiating; otherwise you risk being woken up when your liver is failing, your stomach lining starts to dissolve and you realize that just because benadryl puts you to sleep doesn't mean taking a load of them will keep you asleep while it kills you. You also want to take your overdose meds with milk, that will give you stomach lining a bit longer before it starts to rot.
    • degron, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1For the record don't put me down for overdose.
    • saymawa, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1she wants to die with a little dignity perhaps?
  • thunked, on 03/17/2008, -1/+31People are executed in the USA. I think doctor assisted suicides should be legal because of that. How arrogant of the government to feel that they can take your own life, but you can't.
  • Seantacular, on 03/17/2008, -5/+4A FRENCH court has rejected a request from a 52-year-old severely disfigured former schoolteacher for the right to die, in a case that has stirred much emotion in France.

    The high court in Dijon, eastern France, decided to side with the prosecution which argued current legislation does not allow Chantal Sebire's doctor to prescribe lethal drugs.

    In her appeal to the court, Ms Sebire said she did not want to endure further pain and subject herself to an irreversible worsening of her condition. She asked the court to allow her doctor to help her end her life.

    A mother of three who lives in the Bourgogne region of eastern France, Ms Sebire drew a strong outpour of sympathy when she appealed in a television interview last month for the right to "depart peacefully''.

    Before-and-after pictures of the woman, her face severely deformed, have been featured in the press and her account of frightened children who run away at the sight of her has drawn sympathy.

    Ms Sebire learnt in 2002 that she had developed an esthesioneuroblastoma, an uncommon malignant tumour in the nasal cavity, which she said has led to "atrocious'' suffering.

    "In 2000, I lost the sense of smell and taste ... and I lost my sight in October 2007,'' she said in the television interview.

    "One would not allow an animal to go through what I have endured,'' she said before urging President Nicolas Sarkozy to intervene and grant her request.

    Commenting on the case, Justice Minister Rachida Dati said last week doctors were not there to prescribe lethal drugs.

    Legislation adopted in 2005 allows families to request life-support equipment for a terminally-ill patient be switched off, but does not allow a doctor to take action to end a patient's life.

    Mr Sarkozy asked his chief adviser on health issues to contact Ms Sebire and seek a second opinion on her condition.

    Ms Sebire has said she will not appeal the decision rendered today and she would find life-terminating drugs through other means.

    "I now know how to get my hands on what I need and if I don't get it in France, I will get it elsewhere,'' she said.

    Only 200 cases of the disease have been recorded worldwide in two decades.
    • gravytrain73, on 03/18/2008, -3/+2Thank you very much, I couldn't read the article as posted because the picture upset me so much.
    • koob, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1thanks. i wanted to know what cancer she had but i couldn't stand to look at that awful picture!
  • ArchiTech, on 03/17/2008, -0/+8I think the issue is what will be the consequences of legalizing Euthanasia. Will millions of clinically depressed be given the right to suicide? Can it be used as a means to murder someone (i.e. make someone depressed and convince them to kill themselves)?

    I would like the right for euthanasia, but can see how it's legalization can be abused.
  • Pake, on 03/17/2008, -8/+5If you ask permission to kill yourself, you're an idiot. Just do it and don't force a doctor or someone else have to live with the regret that they ended someone's life. This is, of course, assuming that the person is physically capable of doing so.
    • thesonofdarwin, on 03/18/2008, -1/+2No doctors are forced to kill anyone, even where voluntary euthanasia is legal. First, there are doctors willing to do it - the same as their are veterinarians who ONLY do euthanasias. It's better to be humanely put down than to suffer, human and animal alike especially when humans can make the decision for themselves. Second, there is the easier option of physician assisted suicide where the doctor (VOLUNTARILY) gives medication to the patient so that it can kill itself. It gets tricky where the medical condition renders the patient unable to swallow, however. And there are some well known cases where patients in states that allow physician-assisted suicide cannot die in this manner because they can no longer swallow. I wish I could find the name, but there was an ex-veterinarian in Oregon a number of years ago that had a disease that progressively paralyzed him. The slow process (it requires counseling) took so long that his disease paralyzed the muscles that allowed him to swallow. He had considered euthanizing himself with his equine barbiturates, but he was already too paralyzed to do it himself.

      Anyway, my point got diverted. Physicians aren't forced to participate and they are legally allowed to decline providing said service. But they are required to direct them to physicians that will, so long as the state allows it. I really think everyone should take a course in medical ethics at least once in their life. It is perhaps the most interesting and concerning philosophy topic.
      • Pake, on 03/18/2008, -3/+2All I'm saying is that your life in your own hands and don't have another person do it for you. If you're not willing to kill yourself with your own hands, then it only shows you really don't want to die.
      • DanOnTheMoon, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1"No doctors are forced to kill anyone, even where voluntary euthanasia is legal."

        Except in China! Beep! Beep! Here comes the meat wagon!
        • thesonofdarwin, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Well China is the exception to every rule in the book. They live in their own world and I'm surprised they actually recognize there are other civilizations outside of their own. Well, their citizens are forcibly shielded from them, so some of them may not know.
  • sobebelushi, on 03/17/2008, -2/+8People have a hard time accepting that death is a part of life... and death may not be the final leg in our journey anyway. After seeing this woman, and hearing her describe "that they would not even allow an animal to suffer like this without being euthanized {paraphrased}", how can anyone argue that she is not within her rights to choose how and where she ends her pain?

    Are people so caught up in politics and PC, law and precedents, that they cannot look at this woman as a human being who is suffering? She has every right to do as she pleases, and she should go outside the courts jurisdiction to get what she needs to be at peace. Just becasue someone else is afraid of death, does not mean we all are... (which in turn gives you no right to tell me where and when i can go...)

    I am really putting a lot more down here than i had originally intended, but this right is a the core of our beliefs as Americans, and my beliefs as a human being... that you have the freedom to choose what is right for you and what is best for you, both in life and death. Just be aware that before you comment negatively, that cancer or something else terrible can strike any one of us at any moment... wouldn't you at least like to be able to choose?
  • blankman, on 03/17/2008, -4/+3or she should just kill herself by herself. All it takes is a whole bottle of sleeping pills and lying down in a full tub of water. Or a shotgun with one round in it.
    Just as painless as their injections and you don't have a bunch of people saying if they'll "allow" you to die.
    • MrARPA, on 03/18/2008, -1/+7You clearly don't know much about humanely and successfully euthanising yourself ... try getting a copy of Final Exit, or similar.
      • Qumahlin, on 03/18/2008, -1/+5Yup, most of these people commenting have no idea how bad the "just take xxxx amount of this" idea is and how often it fails or goes horribly wrong and makes the persons last moments even worse
        • pinkcherry, on 03/18/2008, -1/+5Additionally, She probably would like her family by her side while she peacefully passes with the assistance of a doctor.
          You cannot have your family present when you either:
          A. Take pills and vomit/convulse violently into a coma or B. Splatter your brains on the wall with a shotgun.

  • xeroblaze, on 03/17/2008, -1/+4I wonder how many of this court's members were informed of Chantal's case thoroughly; I wonder if they looked into her eyes.
    If they had done so, I find it sickening that they rejected her plea...
  • deanimate, on 03/17/2008, -0/+2video
    http://www.france24.com/en/20080313-france-grapple ...

    sad that this is even news.
  • waspinator, on 03/17/2008, -1/+9If this is a very difficult disease to treat/cure, doctors should try a dangerous/experimental procedure to try to help. The worst that can happen is that she dies, which is what she wanted in the first place. Maybe this way doctors could get some practice treating future patients. If she agreed to it of course.
  • bitterbug, on 03/17/2008, -4/+22As soon as they can find an effective way to make crude oil from people suicide will be legal.
    • DanOnTheMoon, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1Soylent Green Energy?
    • TrueJustice, on 03/18/2008, -0/+1truest and most substantive statement on this board. Why do so many people repeat 'yes let people die if theyre suffering, if we can figure out what that is', thats what the article implies, say something of substance, present a fact, a situation, talk about something definitive. dugg for truth.
  • mnchrist, on 03/17/2008, -1/+1It should be a basic contractual agreement whether one wants assited suicide or some kind of arrangement like that. It should be up to them and the doctor but its important for every American to discuss that now with their health insurance/doctor now before its too late. This case of course reminds me back in my right-winger days and the propaganda lie machine called Fox and talk radio. Since then Ive realized what reason is and apply it in a much more principled manner.
  • c0mputar, on 03/17/2008, -1/+0To ask others to help you die is the issue here. If she wants to die, then why must one try to make others confront a dilemma with their own morals. If she truly wants to die, then she can do it herself. Asking others to kill you must have made the jury question how serious she felt about it. People with far less issues have felt compelled to commit suicide, and so when someone who is noticeably deformed and unable to take their own life, then we get an issue isn't clear cut. The Shiava case is different because she had no ability to take her own life, and she couldn't live without life support.
    • fucter, on 03/18/2008, -1/+2USA has the death penalty, someone has to be the bad guy
      go usa!! ? dunno
  • kaptainchump, on 03/17/2008, -12/+5HEEEEEEY YOOOOOOU GUYYYYYS!!!! AHOOH HOO AHOOH.
    -Sloth
    On a serious note. I know no doctor in the US will do this on the record due to Dr. Kevorkian (aka Dr. Death) being jailed and losing his license.

    Why cant someone run an I.V. and just leave the drug to be injected next to her. Would that be considered some kind of accessory to murder?
    • corneliusJones, on 03/17/2008, -3/+3I laughed, then felt very guilty...
  • pdxvanyel, on 03/17/2008, -1/+8Forcing her to live is nothing short of torture. While requests to die need lots of checks and balances, it's criminal to not have a process for cases like this.
  • hobo343, on 03/17/2008, -7/+1omg poor woman ... i'm going to stop dipping tonight
  • bluerei, on 03/17/2008, -0/+7Let her have that right, but i'm not going to order the nurses, doctors, or anyone else to help the woman kill herself. Some people don't want to be put in a scenario of having to put someone out of their misery, no matter what their plea may be.
    • Gunite, on 03/18/2008, -0/+7If it were legal there would be many doctors & nurses volunteer to do it.
    • GodjustGod, on 03/18/2008, -0/+3No one can be forced to help, but plenty would.
      • mshea093, on 03/18/2008, -1/+3Having had a grandparent go through lue gehrig's disease and all that it entails, I would be one of that plenty.
  • xirkonia, on 03/17/2008, -1/+1OMG. That picture scared me, to be honest. I would probably want to die too, if I was suffering too much.
    Another one of those cases where those "in power" like to test the extent of their power. Nothing more than that.
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