Do you think the right-to-die law should change?

I completely believe that one has the right to decide if one lives or dies. When ones life becomes burdensome to those one loves and oneself, then surely one has the absolute right to say "enough" , and be allowed to die if one wishes,how one wishes,where one wishes and when one wishes. Those who truly love one will understand.

@hel5zt To respond to your points, we always have an opinion poll on the site, which is displayed to everyone who visits our clinical information pages (the current one is about the 111 service and is displayed on the right hand side panel once you're viewing one of these pages). Anyone who visits these pages can cast their vote and there's no selection process on our part as to who votes (or doesn't vote).

How nicely put Linda67 this is exactly the whole summation of my advanced directive I made with a solicitor early this year in short if life got so unbearable I would not wish to live each day in pain, having to be fed and having to be toileted

No one knows what tomorrow may bring. Life can change suddenly and it takes time to adjust, especially to needing personal care, and living with both urine and faecal incontinence, limited mobility etc. the results of spinal injury is usually life long. Many took part in the Paralympics despite needing help with personal care which may include dealing with bladder and bowel leakage. Good continence care and treatment can maintain dignity.

Disabled people and those with long term conditions or terminal conditions should not be made to feel a burden so that they feel they should request help to die. A change in the law to enable others to kill disabled and older people because some of society thinks it is kinder to cut our lives short to get rid of unmentionable malfunctioning bodily functions is wrong. Incontinence is more common than most people realize and it is not some people should be put down for. Many disabled men enjoy being washed and dressed by young woman carers. Most pain can be made bearable by good medical input using the right combination of drugs to meet individual circumstances. We should be demanding better care, not a right to be killed.

People often refer to animals being put down so that they do not suffer Unfortunately even healthy animals are put to sleep because of abandonment and limited resources. Animals are given no choice.

A change in the law may be seen as cost saving way to deal with an aging population including many who live with long term conditions that would have previously killed us, and does not ensure a peaceful end. I live in fear, too many have stated that it would have been kinder for their relative to have been given help because of double incontinence, immobility and pain.

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I absolutely think yes! For those who are genuinely in such bad life circumstances i.e. seriously ill/disabled with no hope of experiencing a decent and comfortable quality of life again, and as a result who have very good rational reason to no longer want to continue with their life.Keeping people alive in such circumstances is very inhumane in my view, and I see that assisting people in such a situation, with the most painless and peaceful death possible to relieve them of their suffering, would be the most compassionate thing somebody could do for that other person.

Would like to add, however, that I strongly disagree with the idea of people being manipulated into choosing to end their lives, when otherwise they would have chosen to live, or having this kind of thing forced upon them by others in any kind of way. That is abuse and a whole different issue altogether in my opinion.

it is unfare to a patient to be suffering in constant pain, when they are not going to get better. they should

be given the choice to have the right to die.

Yes. Everyone should have the right to make a decision about how and when they want to die. Apart from the terminally ill there are other circumstances in which a person may wish to end their life because they have no quality of life left. Being totally paralysed is but one. Extreme pain which cannot be medically controlled is another. Why should we not have that right? Why should others tell us what we should do with our own lives?

This issue is horribly clouded by religion, or more properly by religious people who think they should be the ones to make decisions for us. Then there are the scaremongers who try to insist that weak, frail, elderly people will be forced to die. This is a nonsense just as it is also a nonsense that we cannot provide a system of safeguards to prevent that. There are well known examples around the world where such a right has been given and progress shows that it is not abused,

But finally, what right does anyone have to tell me what to do with my life particularly as those who profess to know better know nothing about me or my wishes?

I just think we should have the right to choose..

I would also simply say: Yes.

Everyone has a 'right to die' in the sense that if I decide to end it there is nothing anyone can do about it.. Good luck with prosecuting my body! The problem comes when you are not in a fit state to do it yourself and need help.

But in fact this is done in our hospitals every day when doctors give extra strong doses of painkiller or withhold certain things in the full knowledge of what will happen. The patient or the family aren't always consulted either.

I think with the proper controls people should be helped. We have had terrible cases in our media - people enduring a living death. Just knowing there was an opt out button might actually help some people endure better. With the law as it is - if I get certain illnesses I WILL end it myself. Needlessly early probably - because you can't afford to sit and wait for it to take over or for a cure that might not come

Hi, problem starts if your attemp fails. Doctor brings you round (ok you accept this) the nursing staff rekonyou have done wrong...and make sure you are aware of this. Then must have mental care as you MUST be depressed. (even if not) Had fall on ward , damaged foot was in lots pain. Told no bone broken so was ok. So your right goes out the window. Also the doctors care wasnt carried on by nurses. A year later am an invalid so worse off than previous. Am over 77 so why must others choose how long I live. Have some health problems but managing, but do not have a choice to opt out at my convenience. Why wait for stroke etc., and meds that give side effect, or become a burden on others. Just what do others gain from that. Why is it mental to opt out. Do not expect this will go down well with majority. Cheers.s

This is something that is always difficult to argue for or against.

People do deserve the right to end their life on their own terms, with dignity and support to do this in a clean fashion and this is partially supported through the use of DNRs (Do Not Resuscitate). Someone may even be desperate enough to end their misery through their own means which has been seen going wrong and putting them in a worse state then before.

On the other hand, how would you regulate such a system and filter those who generally may just be suffering from depression or could be helped through mediation and counselling? Who would be responsible for making that decision? On what basis would you make a decision? Medical? Social? Psychological? Ecumenical?

Terry Pratchet did a fantastic case study on euthanasia which I encourage everyone to watch. It is very thought-provoking and hit me personally very hard.

@Osborne

Presumably you are unaware of other countries where this is legalised and is shown to operate well with none of the negativity so many bring forward before taking time to find out more. No one is asking you do to anything; this is for all those of us who have experienced so much pain and suffering because the law will not help. Your comments are way off the mark.

@LeonArcher

Of course it is difficult for any individual to contemplate; that does not mean we should be denied the opportunity to argue the case for all those who want it. DNR is unreliable - some medical staff ignore it due to their religion and they should never be allowed to be in that position but it happens. Regulation: this can and has been done already - see Switzerland in particular. What is essential is to make any such decision while of sane mind. There is no way that anyone should be allowed to make any decision while depressed or otherwise incapable. For the terminally ill then Dignity in Dying is fighting for them to make the decision.

The bottom line is that this should be legal for anyone to make his/her own decision. Those who do not want to never need to concern themselves. We are told that all of us have basic rights. In my eyes that includes my right to decide if and under what circumstances I should be allowed to die and particularly to avoid the stigma and consequences of suicide. Suicides are thought to be of unsound mind when they act and therefore they do not come under the right I seek.

LeonArcher, It cannot be regulated. What about older folk who say sadly, I didnt want to live this long etc.... some do others do not for various reasons.

And that is why it should be the right of the individual when of sound mind. Have you witnessed the suffering in hospitals and care homes? Do you want to die in that way? If so then that is your right but do not try to tell the rest of us that we cannot do so.