Rational suicide:

[grandmoon]

Beverley Broadbent was not dying of a terminal illness, nor was she depressed or unhappy. But at 83, she wanted to die.

After living a rich and satisfying life, the Brighton East woman said the ageing process had come to feel like a disease that was robbing her of her physical and mental fitness. In February, she said she had had enough.

''I look well and I walk well so people think I'm fine. But I have so many things wrong with me,'' she said. ''The balance is gone. It's taking so much time for me to keep fit to enjoy myself that there's not enough time to enjoy myself.''

In several interviews with Fairfax Media, Ms Broadbent said she planned to take her own life so she could have a peaceful, dignified death. She said she did not want her health to deteriorate to the point where she had dementia or found herself in a nursing home with no way out.

The environmental activist chose to tell her story because she believed many elderly people wanted to die when they felt their life was complete, but lacked the means to go gently.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/rational-suicide-why-beverley-broadbent-chose-to-die-20130401-2h34...

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/rational-suicide-why-beverley-broadbent-chose-to-die-20130401-2h34...

[cherry*135]

If I had dementia the question of whether I would end my life would become irrelevent. This thread is about rational suicide.

Dementia may just sneak up on a person who had always decided before diagnosis of dementia, when enough was enough, they would choose rational suicide. In the end though they may not taken that choice soon enough and will spend years in a secure unit in a retirement home.

I speak of pain in many facets not just physical or psychological, e.g. pain of losing your dignity, your mind....etc etc

Again, those people are usually suffering from dementia ( can strike a  60yo, early 70's, 90's anyones guess what age some people will get it) -'will suffer loss of mind, loosing their dignity.

How would an older person ensure they were gone from the world before dementia snuck up on them?

[cherry*135]

There are drugs available now to delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease. My mother has taken them for 3 or so years. The Dr said the delaying effect would stop after about 2 years but, she is much the same now as when diagnosed with Alzheimers.

[the_bob_delusion]

Really?

Are people who are depressed able to weigh up all their options? Are people who see no end to their isolation and loneliness able to weigh up all their options? Are people living with pain able to think rationally? Take away a persons pain through better pain management and I suspect they'd be better able to 'weigh up' their options.

Bob, you think another persons pain is none of anyone's business?

We are not individual islands living in a vast ocean. All living creatures are connected. We, as the human race, have the ability to help other human beings. It's called compassion.

Of course another person's pain is my business and I'll do what I can. As a collective we can change the problems people suffer so they can see life as a gift, so they can feel they belong, so they can feel they have something to contribute.

If someone was about to jump off a bridge, would you really say to them "ok I'm going to let you jump, I'll even watch, because it's your life and it's none of my business".

you're attacking a strawman. 

[*crikey*mate*]

Who said you weren't? The question I made was - how (at what point) does an elderly person decide they know longer want to live? I didn't say they weren't alllowed to make that decision. I can see how bedridden people might make that decision.

Have you asked your adult children if they would support you if you were to make

the choice of rational suicide?

You may know your own mind now, but you can't see into the future and see if you will suffer from dementia, in which case you would no longer know your own mind.

But why should it only be an option for the elderly?

If a person makes a sane and rational decision that their job here on Earth is done, then what's age or even health got to do with it?

In 10 years, 6 months and 9 days, if all goes according to plan, my kids will all be through uni and will have held jobs for 2 years - so if they need time off to get over their "grief" they will have enough holiday allowance up their sleeves to not interfere with their careers.

They will all have a decent education to give them a reasonable start in their adult lives as well as trust funds, with the eldest having enough for any additional care he may need.

My OH will be in a position where he either should have retired or can if he wants to, with a roof over his head and a residual income to support himself.

So seriously, what other obligations do I have to fulfill if I really just don't want to be here anymore?

[*crikey*mate*]

I believe so. 

It sometimes amazes me when we see an animal suffering and in pain. We choose to end their suffering because it's the "HUMANE" thing to do. Yet we couldn't give the same respect for our fellow beings. 

I don't know where the line should be drawn but I'll fight the "no exception whatsoever" the right to life people argue for. 

I sooooo wish I could get out my red writing here - but you folks will just have to try and work out which bits I'm referring to if I'm not clear enough....

A more valid reason according to who? According to whose benchmark? And again, why does age or even health come into it? Everybody places different values on things.

and what's the point in being alive if you're just existing? if you're not even really living? if you can't do the things that make YOU happy and content? What's the point?

To comply with some stranger's view of how I "should" think, or with their view of what I "should" be happy with?

Agrees with Bob.

People are saying life is precious - clearly they don't mean all life.

[*crikey*mate*]

As I said above I think there is a difference between someone whose quality of life is very very low (bedridden) and other elderly people who may just decide their life is complete and want to die.. even though they are physically active and have no ongoing pain.

Do you have to be elderly or in pain to believe that your life is complete? 

What if a younger person has fulfilled all their obligations that have resulted from their choices and done, or is in the process of doing everything they've ever wanted to do and everything they can imagine they might like to do.

Are they just expected to hang around for the next 30 years meandering through life?

[cat_mioux]

 crikey are you say you're going to kill yourself in 10 and half years time?

Am I reading that correctly?

[*crikey*mate*]

 I often think of people here on the forum are younger because old people often don't use the net much. Let alone work out how to chat on a forum. 

That is quite insulting. The internet has been around for a decade or so.. there are plenty of senior people that know how to use it just like you do.

Crikey - ya should have seen me trying to teach my mum how to send an email today.... and that's saying something, cos those who know me well, know my computer skills and techy knowledge leaves a LOT to be desired.

But meh *shrugs* I know enough to get through what I need and I've got an army of helpers on speed dial if I get stuck LOL - and now my mum does too 

But Am3 regardless of what age you are (and whilst I assume you are my senior, I don't consider you to be elderly) I think Bob was actually paying you a compliment - ie he doesn't consider you to be "old".

[0z_girl]

everyone has the right to refuse treatment.  by the sounds of it (reading between the lines), she probably had a cancerous breast lump, which if left untreated, would have spread and caused a painful death.

everyone also has the right to sign a good palliative care order with the emphasis on comfort care (even if the side effects of the pain relief may be death)

maybe the fairest way to determine laws relating to these issues would be by public referendum?

"polls show about 80 per cent of Australians support voluntary euthanasia for  people with a terminal illness, Dr Syme said the question of elderly people  being given the right to die had not been publicly debated in Australia."

perhaps it is time for it to be publically debated.

[*crikey*mate*]

 crikey are you say you're going to kill yourself in 10 and half years time?

Am I reading that correctly?

LOL - I can remember wondering why anyone would want to live past 40! I'm 42 now and i'm still here - still finding things to do and ways to really feel like I am "living" iykwim -  so how about we leave that question and just say "we'll see when I get there", eh? 

But that's the age when as far as I can see my obligations will be complete (unless something happens to my spouse or one of my kids) - and it's actually 9 years and 10 days - I mixed that up. *blushes*

So right now, I'm packing my life with as many adventures as I can, doing lots of things I've always wanted to and working towards fulfilling my obligations etc - I'm living - that's what I'm doing - and I'm creating memories and having a pretty good time - but I have to say, it's getting harder and harder to find new things - but not impossible  - yet.

But I gotta say - those Tall Ships in Sydney were probably the most boring thing I've ever done..... probably coulda given those a miss LOL

I just don't want to wake up one day and realize I was so darned busy trying to live that I actually forgot to do it.