A judge in Montana has ruled that someone who wants to die can do so if they choose.
n her ruling, Judge McCarter wrote that “the Montana constitutional rights of individual privacy and human dignity” give a mentally competent person who is terminally ill the right to “die with dignity.”
The ruling said that those patients had the right to obtain self-administered medications to hasten death if they found their suffering to be unbearable, and that physicians could prescribe such medication without fear of prosecution.
Personally, I find the idea of requiring the State’s permission to extinguish my very own life pretty fucking offensive. That, to me, is the ultimate infringement on my personal liberty. As long as I harm no one else in the process, what right does anyone have to tell me I may live or die? NONE, thank you, none at all.
And preventing doctors from easing people from unending pain, from incurable disease, is just arrogance of the highest order. That’s their MANDATE, you nosy fucks.
I see that when I am Supreme Leader I’m going to have to open the Whoopass Container. A lot.
I wonder who is gonna be the first to sue their doctor because the doc WON’T give an overdose scrip.
MLG
December 7th, 2008
Whoa, I know that ‘Bama got spanked by my beloved Gators, but it’s no reason to think drastic thoughts, LG.
*running away*
Joan of Argghh!
December 7th, 2008
@Joan of Argghh!: I will HURT you. Y’know, emotionally.
Liberty Girl
December 8th, 2008
Oh, you know I was just setting you up for a fine bit of catharsis at my expense.
But the hurting thing? Can I just say that I was awake all night with troubling thoughts and images. I suspected that they were all Karmic payback for my prating remark of earlier.
Ouch!
Joan of Argghh!
December 8th, 2008
@Joan of Argghh!: That’s what you get for fuckin’ with me. /Brodie in Mallrats
Liberty Girl
December 8th, 2008
Any time government butts out of our personal bidness, I’m pretty pleased. It happens so rarely anymore. I can’t imagine this even being “news” in, say, 1789 or so.
dogette
December 8th, 2008
While I can’t exactly settle on requiring a physician to end someones pain, I do believe (ala Heinlein) that a simple, painless method should be available to anyone. As in OTC.
You want out? Buh bye. I know, I know – seems callous in light of all the oh-so-dark emo’s taking up space in the cemeteries.
But I hate that my mother had to WAIT for an end to her horrid pain when she could have chosen when enough was enough.
Sigh…watch someone slowly be tortured by their own body and you will give up the desire to prevent their leaving.
LauraB
December 8th, 2008
I agree wholeheartedly that the gubmint has no right to interfere in the care given by physicians, even if that care is to end suffering in this manner.
However, you might want to know that as I look at this post, there is a somewhat disturbing ad bar on the right that shows a cartoon image of Chewbacca spooning with a GUY rather suggestively…yikes
D.W.
December 9th, 2008