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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.politics
Date:         Wed, 27 Jan 1993 09:09:54 EST
From:         Daniel David Benson <bensonda@STUDENT.MSU.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Kevorkian Sets Sights on Ohio
Comments: To: POLITICS@ucf1vm.cc.ucf.edu
              at Jan 26, 93 9:42 pm

>
> >  >
> > > > > Dan, I am left to wonder what you think is happening in our world toda
y.
> > > > > It is obvious that too many teenagers are committing suicide now.  I
>  don't
> >
> > > > > propose to encourage them.  I submit to you that they already feel
> > > > > encouraged.  Unless you are personally stopping people from committing

> > > > > suicide, you too are "allowing" "_anyone who wants to commit suicide"
to
> > > > > commit suicide.
> > > > > On a more relaxed note, I didn't say that it was a good thing.  But I
> > > > > will ask you what can be done about it?
> > > > >
> > > > > Jonathan
> > > > >
> > > > I agree with you that many people are commiting suicide now that have no

>  goo
> > d
> > > > reason and that these people are obviously not receiving the attention
>  they
> > > > need. But why make it easier for them to make the wrong choice?
> > > How do you propose to do this?
> >
> > First of all, (and I know Kevorkian isn't guilty of this) doctors should not

>  be
> > allowed to profit from this type of activity ( assisting suicide). That limi
ts
> > one motive for performing such a procedure when it really shouldn't be done.

> I agree. But I think that if you think about it, you'll realize that allowing
> a patient to commit suicide in fact cuts off a doctor's income.  If the
> patient continues to live (oh, I guess I am just talking about the people
> who are hospitalized for a long time), the doctor profits more.  But for
> the other cases, I agree.
> > Secondly, some sort of review board should be set up to determine of a given

> > case is reasonable and counseling should be mandatory for any person
> > considering this. Not necessarily to convince people that they shouldn't
>  commit
> > suicide, but to provide some preparation for the individual and the family t
o
> > deal with such a choice if the individual decides to go through with it.
> No.
> I can't even go along with a review board.  Who would staff it?  How do you
> stop people who are dead against suicide from being on the board?
> I could go with getting "permission" from multiple doctors.  They could
> say that the person is in sound mind and can make this decision.  But,
> sorry I don`t have a major problem with someone who is of sound mind and
> body deciding that they don't want to live anymore.  If you tell them that
> they can't commit suicide, how are you going to stop them?

True. a board of review would most likely be politicized with suicide
opponents. If SPECIFIC criteria could be established, then this effect could be
minimized.

> >   >
> > > > Let's limit
> > > > Kevorkians practice to those with terminal diseases.
> > > How do you propose to do this?
> >
> > Well, for starters, how about passing a law making it a crime to assist
>  suicides
> > in all but certain cases, and create some sort of review board to sort throu
gh
> > cases as I've mentioned above.
> Alright. Let's pass a law.  Would this be constitutional?

Why wouldn't it be? Don't recall anything in the Constitution about the right
to commit suicide. Heck, in many states it's a crime to attempt it.

> > No serious offense taken. I agree that there may be (or ARE, rather) cases
> > other than terminal illness that might justly warrent assisted suicide, but
> > it's not up to Kevorkian to decide these standards. We need some consensus
>  from
> > society as to some basic limits to go on and then some type of board or
> > something to review cases to see if there is a legitimate reason for seeking

> > such an extreme action.
> OK.  So the situation under discussion here is the one where a person wants to

> kill himself but wants some help?  I think that, as I've said above, maybe a
>  panel
> of doctors who don't rule suicide out out-of-hand.
> >

Agreed.

> > > >
> > > > - Dan
> > > >
> > > Jonathan
> > >
> >
> > - Dan
> >
> Jonathan
>
-Dan
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