Deaf Belgian Twins, Euthanized After Starting To Turn Blind

format_quote Originally Posted by شَادِنُ

You express far better than I could br. Woodrow - doctors are meant to treat or palliate but not play God!

Wow, interesting story...

That's crazy.

Who knows how much those brothers suffered? It says in the article they "trudged through one disease after another" and on top of that they were deaf and blind? And Tony Nicklinson cried when he found he had been denied the right to die, because he was suffering. It's a tricky one.

I do not know anything about these brothers and how much they have suffered, but from what I have read, it is understandable that they want to die. Especially when you dont believe in Allah. Whats the point of living if you cant see or hear anything(from an non-muslim perspective)? I think some muslims here need to see from both sides.

Salaam

format_quote Originally Posted by Woodrow

I'm at a bit of a loss for words. But to just express my views in a bit of rambling may be the only way I can.

This is an example of a mass failure. Something is wrong with a world in which euthanasia has become an accepted "medical treatment".

We have now made death a medical choice and a goal of treatment. Today it is an option for those who have been brain washed into believing it is the best choice, tomorrow it will be the "solution" for those found to be a burden on society.

Yep, we just may see the day when "permanent sleep" at the "Happy Days Euthanasia Clinic" replaces retirement and is the "Cure" for the chronically disabled.

You spoke to soon Uncle


Let elderly people 'hurry up and die', says Japanese minister

Taro Aso says he would refuse end-of-life care and would 'feel bad' knowing treatment was paid for by government


Japan's new government is barely a month old, and already one of its most senior members has insulted tens of millions of voters by suggesting that the elderly are an unnecessary drain on the country's finances.

Taro Aso, the finance minister, said on Monday that the elderly should be allowed to "hurry up and die" to relieve pressure on the state to pay for their medical care.

"Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die. I would wake up feeling increasingly bad knowing that [treatment] was all being paid for by the government," he said during a meeting of the national council on social security reforms. "The problem won't be solved unless you let them hurry up and die."

Aso's comments are likely to cause offence in Japan, where almost a quarter of the 128 million population is aged over 60. The proportion is forecast to rise to 40% over the next 50 years. The remarks are also an unwelcome distraction for the new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, whose first period as Japan's leader ended with his resignation after just a year, in 2007, partly due to a string of gaffes by members of his cabinet. Rising welfare costs, particularly for the elderly, were behind a decision last year to double consumption [sales] tax to 10% over the next three years, a move Aso's Liberal Democratic party supported.

The 72-year-old, who doubles as deputy prime minister, said he would refuse end-of-life care. "I don't need that kind of care," he said in comments quoted by local media, adding that he had written a note instructing his family to deny him life-prolonging medical treatment.

To compound the insult, he referred to elderly patients who are no longer able to feed themselves as "tube people". The health and welfare ministry, he added, was "well aware that it costs several tens of millions of yen" a month to treat a single patient in the final stages of life.

Cost aside, caring for the elderly is a major challenge for Japan's stretched social services. According to a report this week, the number of households receiving welfare, which include family members aged 65 or over, stood at more than 678,000, or about 40% of the total. The country is also tackling a rise in the number of people who die alone, most of whom are elderly. In 2010, 4.6 million elderly people lived alone, and the number who died at home soared 61% between 2003 and 2010, from 1,364 to 2,194, according to the bureau of social welfare and public health in Tokyo.

The government is planning to reduce welfare expenditure in its next budget, due to go into force this April, with details of the cuts expected within days.

Aso, who has a propensity for verbal blunders, later attempted to clarify his comments. He acknowledged his language had been "inappropriate" in a public forum and insisted he was talking only about his personal preference.

"I said what I personally believe, not what the end-of-life medical care system should be," he told reporters. "It is important that you be able spend the final days of your life peacefully."

It is not the first time Aso, one of Japan's wealthiest politicians, has questioned the state's duty towards its large elderly population. In 2008, while serving as prime minister, he described "doddering" pensioners as tax burdens who should take better care of their health.

"I see people aged 67 or 68 at class reunions who dodder around and are constantly going to the doctor," he said at a meeting of economists. "Why should I have to pay for people who just eat and drink and make no effort? I walk every day and do other things, but I'm paying more in taxes."

http://www.guardian.co.uk

salam,islam doesn,t allow such death.

format_quote Originally Posted by Junon

Let elderly people 'hurry up and die', says Japanese minister

Some people who are advocates of euthanasia in other countries might now think more carefully about the potential consequences of what they are trying to put into motion, inshaAllah. I feel sorry for those who have to see their loved ones suffering every day but that shouldn't push them to see this as an option.