Compassion or Financial Opportunity?

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

A 91 year old woman is being investigated by the FBI for selling suicide kits.

She claims her kits, which include a bag and tubing to connect to a helium tank with instructions and sell for $60, offer an easy, peaceful death to those who wish to end their lives. She has been criticized for not doing due diligence as to whether her customers need these kits as a compassionate measure or if they are underage or mentally unstable.

While I am in favour of assisted suicide on compassionate grounds, I do share the same concerns voiced by her critics. As well, it seems very wrong to me for someone to profit off of someone's pain and suffering. While I am not convinced she should be jailed for her actions, I do think her business should be shut down. Those who wish to commit suicide can always find a way to do so, either alone or with help without someone profiting off the act.

My questions to you:

1. Do you feel she should be prosecuted for this?

2. If not, should she be able to continue selling the kits?

3. Should the families of those who committed suicide using her kits be able to sue?

Comments

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

None of that is relevant to the euthanasia debate as it actually framed. All of those concerns are well dealt with by pretty much everyone who has an interest in this issue.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

Nembutal is apparently painless. Heroin/Morphine too.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

According to a 1993 survey of 150 U.S. and Canadian medical schools, only 14 percent of modern oaths prohibit euthanasia, 11 percent pledge by a deity, 8 percent reject abortion, and 3 percent forbid sexual contact with patients, which were all maxims held sacred in the classical Hippocratic Oath.

From here (http://www.acim-asia.com/The_Hippocratic_Oath.htm)

Re: Tangent

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

My GPs primary role is not to check me for skin cancers, but he does it. How do you come to this conclusion? If you developed skin cancer, wouldn't you want to know at an early enough point to do something to stop the spread of the disease?

Re: Tangent

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

Yes, my doctor performs a range of services for me; his primary role is to help me have the highest quality of life that I can. Helping me to die is in no way contradictory to that.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

Do you support the free trade of plutonium? That would be an interesting argument, especially if you can do it without responding to the obvious massive issues without an appeal to ideology. I guess it probably provides a good ground to argue the issue out though; hyperbole can be useful like that sometimes.

I guess my thing with pharmacists is that they're not just shop assistants; they're highly trained professionals and as such it's not unreasonable to expect them to have a duty of care. Similar professionals with duties of care are doctors and teachers.

If you get back to this, maybe don't respond, I probably won't get back to it.