What are your thoughts on this? should it be legal in the UK ?

Yes- absolutely

No.

Why should we have to dispose of all of those old people coming from abroad to die? It's bad enough having to process the nuclear waste - think of all those false teeth in landfill.

could you do it ?

I am not talking about elderly old folk passing on sooner than they should due to natural causes etc, but young people who have been severely disabled due to accidents and want to die (Emmerdale story line).

I could, but only once.

to someone else!

That's a difficult one. I think I'd be willing to do it to myself when the balance tips, and I think I'd be able to do it to a loved one if s/he had no or very little mental faculties left, but I'm not sure I could do it if s/he was still compos mentis...

it is very much down to the situation at the time, but if someone wanted to end their life and needed your assistance ....

there was a really interesting programme on last week with terry pratchett looking at this very question, as he has alzheimers...it followed two men going to the clinic in switzerland in order to die (one was in his late 70s i think and had parkinsons, the other only early 40s with motorneuron disease)...

it was done with great dignity, and both men seemed to be fully at peace...the really sad thing was that both were dying before they wanted to/needed to...the issue is that anyone doing it has to be of sound mind and be able to administer the poison themselves, and both wanted to die whilst they could still do this, and before it was too late...

not sure i'd be strong enough to let/give my blessing to a loved one to do it, but i do think people should have the choice when their quality of life has become untenable due to illness etc...

MM, xx

What, other than a couple of current bored members?

Bluecat-

Ok I appear to opening up to the world today, my mum is terminally ill - a slow progressive illness and we have had this converstaion and it is a converstaion I wish noone else to have to have and until you are in the situation it is impossible to decide what you would do.

So, Yes, If I had to I would do it, as much as it would break my heart. My brother feels differently to me but at the end of the day my mum knows her limits. She was diagnosed the year I was born so has had a lifetimes worth of struggling so when she feels she has had enough I think you have to respect that no matter how hard it is for those left behind. Her mental state is kosher and will remain so as much as anyone elses.

Every case is individual and should be treated as so.

I won't comment on your situation because I can't and couldn't comprehend how hard that must be.

My question is for the last bit, who should make the decisions? Court of Law? In slow progressive illnesses someone can make the decision early, but in an accident where 'quality' of life is lost and the person is deemed unable to make their own decision, then who should get to?

can you remember the name of the programme? will download it

edited, found it, downloading it now

It was Panorama on BBC1