{"id":187542,"date":"2018-08-31T09:58:56","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T14:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=187542"},"modified":"2018-08-28T17:13:00","modified_gmt":"2018-08-28T22:13:00","slug":"families-assisted-suicide-plead-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/families-assisted-suicide-plead-end\/","title":{"rendered":"Families of assisted suicide victims plead for the killing to end"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Proponents of assisted suicide say it should be legal so terminally ill people can die peaceful deaths, as opposed to long, painful ones. The reality, however, is quite different; in increasing numbers, people who are not dying are choosing to undergo euthanasia. The latest example may be one of the most disturbing: Briton Anthony Hayes, who lives in Worcester, is seeking euthanasia<\/a> at Swiss assisted suicide facility Dignitas because he has Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). In the meantime, he is campaigning for assisted suicide to be legalized in the United Kingdom, saying:<\/p>\n

Euthanasia definitely should be made legal. We are far too politically correct and not liberal enough….\u00a0<\/em>I am sometimes in unbearable and uncontrollable pain.\u00a0<\/em>I feel so passionate about this and I am being\u00a0penalized…. [F]or me to hang myself, or throw myself in front of a train, which I have thought about, would be more trauma for my family.<\/i><\/p>\n

Hayes says he has never been happy, and suffers from long periods of depression. The fact that he suffers from a mental health disorder and is suicidal should disqualify him, but the opposite tends to happen.<\/p>\n

Across Europe, people are euthanized for suffering from sexual abuse<\/a>,\u00a0depression<\/a>, and even for\u00a0autism<\/a>. A person’s ability to make the decision rationally seems to matter less and less.\u00a0It isn’t surprising that a suicidal man suffering from depression would seek a painless death. What is<\/em> surprising is that these suicides are increasingly being seen as something to be accommodated rather than avoided.<\/p>\n

READ: Brutal: Doctors say assisted suicide may involve nausea, vomiting, gasping<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

But one mother is pleading with him<\/a> to not take his life. Liz de Oliveira\u2019s 22-year-old daughter, Lucy, committed suicide, leaving her heartbroken. People like Hayes do not need to die, de Oliveira argued. \u201cWhat\u2019s really needed is much more treatment of mental health conditions and being able to speak up about them without being stigmatised,” she said. “All of us will suffer from poor mental health at some point in our lives…. We need to be much more open about it.\u201d de Oliveira said:<\/p>\n

Having seen the impact my daughter\u2019s death has had on literally hundreds of people \u2013 and believe me, Mr Hayes, yours will too \u2013 there is absolutely no way I could ever put others through the hell I go through every single minute of my day.<\/em><\/p>\n

… You are just bringing forward the suffering, but it\u2019s inevitable….\u00a0<\/em>It\u2019s the fallout that he doesn\u2019t appreciate. His family may be supporting him, but they don\u2019t understand what they will go through once he\u2019s died. They can\u2019t understand \u2013 only people like me, who have been through it can understand.<\/em><\/p>\n

… There\u2019s not a day goes by that I don\u2019t think about Lucy and it\u2019s destroyed me.<\/em><\/p>\n

Studies show that assisted suicide increases the number of suicides<\/a>. A 2015 study published in the Southern Medical Journal found that \u201clegalising assisted suicide is associated with a 6.3 per cent increase in the total suicide rate \u2013 including both assisted and non-assisted suicides. For the over-65 age group, the increase is 14.5 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: When assisted suicide was legalized, her insurance stopped paying for treatment<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Multiple other studies<\/a>, including some published in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/a> and the British Medical Journal<\/a>, found that people pursue assisted suicide because they feel hopeless, are struggling with depression (as Hayes is), are afraid they are a burden on their loved ones, or don’t have support. When these issues are addressed, the request for assisted suicide is often withdrawn.<\/p>\n

Kristen Hanson, wife of “Man of Steel” JJ Hanson,<\/a>\u00a0echoes this sentiment. JJ Hanson was a former Marine and aide to two New York governors, as well as a staunch opponent of assisted suicide. He chose to fight for his life after being diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, the same aggressive brain cancer as Brittany Maynard,<\/a>\u00a0who took her own life through assisted suicide.<\/p>\n