Terry Pratchett on the right to die | Hacker News Reader

Terry Pratchett on the right to die

dailymail.co.uk

17 pointsrms8 comments

To quote Doctorow: "it takes something damned important to get me to link to the vile Daily Mail. This qualifies."

It's funny. Aversion to suicide always strikes me as one of those throwbacks to the olden days where just about everything was frowned on.

I remember in 6th form we had a debating class on this topic and I was the only who would try and argue in favour of the right to die (in actual fact I am somewhat apathetic in opinion on this: beyond the thought that each to his own decisions). Everyone else thought it seemed distasteful.

Whatever the views and rights/wrongs I think it's a good thing the UK courts are now reviewing the law in relation to assisted suicide for relatives of those who travel to Switzerland to die.

It is extremely distasteful. I'm as socially liberal as anyone, but I'm generally against the right to die for the mentally ill. This is probably because I am the child of mental health professionals and my parents have very strong beliefs, but I'm against the right to death for everyone because most physically healthy people that want to die are not in the right frame of mind -- with proper treatment, they would not want to die. There are some untreatable cases and there are grey areas, but I don't think it is a good idea to open up suicide to everyone.

Terminal illness is completely different. Except for religious morality, it seems like a very one sided debate.

So your basic point is that no one wants to die and anyone who claims that they do is "obviously" suffering from some mental illness regardless of how cogent and intellectually sound their reasoning may be? Talk about circular reasoning.

No, that wasn't quite my point, but you're relatively close.

Terminal illness as in I can't move, I can't live I can't die and 100% I will not recover from this. I wake up in pain...but not from sleep, I live in pain around the clock. They can't move, they have to be taken to Switzerland, they can't leave the country by themselves etc. They need help to die...that's what makes the family accomplice and there is the debate because commons sense is gone. The letter of law is taken literally and that's why so many idiots can sue for any dumb reason because the action is taken into account not the motive or the scope.

My thoughts exactly. Pain doesn't have to last forever, especially not mental illnesses with cures. They should no doubt be an exception in any potential law.

It's not "will they suffer for years", it's the same reason they banned capital punishment in the UK: The mistakes they might make which can't be fixed.

I watched Pratchett give his views on this on the BBC Breakfast show this week. You can see that he's fabulously passionate about it... it's just a shame that here is a man with an amazing sense of humour and a talent for writing, that feels he will sooner or later have to choose to take his own life.

It's probably selfish, very selfish, but I do hope we get a number of books out of him first!

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