End of life ....

[Surfcrest]

I would think that Thailand is a long way away from considering "doctor assisted suicide" or "euthanasia". This is something that Canada is just voting on now, that will start with terminal illness and will probably evolve after that into a personal choice, no matter what the circumstances are. This is something I may even see in my lifetime or before the end of my own life, which is good. For people planning ahead, way far ahead, this is not a bad thing to think about and perhaps plan for, especially if you require assistance to survive or you loose the essentials for the quality of life.

Surfcrest

[cdnmatt]

Guys, no offense here, but it's not exactly difficult to commit nearly harmless and immediate suicide if truly wanted.

Strap some explosives you can buy off the black market to your head, sit down in a shallow river, and let 'er rip.

Rent a room for a night at a high-storey hotel, grab a room on the say 30th floor, and launch yourself out the window.

Buy a toy gun, and rush a highly secured military site while acting like a lunatic.

Throw yourself under the MRT a couple seconds before is passes, splitting you into multiple pieces.

Really, no need for end of life orders, suffocating yourself with a plastic bag, or any of that shit. There's a thousand painless ways to go about it if it ever reaches that time.

[Faranglaw]

I would think that Thailand is a long way away from considering "doctor assisted suicide" or "euthanasia". This is something that Canada is just voting on now, that will start with terminal illness and will probably evolve after that into a personal choice, no matter what the circumstances are. This is something I may even see in my lifetime or before the end of my own life, which is good. For people planning ahead, way far ahead, this is not a bad thing to think about and perhaps plan for, especially if you require assistance to survive or you loose the essentials for the quality of life.

Surfcrest

My Thai husband informs me that it is possible to arrange a living will in Thailand, but not possible to get a doctor to perform euthanasia, not legally. You can also arrange for someone to have your power of attorney for the time you are unable to make your own decisions.

I worked for many years with people dealing with chrinic illness and end of life. It is important to do some Advance care planning. The idea that you will be in any position to rent a hotel room and jump out a window is silly. Once a person reaches the point of making such a heavy decision, they won't be in any position to rent hotel rooms or any of the other fantasy suicides we might imagine when we are young and healthy. It's important to choose a person to be your substitute decision maker, someone you can trust and who will do what you would have wanted if able to make your needs known.

Just a few thoughts. Thanks for raising this interesting and important topic.

[Steve1903]

Bottle of pills tucked away in the drawer for that "rainy day" would suffice. That's my ultimate plan anyway. Watched my father fade away over the course of 18 months. The last 9 months were a succession of hospital visits. When the highight of the day becomes someone helping you into a chair in which you will spend the entire time sitting watching the telly until it's time to be carted back to the bedroom then for me it's time to depart. Time and again he'd say "I just want to die" but he could do nothing but sit and suffer.
We treat animals better than that. I won't be waiting around for long if it comes to that.

[fountainhall]

M. . . not possible to get a doctor to perform euthanasia, not legally

I doubt if many actions being illegal in Thailand have ever been much of a deterrent to their actually happening.

[Surfcrest]

Well, it sounds to me as though doctor assisted suicide is a much better option than strapping explosives to yourself or thinking that taking a handful of pills is a painless, glamorous death. I'm guessing that most would probably become unable to throw themselves off a balcony if and when when they finally decided the time had come. If you're considering such a horrible end for yourself, you'd probably support the concept of doctor assisted suicide as a sensible alternative. Quite possibly...at the rate Thailand is evolving and catching up with the rest of the World's values... the idea will at least be considered if not embraced here in Thailand. I'd put my bets on the latter.

Surfcrest

[christianpfc]

cdnmatt's suggestions are dangerous and messy (no guarantee for success and putting others in danger as well), and best considered a joke (not funny by my standards).

A 7-11 carrier bag over the head is a cheap and cheerful option...

Suffocating is not a nice death (from internet, no personal experience). However if you flush the bag with an inert gas to remove the carbon dioxide, you will just fall asleep and never wake up again (from internet, no personal experience). That would be my method of choice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_bag

[scottish-guy]

Christian - it was somewhat superfluous to tell us (twice) that you have no personal experience of doing yourself in - we could have figured that out for ourselves!

[cdnmatt]

Cut his throat? That's a little drastic, no?

How would you go about doing this? Just a simple 6 inch blade, a clean cut, and let him bleed out? Maybe go ISIS style and completely behead him with a 6 inch blade? Or maybe tie him up, and go the large machete / sword route -- one swift swipe to send his head rolling?

heh, fuck me...

[Tobi]

How would you go about doing this?

Hmm, I think I'd hang him upside down first, like a kosher chicken!