Assisted Dying

[Mike Sales]

How incompatible can two people be?
The mechanics are fairly well understood and pretty consistent across very wide populations.

The Act Of Love

The Act of love lies somewhere
Between the belly and the mind
I lost the love sometime ago
Now I’ve only the act to grind .

Brought her home from a party
Don’t bother swapping names
Identities not needed
When your only playing games

Roger McGough

[Carlton green]

How incompatible can two people be?
The mechanics are fairly well understood and pretty consistent across very wide populations.

That doesn’t quite match the detail of my limited experience and, without wishing to be negative, how would someone who doesn’t believe in intimacy before marriage know (how more compatible, how less compatible and incompatible two people could be)?

The thing about theory and practice is that, in theory, theory should match practice, but in practice it doesn’t.

It’s looking unlikely that an Assisted Dying Bill will progress anywhere. The Government have decided that even if it comes to The Commons from The Lords then no time will be made available by the Government so it won’t get debated. Shame really as the issue does need airing again.

[[XAP]Bob]

doesn’t believe in intimacy before marriage know

I believe that it happens, I don't believe it's necessary, and I know that it is frequently harmful.
I'm also not aware of any people who waited and regret doing so, I know several who regret not waiting.


I'm intrigued, having never encountered any explanation of what "incompatible" actually means.
The mechanics are clearly not the issue, or you would likely have indicated that (and frankly the species would be extinct). Indeed sexually active relationships between couples who are obviously mechanically incompatible in the traditional sense clearly exist and work.

[Ben@Forest]

It's a concept that has long existed. It might not always have been followed by everyone. Keeping one's trousers on until marriage/civil partnership isn't actually that difficult.

I think history proves it is. From an academic abstract:

A sample of 3,786 marriages, recorded in the parish registers of 77 rural and semi-rural parishes in 24 English counties during the period 1540-1835, is investigated. 49% of the marriages can be followed through to a maternity recorded in a baptism-entry in the baptism register of the same parish, i.e. the parish of marriage. Of these brides traced to a maternity, roughly one-third had their maternity recorded within eight and a half months of marriage and were therefore probably pregnant at marriage. When allowance is made for delayed baptisms, and for brides whose pre-maritally conceived pregnancy terminated in an abortion or stillbirth and hence went unrecorded, the proportion of `traced' brides pregnant may approach one-half.

And that of course doesn't include those who had sex before marriage and where the woman didn't fall pregnant. I heard a similar statistic about late 19thC working class Glasgow - a huge number of marriages were the result of pregnancy. I don't think human behaviour changes much - I guess more effective contraception in the 1960s didn't so much change sexual behaviour but stopped a man and woman having to marry for the sake of societal expectation.

[thirdcrank]

I beg your pardon in a cabbage garden .....

[[XAP]Bob]

It's a concept that has long existed. It might not always have been followed by everyone. Keeping one's trousers on until marriage/civil partnership isn't actually that difficult.

I think history proves it is.

No, I think history proves it wasn’t always followed.

Doesn’t magically make it difficult.

[Psamathe]

Different people chose to live their lives differently. For some monogamy and/or marriage is their choice whilst for others it is not. In our modern society my personal opinion is that it is a personal choice (as long are all are happy with the way they chose to live).

Ian

[reohn2]

It seems to me the UK doesn't need any assistance in dying It's managing it all by itself

[Oldjohnw]

It seems to me the UK doesn't need any assistance in dying It's managing it all by itself

As a nation it appears we are metaphorically suicidal.

[reohn2]

It seems to me the UK doesn't need any assistance in dying It's managing it all by itself

As a nation it appears we are metaphorically suicidal.

Quite!
And for the latest sh*tstorm watch and weep(again)see here - https://youtu.be/CjBOpxsZJE4

PS,sorry for the thread drift.

[Mike Sales]

I want to be able to choose my own death time.
I'm not sure how best this could be enabled.
I rather envy Henry Marsh.

Henry Marsh has written two very interesting books about his profession, Do No Harm and Admissions, in one he admits to having taken advantage of his job to collect a suicide kit.

He is a cyclist and helmet sceptic who rides in a cowboy hat.

One of the UK's leading brain surgeons, who has advanced prostate cancer, has said an inquiry into assisted dying is "absolutely essential".

Henry Marsh, a retired neurosurgeon and bestselling author, received his diagnosis six months ago.

He has supported a call by politicians for the government to hold an inquiry.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56597771

[gbnz]

I want to be able to choose my own death time.
I'm not sure how best this could be enabled.

Well, we've all got the choice, the legality of it doesn't matter.

Suppose the critical factors are to ensure you want it, choose an effective matter and don't fall into the hands of the NHS - there's nothing worse than being preserved by minimal wage, contract staff

[thirdcrank]

I want to be able to choose my own death time.

That can be brought forward, but not pushed back.

[Mike Sales]

[

Well, we've all got the choice, the legality of it doesn't matter.

Not easy to kill yourself.
As Dorothy Parker wrote,

Razors pain you, Rivers are damp, Acids stain you, And drugs cause cramp. Guns aren't lawful, Nooses give, Gas smells awful. You might as well live.

Loudon Wainwright III looked at the subject.

I know I'm unhappy, I know things aren't right
For instance last week I got drunk every night
I know I'm unhealthy, no doctor could doubt
My dreams are all bad and my hair's falling out
I know that I'm angry, I know I'm afraid
I rarely make love, I mostly get laid

When you get the blues and you want to shoot yourself in the head
It's alright it's alright go ahead
Do the monkey, do the pony, do the slop, do the boogaloo twist
Cut your throat, cut your throat, cut your wrist

When your tire of worldly toil shuffle off this mortal coil
Turn your body back to soil
It's ok, it's ok
When you get hung up, hang yourself up by your neck
What the hell, what the hell, what the heck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzW4ryCsJ1Y

That is why I envy Marsh.

[Mike Sales]

I want to be able to choose my own death time.

That can be brought forward, but not pushed back.

The search for immortality has gone on fruitlessly for a long time, but we have managed to postpone death, at a price.