Why do conservatives often support the right to smoke, but not euthanasia?

SpicyMcVoodoo · 10-02-2006, 01:51 AM

Why should it be okay to slowly and painfully kill yourself by giving yourself a terminal disease, but it shouldn't be okay to kill yourself quickly and painlessly when you're terminally ill to begin with?

IminWonderland · 10-02-2006, 01:54 AM

I believe if you can answer this question, there is a prize somewhere...

ballz2wallz · 10-02-2006, 06:43 AM

Originally Posted by SpicyMcVoodoo

Why should it be okay to slowly and painfully kill yourself by giving yourself a terminal disease, but it shouldn't be okay to kill yourself quickly and painlessly when you're terminally ill to begin with?

Only 10% of smokers die from lung cancer.

kinggovernor · 10-02-2006, 07:20 AM

slippery slope ftl, there are millions of consumer products available that kill you slowly

WickedLou9 · 10-02-2006, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

Only 10% of smokers die from lung cancer.

yeah the rest die from Heart Disease or Emphazema.

Scrum · 10-02-2006, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

Only 10% of smokers die from lung cancer.

Really? I would have thought it was higher.

As a smoker I always ignored those numbers.

edit - ahh you said lung cancer. I was thinking just cancer. How many people die for smoking related cancer I wonder?

WickedLou9 · 10-02-2006, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by kinggovernor

slippery slope ftl, there are millions of consumer products available that kill you slowly

The only slippery slope here is your own.

What other consumer product, when used as designed, kills you ?

lew · 10-02-2006, 09:11 AM

I'm not against suicide. If someone wants to kill himself, that's fine.

What I'm against is a doctor or someone else deciding to kill someone. That's what euthanasia is. I'd be against a doctor deciding to kill someone by smoking too.

Your comparison sucks too btw. Right to die != euthanasia.

WickedLou9 · 10-02-2006, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by lew

I'm not against suicide. If someone wants to kill himself, that's fine.

What I'm against is a doctor or someone else deciding to kill someone. That's what euthanasia is. I'd be against a doctor deciding to kill someone by smoking too.

Your comparison sucks too btw. Right to die != euthanasia.

I think you might be confused. The doctor never makes the decision. IN any state where such a law existed allowing this practice, it was always the decision of the patient and they would only allow it after the patient was given a psyciatric evaluation

lew · 10-02-2006, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

I think you might be confused. The doctor never makes the decision. IN any state where such a law existed allowing this practice, it was always the decision of the patient and they would only allow it after the patient was given a psyciatric evaluation

Euthanasia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Physician assisted suicide is where doctors assist terminally ill patients in taking their own life. This is often seen as morally distinct from euthanasia because the physician does not directly cause the patient's death but enables the patient to choose the time and circumstances of his or her own death.

lew · 10-02-2006, 09:33 AM

I'm also fine with "voluntary euthanasia" because it's suicide.

Scrum · 10-02-2006, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by lew

I'm also fine with "voluntary euthanasia" because it's suicide.

You're ok with guys like Jack Kevorkian?

lew · 10-02-2006, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by Scrumtralecent

You're ok with guys like Jack Kevorkian?

If he is merely assisting someone's wish to die, I'm fine with it. If he's "mercy killing" someone that hasn't left any document saying they want to die, or told anyone they want to die, then I'm against it.

WickedLou9 · 10-02-2006, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by lew

Euthanasia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Physician assisted suicide is where doctors assist terminally ill patients in taking their own life. This is often seen as morally distinct from euthanasia because the physician does not directly cause the patient's death but enables the patient to choose the time and circumstances of his or her own death.

Well put whatever label you want to on the issue. We are talking about an individuals right to choose if they want to end thier own life.

WickedLou9 · 10-02-2006, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by lew

If he is merely assisting someone's wish to die, I'm fine with it. If he's "mercy killing" someone that hasn't left any document saying they want to die, or told anyone they want to die, then I'm against it.

Yeah I Don't think anyone would be for a doctor making the decision without the patients consent. Most people would call that murder.

lew · 10-02-2006, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Well put whatever label you want to on the issue. We are talking about an individuals right to choose if they want to end thier own life.

That's typically not what euthanasia means. It typically means a doctor going in and deciding when to kill people, without their consent. That's what I'm against. I'm all for suicide.

lew · 10-02-2006, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Yeah I Don't think anyone would be for a doctor making the decision without the patients consent. Most people would call that murder.

But euthanasia usually implies a doctor deciding when to kill somesone.

Scrum · 10-02-2006, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by lew

If he is merely assisting someone's wish to die, I'm fine with it. If he's "mercy killing" someone that hasn't left any document saying they want to die, or told anyone they want to die, then I'm against it.

Phantom · 10-02-2006, 09:52 AM

Two distinctions immediately come to mind. (these do not represent my views, just arguments for the other side)

With euthanasia you often have older persons who are not in the best shape to make decisions for themselves. They could be persudaded by greedy children or even just not in the clear mental state that one would want such a huge decision to be made. Smoking is a decision that, at least once someone reachers ~20 years old, is more or less voluntary.

The other distinction is the connection between the activity and the cause of death. There are plenty of people who smoke for 50-60 years and live full lives. Euthansia cuts that life off immediately. The most similar thing I can think of is skin cancer - many people sit in the sun knowing that the sun causes cancer, but they do it anyway. If we were to outlaw smoking, would we also have to outlaw tanning?

Stylerod · 10-02-2006, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by lew

If he is merely assisting someone's wish to die, I'm fine with it. If he's "mercy killing" someone that hasn't left any document saying they want to die, or told anyone they want to die, then I'm against it.

I would agree with this as well.