Medical aid in dying, my health, and so on

Transplant vs Choosing Death

• Some find it “strange” that the author refuses a possible heart transplant, seeing it as giving up when a major option remains.
• Others stress transplant realities: limited added lifespan (often ~10–15 years), lifelong immunosuppressants, infection/cancer risk, and likely long suffering while waiting for an organ that may never come.
• Several argue it’s altruistic not to take a scarce organ if you’re not fully committed to the regime.
• A core theme: both transplant and refusing it are “commitments”; the author prefers a one-time, planned end over endless high-burden interventions.

Quality of Life, Suffering, and Values

• Commenters note that continued existence must be balanced against agony, disability, or constant fear (e.g., defibrillator shocks).
• Parents mention wanting to see children grow, but not at the cost of derailing their lives by prolonged suffering.
• Age and life experience affect views: some in midlife say they’re at peace with dying; others in their 20s–30s say they’d “do anything” for more years.
• Many emphasize that you can’t know your choice until you are in that level of pain and uncertainty.

Implanted Defibrillators and Cardiac Issues

• Multiple people report that ICD shocks are so painful and unpredictable that they’d prefer death; the constant anticipation is traumatizing.
• Suggestions like warning beeps or user-triggered shocks spark debate: some think it could help with preparation, others say it would worsen anxiety or tempt refusal in moments of weakness.
• A technical aside explains that ICDs err on the side of shocking ventricular tachycardia early to avoid fatal fibrillation, meaning some “excess” shocks are part of safety.

Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) Laws and Ethics

• Many express gratitude for MAID (e.g., Oregon, Canada), describing peaceful, planned goodbyes and contrasting this with relatives who died slowly in extreme pain on morphine.
• Some see MAID as a basic autonomy right and a humane “escape hatch” versus messy, violent or clandestine suicides.
• Others, often from religious perspectives, oppose MAID categorically, viewing suffering as meaningful and assisted death as inherently wrong.

Risk of Abuse, Consent, and Mental Health

• Proponents stress rigorous safeguards: multiple evaluations, waiting periods, capacity assessments, and common exclusion of cases where mental illness is the sole condition.
• Critics worry about “doctor shopping,” bureaucratic pressure, or systems (e.g., Canada) nudging disabled or poor people toward MAID instead of providing care or accommodations.
• There’s sharp disagreement on whether severe desire to die can ever be a “sound mind” decision, especially for non-terminal suffering.

End-of-Life, Dementia, and Planning

• Several recount dementia cases where patients, once strongly opposed to such a state, become incapable of choosing, yet linger bedridden for years—seen as a “horrific final chapter.”
• Discussion of advance directives, “dead man switch” ideas, and countries allowing early consent highlights the ethical catch-22 when capacity is later lost.

Broader Reflections on Death and Culture

• Some argue society is irrationally fixated on postponing death at any cost and stigmatizing open talk of suicide.
• Others insist the status quo already includes “soft” assisted dying via ever‑increasing opioids, and MAID simply adds clarity and agency.
• A minority objects that MAID advocacy seeks not just a right to die but social validation and institutional participation in suicide.