I was a hospice nurse, and I must say in my 4 years never did I see a patient in true agonizing pain. Once you stop providing fluids and nutrition to a person, the body shuts down in the most peaceful of ways. I remember following this experience, my first day at an ICU I was horrified because I was not used to seeing so much pain!

*Im terminally ill myself and have lived probally a year longer than i was supposed too, my heart is shutting down, im at 15% muscle left, most die at 25%. The hardest thing for me is people dont want to hear it, or before i can even finish my story they interrupt me telling me all their illnesses. Even people im trying to say goodbye to cut me off and dont seem to care that im just letting them know before its over for me. Its very frustrating so i keep quite now, but inside i just want to scream at them and yell hey dummy im dying and im trying to say goodbye, but the worse part is so many think im lying cause i walk around and look healthy, but inside im hurting so bad because the pain, its like i have this big rock in my chest thats growing, and the more it grows the worse the pain. Sometimes i just go home and lay down because i feel so bad, my head hurts, my chest hurts and my inside hurts, but nobody wants to hear it. And btw im not afraid of dying at all because i know where im going, it would just be freaking nice if someone would listen to me and how i feel*

Medical assistance is dying is most definitely easier and more humane than suffering in unspeakable agony for weeks while terminal cancer eats you from the inside out, and your loved ones watch you waste away to a shell.

Dr. Zivot was one of my instructors during my anesthesiology residency at the University of Michigan in the late 90’s. I still remember rounding with him in the ICU. Brilliant, humble and personable.

There is a major difference. Lethal injection is performed on someone who does not want to die. But medical assistance in dying is given to someone who is eager and willing to take it to finish their lives without extended and excessive suffering.

If people are allowed to die quickly under their own terms and that becomes the norm, it would be a HUGE blow to doctors' and hospitals' profit margins. They want you to be hospitalized for months on end where they can charge you/your estate hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Being an ICU doc you'd think he would understand that suffering for weeks or months is much less desirable than suffering for a minute or 2.

Everybody should have the right to die when they're suffering

Spoken like a man who doesn't want to die every second of every day because the pain is unbearable

This is such an interesting and difficult topic. Most of the comments I’ve read are those talking about when MAID would be welcomed and the most humane thing that can be done in many medical situations. I empathize and agree with your viewpoints, but I also can’t imagine how difficult it would be for me to provide MAID as medical care. Beneficence is a principle in medical ethics that requires healthcare providers to act in the best interest of their patients and to promote their well-being. It is based on the idea that healthcare providers have a moral obligation to do good and to prevent harm to their patients. In the context of medical practice, beneficence requires healthcare providers to provide treatments that will benefit their patients and to take actions that will promote their health and well-being. This principle emphasizes the importance of promoting the patient's welfare as the primary goal of medical care. The principle of beneficence is often cited as a justification for MAID, as it emphasizes the importance of promoting the welfare of patients and prioritizing their well-being above all else. Providing patients with the option to end their life in a peaceful and dignified manner can be an act of compassion and can help to alleviate their suffering. While I can logically understand this reasoning, and I agree with it, I still wrestle with the idea of providing such palliative care in my personal practice in the future. The principle of beneficence is also closely linked to the principle of non-maleficence, which requires healthcare providers to avoid causing harm to their patients. Critics of MAID might argue that intentionally ending a patient's life can be a violation of this principle. In practice, the principle of beneficence requires healthcare providers to carefully consider the potential benefits and risks of MAID for each individual patient, and to make decisions that prioritize their well-being and promote their dignity. Assessing the patient's physical and psychological pain is an essential part of making this decision, but defining the line of when death would be more beneficial than life seems like it would be extremely difficult, and I can see how those decisions could weigh heavily on a physician’s mind for decades. I wanted to say that your stories in the comments help me to see this ethical concept as a more tangible problem that physicians should be dealing with well before they have a patient who needs MAID. I still don’t know if I’d be comfortable with providing that service myself, I’m coming around to the idea that my personal beliefs are secondary to the needs of suffering patients, and I welcome further input as to how a medical student and future physician can prepare themselves for complex ethical dilemmas such as MAID.

Wow a different perspective but I'm still for assisted dying because once the medication is injected only have to suffer 1 min at most before my heart stops

I watched the killing of my dear mare when she was 28 with a terrible painful colic. Whom I had shared my life for 26 of those years. She was aware, her eyes popped open, she started, then sank down and was gone. It was Thanksgiving day. The vet husband was there so he could be with her as she was on call that day. She cried, he cried, two friends who had cared for and ridden her and I cried. We all hugged each other. The other horses at the facility watched this; they saw her body in the field, lying in her favorite clover patch. They were very quiet for several days considering me when I approached them, very carefully. They knew she was dead. I saw my husband die; I saw my Mom die. I still cry for all of them. There were many others in my life who died; Being a living being is tough. Lest you think that I didn't care for these beloved souls.

This guy gives me the creeps... something about him... couldn't finish watching it. Would hate to have him as my doc!

As others have mentioned: so what? His point is that people ultimately die of multiple organ failure up to and including drowning in their own fluids. Yeah? OK? So what? They are unconscious. Surgeons do some pretty invasive procedures that would be pretty damn traumatic if the patient were concious. But they aren't and they none the wiser when they come to. It is admirable to ensure that people are aware of the implications of the decisions they may have, but it's inhumane to take a decision like this away from them.

I watched my Mom died. She had on some limited oxygen, for comfort measures only, not to prolong her life. She didn't suffer. She went peacefully. She had a look on her face that told me so. So this doctor is an ICU specialist. He spends his life prolonging life, but it doesn't always turn out that way. He means well, but I don't accept what he says well.

here because it was recently announced that canada will be making MAID available to those with mental illnesses

This fellow, eloquent and knowledgeable as he is, and every commenter here who says MAID is murder, need to thoroughly familiarize themselves with every step of the devastating and always fatal disease ALS. If anything, sufferers of that disease should be allowed, if they so wish, to die earlier on in the progression of that cruel onslaught.

um... if he ever has a long slow painful illness that meds don't touch and he feels nausea, no good sleep and endless suffering he may change his mind.

I respect Joel Zivot for his opinion. It is clear he is not an advocate of medical aid in dying. I am.

There's no way of knowing that any death is painless, natural or otherwise.

It is legal and available to all humans to simply stop eating and drinking and welcome the reaper over the course of 7-10 days, VSED is often supported by hospice and a natural way to end a painful or terminal illness.

I'm not entirely sure why we need to old or terminally ill to have a right to die. We should all have a right to assisted death regardless of age or health.

I often think about this topic because of its complexity. This is one of the examples when ethical principles are hard to align with the issue. I see how autonomy can be respected when someone dies of old age, and they would ask physicians to help them with the use of certain medications to expedite their death. But Joel Zivot mentioned an interesting point that when lethal injections are done for executions in prisons it is done not on convict autonomy, and usually convict is not even close to their death by natural course, they still might be healthy and not ready to die. Even when society decides through the court that this person deserves the death sentence, I do not think that many people are ready to step up and execute it without personal conflict about human life values. It was also interesting fact to learn from Joel Zivot's study that lethal injection brings death by creating organ failure. Knowing this fact would affect me too in my decision, I agree with the speaker, this is an extremely hard decision to make, and I am not sure I could do it either. I remember reading the book where the author talked about the physician who agreed to assist in lethal injections, and I was reflecting on their reasonings for why he did it. He knew that there was nothing he could do to stop it because he was not in charge of this decision. He also knew that if lethal injections cannot be done the right way without professional participation, he would not feel conflicted about helping with it because it is better when you think about the convict who might suffer greatly if something would go wrong. And I can agree too that lethal injections look less cruel than other methods that were done historically. It brings quicker and less painful death. If it is impossible to stop taking life at least mercy can be given when suffering can be reduced. It is important to consider all medical ethics principles - beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice - when making decisions like this. However, doctors also have the autonomy to choose if they want to participate in assisting a person to die. It can conflict with patient autonomy if they want to choose death, but doctors refuse to do so because of personal values and beliefs. In my opinion, it is right to let doctors have a choice because it is better to have a doctor who is concerned and has values and beliefs than someone who does not. I also believe that with time doctors might progress to the level where they can have a good balance and less conflict as with the example of the doctor, I mentioned above who could see the way why he can do this even with the possibility of still having personal conflict inside.

I can’t say I have an opinion on assisted suicide. I think that choosing to have a gentle, quiet death instead of waiting for prolonged suffering to end is understandable, but I get the feeling that assisted suicide can very well become an abused power.

Life in itself is so disappointing that not even single wish is fulfilled throughout one's life including the last wish that is MAID.

Not entirely sure what he is trying to say. Once a person becomes unconscious all of the bodily effects become null and void. Of course the bodies organs fail before death. It doesn't say anything about the immeasurable suffering of the individual while still conscious.

thank you! God bless

Excellent talk. He gives a unique perspective on assist dying and definitely many issues to think about.

5 minutes in and still no talk about assisted dying options

MAiD is definitely a good choice to those who are severely suffering unbearable pain and those who knows who will no longer live a quality life.

The topic of medical assistance in dying is multifaceted and raises significant ethical questions about patient autonomy and the responsibilities of healthcare providers. As healthcare providers, it is critical that we consider the legal and ethical implications of medical assistance in dying and make decisions that prioritize the patient's well being. This requires adhering to the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice in our approach. To provide ethical medical assistance in dying, healthcare providers must prioritize the patient's values and beliefs while respecting their right to autonomy. It is important to ensure that the decision is voluntary, informed, and free from coercion. Additionally, healthcare providers must ensure that the provision of medical assistance in dying is in accordance with the patient's wishes and applicable laws and regulations. Ultimately, it is our responsibility as healthcare providers to provide medical assistance in dying in a manner that is ethical and in the best interests of the patient. This requires us to prioritize the patient's autonomy, respect their values and beliefs, and make decisions based on their well being.

I remember when physician assisted suicide was legalized in Colorado. A few months later I was talking to a neighbor who was a nurse. I asked if she had dealt with this at all. She broke down crying and confessed that she had multiple patients. The problem was that this method of overdosing with barbiturates doesn’t work. The patients usually vomit them back up and are just more sick than before and have a worse death. They are given a bottle of pills and sent home with it. I understand the logic of allowing them to end their life in the comfort of their own home at their own time. However, the dangerous bottle of pills given them are not tracked or accounted for if chosen to never be used by the patient. It is also complicated that they end their life at home and family and friends either watch or come upon their dead body later if they choose to not disclose their decision. There is also the problem of relatives wanting patients to end their life so that they don’t spend all the inheritance on medical bills. She also said that she had seen patients do it as a sacrifice for their family, as they could not afford the medical care the keep them alive for 6 more months. It is also a terrible toll on the medical persons assisting the patient, to place the patient’s death on their conscience. We reduce this ethical issue to politics or a simple question of right vs wrong, when there are many facets, issues, and complications ignored or not discussed.

Wanting to die from physical ailments that cause pain (and rightly might eventually kill you) is one thing, but what if your brain is directly causing such pain? That's where the pain is truly felt. And what if the brain has caused said pain (non-physical) for years, rendering you incapable of going on anymore: aka, the breaking point? I've struggled with wanting to die since I was 8 and it seems so difficult just to get it over with with a lack of assisted suicide regulations.

Joel Zivot doesn’t talk about quality of life. My brother chose assisted dying after suffering from Huntington’s Disease for about 10 years. If Dr. Zivot had seen what my mother’s quality of life was in the last 10 years of her life of suffering from HD (she suffered for 20 years) he would better understand my brother’s choice.

A refreshing take on the subject; a brave thing to do in front of a 'regular' audience.I'm not an advocate of capital punishment or assisted dying. As a layman, it would seem to me that once you're unconscious, it really doesn't matter what happens after that. Like millions of others, I've been rendered unconscious with anaesthetic. One second you're in theatre prep, the next, you're coming round in recovery. The period in between is absent. Fortunately the vast majority come through. Some, sadly, don't. But if you die in this period, you never knew what hit you; the light never returned. I take some comfort in that. Maybe, just maybe, a different light may come on.

Notice the doctor talks about his mother who just died so peacefully easily on her own he's living a pipe dream that doesn't happen with everyone and lethal injection and also the pills that you take from Oregon or other states are very peaceful you just go to sleep and you're off to heaven

Thank you for your description of your mom and the spiral staircase. I was traumatized by my husband's journey down our hallway by the funeral home attendees. Things we don't think about.

I respect Dr. Zivot’s perspective on “medical assistance in dying,” and his comparisons to what he saw in the prison system with lethal injection. Considering the medical ethics principle of patient autonomy, I feel if a patient has the capacity to make his/her own medical decisions, he/she should be able to make the choice to decline any further care, or perhaps ask his/her provider for a palliative care referral or perhaps request care with a hospitalist. I don’t prefer to think of a patient necessarily asking for assistance in “dying,” but perhaps requesting assistance in being given the opportunity to die on his/her own terms. Patient autonomy is probably one of the most highly regarded and esteemed medical ethics principles in the U.S., and therefore, is typically of utmost importance to a medical provider. As Dr. Zivot mentioned, I concur many doctors are not prepared to hear when a patient decides that he/she no longer desires treatment. Doctors are trained to save lives and take care of patients. As much as doctors value patient autonomy, doctors struggle with the idea in allowing a patient to die. However, I appreciate Dr. Zivot’s final words regarding how doctors should provide “assistance in living” and remember that everyone dies eventually. While a doctor should not obviously adopt a careless attitude towards human life, physicians can not only respect human life, but also respect patient autonomy, even if that includes a patient’s desire to cease treatments.

An important talk. Does this kind of organ failure MEAN there was suffering at the time of death? Can consciousness be obliterated BEFORE organ failure so the dying individual doesn't suffer through death?

Excellent message. The organ failure tells us that it was not "peaceful" for the deceased soul. It may have appeared that way to the onlooker, but killing someone or committing suicide can never be painless.

This was a powerful speech he had me captured from the start till the end,it certainly made me think about assisted suicide I certainly agree with it,we should be able to choose 🌈💕🇦🇺🦋x

Working in a long-term care facility, death has become a common sight. However, I still couldn’t bring myself to agree on medical-assisted death. The majority said that it is dying in dignity. But how can it be dignified if basically, you committed suicide? You were put down like a dog! And worst, like a criminal on a death row table.

Medical assisted suicide has been a hot topic for a while. I appreciate how the doctor talks about what people don’t usually know. All the documents, legalities and ethical issues involved with this. The decision to take one’s life is not only difficult for the physician helping but to the patient themselves. Making this decision to take your own life is not easy. Whether it is an acute battle or a chronic battle, to ends one life due to misery or to prevent suffering is a decision one should make for themselves. This should not have any negative stigma attached because this is something that should be talked about. Having something like this as an option is good for those who are suffering and can no longer live a normal lifestyle.

insightful

This is just another attempt to discourage people from doing what THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO. LEAVE FOLKS ALONE!!!!!! IF THIS IS WHAT THEY WANT TO DO BCUZ THEY HAVE NO HOPE, LET THEM BE!

I really appreciate the professor for his candid advice. I am african and we are not into all these medical death help. We may be poor in this continent but.we.still.apppreaciate life

This video did not progress the way I expected and I am glad I watched it in its entirety. Dr. Zivot has much more medical knowledge and experience than I do but I respectfully disagree with his statements on this matter. I agree that we must take patient's comfort into mind at all times and especially at the end of life and we must be sure that what we do is right for the patient, however, I do not think that by simply allowing nature to take course, it is more humane. I appreciated Dr. Zivot's story about his mother and I want to extend my condolences on her death. My own father-in-law is currently at home dying. His lungs are filled with fluid from the cancer, his legs are so swollen they are leaking out from the pressure blisters, his brain is speckled with the spread of cancer that the gamma knife couldn't remove, his belly is hard and protruding from the ascites and his kidneys are starting to fail. There is no easy way out and his death is inevitable. There is nothing that any doctor can do at this point other than to medicate him to the point of numbness. My husband is not ready to lose his father but he welcomes the relief that his death will bring to his physical body. Dr. Zivot is right that regardless of whether the death is caused by lethal injection or what we call physician assisted suicide, the medications are the same so therefore the process within the body would be the same but I don't think the situations should be compared. The outcomes are the same yet the reason behind them are completely different. A paper by Brandi McKinnon discussed that someone who followed utilitarian ethics would say that we must do what is right for the patient and there is greater good by alleviating the suffering. One could argue that by killing a person convicted of a crime, the positive benefits to society outweighs the negative so it is also ethical for that situation as well but the negative effect of the large amount of people who have to be involved in the euthanasia to me is more negative than a life sentence or likewise punishment.

Seems like a place to float some ideas. Some stories are appearing about low birth rates. Some concern about disproportionate numbers of elderly. Fewer young. The idea being that there won’t be enough people to take care of the elderly. Currently society both legal and religious makes helping a person commit suicide a crime. I would like to start a conversation about the current situation. Suicide by gun is very bloody. The person committing suicide likely is alone. Perhaps law enforcement discovers the victim. Likely it impacts these officers. Perhaps family or friends. Then there is the cleanup. Who will clean up the blood. How will it affect them. What if the person intending to end their life could have conversations with family and friends. What if society had a conversation. What if laws were changed.

WOW 👏

There's no way around the suffocation part. Most of us will suffocate

We are taught how to live our best life, but you, Dr. Zivot, are the rare exception in teaching us about death and dying. Thank you for your excellent presentation. With much gratitude, also, for your compassionate, Pro-Bono Testimony in Dr. William Husel's trial in Columbus, Ohio. Your Testimony was very educational, and presented in such a way that anyone could understand death, dying, and compassionate care at end of Iife. I appreciate you, and I am grateful for the vast knowledge you shared which will be helpful to each individual regardless of their life circumstances at this time, and in the future. May God Bless you abundantly for who you are, for how well you express yourself as you educate others, and as you care for your ICU, dying patients.

Omg i love u for this! I just lost my grandma a few days ago. The loving old school ones, the ones who raise u cuz ur still living healthy parents are selfish. I fear her caretakers, pwr of attrny (family) gave her this option without her comprehensible knowledge. Under her power of attorney who suddenly isolated her, her health declined rapidly in one year. Suddenly abandoned in a home still with him guarding her, her body shutdown but not her. She suddenly cldnt move her legs or arms or swallow. Almost a year. They declared her dead with he body still warm and slightly clenching my hand. Was she in acoma & he signed do not resistate, she wldnt. So the coronor came & took her. Im now obesssed with how long ir conscious after, her biggest fear was from a morphine effect, a dream of going to the morgue & seeing bodies everywhere. And here they took her body still warm? Wats dead. She had only a knee problem now year later her body is cacooning her. Family dont care. Its suddenly old age yet she has more energy than all of us, xooking driving paying bills planting. Then abandoned in the home, pale, thirsty only powder water cuz suddenly cldnt swallow. Finally slippin out, shes dead! As i was the onlt one holding her crying, with family, caretaker/pwr of att already boxing her stuff, laughing about who knows, i begam my dsrk curiousity for a quest of light in this hidden torture, wat do tjey feel after they die, the embalming, etc. If ur soul os determined like avoiding the subject like ur mom did, do they stay concious longer? What scientific proof is soul? I wosh so bad i cam go with her make sure shes situated and safe. But i cldnt return without her. Is she dead, ? Do we really die or trapped in a coffin. Have rhey opened ones in current times in u.s to see signs of struggle. Autopsies. Cheaper if die in a hospital but can any fam member get a copy or caretakers can restvassured as long as it iant them. Doctors do what they do but this law makes it so easy for greedy family members who quality of life cld never be a fraction of their precious yet strong quality.- do the most unthinkable. The new elder abuse.

La guillotina o un disparo en la nuca sería la muerte más piadosa a mi entender, ya que corta la conexión con el sistema nervioso, obvio q para la mayoría de la gente eso es brutalidad salvaje, pero en realidad escuchando esta charla me doy cuenta que no lo es en absoluto. Si pudiera elegiría la guillotina sin dudarlo, quien va a morir soy yo... qué importa la audiendica a mi alrededor ! Emprecé a cuestionarme sobre este tema cuando me enteré de que muchos presos condenados a muerte preferían la silla eléctrica a la inyección letal... Evidentemente ellos estaban al tanto de muchas de estas cosas de las que aquí se habla.

If the organs don’t fail, how is the person supposed to die?

I am not entirely sure why he equates physician-assisted death with the methodology of lethal injection used by the justice system. A very simple morphine drip over a short period of time would suppress a person's CNS and respiratory drive to a point where they would eventually stop breathing and pass. This is currently being done in places where it is legal. You can use other opioids, carbon monoxide, etc to induce death that does not involve patients drowning in their pulmonary fluid. I am unsure of his motivation for giving this talk, but the case being presented is a false dichotomy.

In earlier times, cold calling sales people would call ask to speak to my mother, father, husband, all of who were dead. My phone voice sounded like a child. I always said flatly, "they're dead." The silence was deafening. Now when I need to kill a beloved pet, I have the vet kill it. I have always been frank. The Doctor is correct, in my opinion.

Could it be that perhaps the drug that's administered first renders them unconscious to the point of not feeling the ramifications of the actual drug meant to kill them? Something like having open heart surgery under anesthesia and not feeling a thing throughout the process until you wake up but alas those seeking solace in death don't have to worry about feeling the pain when they wake up because they don't wake up.

I would be afraid of not being saved,if I did that

My child has passed, period.

Let me start by saying that I oppose capital punishment. I am commenting about your using lethal injection as a model of the response patients may have in physician assisted suicide. Lethal injection takes place in a very stressed circumstance. Unsedated people are forcibly restrained on a table and poked with the IVs, after hours to days of fretful anticipation. It is likely that they are in a very high state of sympathetic arousal. As a neurologist I have seen pulmonary edema in the setting of brain injury and secondary sympathetic arousal. Relaxation by premedication might reduce the stress and the secondary pulmonary edema in lethal injection. The sympathetic stress response leading to pulmonary edema can occur even with total anesthesia, given that the pentobarb acts primarily as a respiratory depressant, so unresponsive people die of cardiac and cerebral anoxia, which is a which can take up to several minutes, and can be a strong stimulant of sympathetic hyperactivity in a totally comatose person. (Premedication with a beta blocker might also decrease the autonomic stress reaction.) Thus, pulmonary engorgement is not a good surrogate with which to measure suffering, as the person is no longer conscious or aware, although the body is stressed and reacting. I would posit, given the proper operation of the equipment, that most of the suffering in lethal injection occurs before the actual injection occurs. In physician assisted suicide the patient's emotional state may be more positive and less stressed. If a patient sees the process as a positive there may be a sense of relief or even satisfaction. Using a drug like propofol or midazolam in a high dose would marginally decrease the time of brain awareness compared to pentobarb.

A fine example of FUD. The arrogance of this doctor who is obviously against assisted dying - typically these people spread FEAR, UNCERTAINTY and DOUBT - he needs to take that crown off his head and allow his patients autonomy and choice, not spread ridiculous stories about autopsy results which would have had no relevance to method of death.

Very interesting. I had imagined assistance in dying as being a peaceful thing. Now I have a new picture. Thank you for that information.

I guess there is no such thing as died w dignity.

How many times you say I'm a doctor

Very interesting talk. Could it not be done that a surgeon puts the condemned into anasthesia and then severs a key artery in the brain causing instant death? I know this seems morbid and it would look to witnesses gruesome but it would be painless and immediate.

Medical assistance in living is in a rapid decline and in some cases, borderline inhumane. 1. In this country, a person needs to have the right insurance to allow them for medical assistance in living. 2. The medical system will provide a drug and the surgery for everything if you have the means to pay for it. You could have a tracheostomy tube to breathe, an ostomy in your abdomen to divert stool and two nephrostomy tubes on your lateral part of your mid back, or other urinary diversions located at the abdomen to collect and dispose of urine. I work in the medical field and have seen people who will do anything to live including this, but have also seen people who do it because their families want it. The right to die but medical assistance is extremely important and I don’t want to over simplify it by suggesting that people try “medical assistance in living”

Ok so I want the decision. Die a terrible death or multiple organ failure. I should still have the choice.

If dying is painful then there are very powerfull pain killers that will cause a person to die without feeling pain.

Joel should visit Belgium and get a better understanding of euthanasia vs death row injection.

I need to speak to the speaker of this talk or someone. Pronto so everyone upvote all of my comments.

It's too expensive,to stay on all the machines

Can a mircle healing occur

I know this video is old, but it popped up on my feed. I have always been fascinated by euthanasia. Being originally from The Netherlands, I tend to see euthanasia as "normal". I have always been pro. However, I recently had to euthanize my dog (due to crippling arthritis) and my perspective has changed. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing. The general consensus among veterinarians seems to be that euthanizing a dog is far better than letting the dog die of natural causes, as it will be a long drawn out, and painful process. Ever since I euthanized my beloved dog, I have been riddled with feelings of guilt and betrayal, and internal conflict. Was it really the right thing to do? Was it really better than a natural death? After watching this TEDtalk, I'm now also wondering if it was a painless as it looked. She was euthanized at home and the process seemed serene and peaceful to me as the onlooker. But after watching this TEDtalk I'm left wondering about that. I'm feeling so conflicted that I don't know if I will ever get another dog, because I don't ever want be in this position again. It makes me sad to think that I may have done the wrong thing by my faithful dog. But the alternative, of letting her suffer in pain until she died of natural causes / old age, makes me sad too. It's a lose-lose situation. Why do we feel that it is kinder to euthanize an animal, but we don't think the same when it comes to people when we both are mammals? I know one answer is that hospice care is not available for animals. But if an owner is committed to caring for the animal till the very end, and willing to give it painkillers at necessary intervals, why can that not be an option?

I believe that physician-assisted suicide is a very polarizing issue that has been the center of some very intense debate among people. As th video talked about, there are people who are in favor of it because they believe that it gives patients the freedom to choose the manner and timing of their death, especially those that are struggling with unbearable pain or terminal illness. Hopefully allowing them to retain some sense of control and maybe some dignity on how to face the end of their life. I am one who leans towards the fact that we should allow people to have this option. Take out the fact that it could be "beneficial" for end of care costs, or that it would allow the physician more time with other patients who may actual benefit from further care. It boils down to the sole fact that every treatment (or non treatment) option should be the decision of the patient. However, I can see how others view this practice as a violation of the fundamental principles of medicine, where doctors are sworn to "do no harm." The argument, as I understand it, is that the physician's role is to save and improve lives, not end them prematurely. One thing that I think we both can agree on is that physician-assisted suicide may lead to the abuse of the practice, particularly if it becomes a means of getting rid of patients deemed as burdensome or if it discriminates against certain individuals. This is obviously a complex issue that raises important ethical, moral, and legal questions. But at the end of the day, I believe it is up to each person to weigh the pros and cons of this practice and determine where they stand. The decision must be made with careful consideration of the values and principles that guide each of our understanding of life, and death. It is important to engage in open and honest conversations about this sensitive topic to understand each other's perspectives and work towards a respectful and compassionate approach to end-of-life care.

I've watched this twice and still don't really know what point he is trying to make outside of his own personal view. Not up to the usual TEDx standard.

The government approved a do not resuscitate order for me. Which they violated. Three times already.

He used this Platform to give himself some comfort when his Mother died. Not at all what I expected to watch

propofol and phenobarbital

It sounds so bad. Like a very bad word. And I myself, study medicine. I’ve been studying Medicine for 10+ years. It’s a very interesting thing. It’s a lot to deal with.

I do not like injections. But if I decide to die with dignity, drink the medication and go sleep would be better than suffer with futile and painful medical procedures.

So now he claims patients have no hope of a good death. Believe me most MD/DO types see death as thier failure. Vets are light years ahead of MD/DOs on the concept of a good death. This mans mind was made up long before his training. Most executions are botched due the fact that physicians and real nurses are barred from partisipating...as in do no harm.. I start 10 IVs a day...I would guess the prison official much less. Watch videos of terminally people drinking the barbiturate cocktail and listen to the words of peace they utter..this video was a disservice to those truly ill and seeking control of their death with dignity

Assisted dying is about choice Doctor, do they not teach about choice in medical school?

Our process of medically assisted deaths are arranged unlike a prisoner in jail. Unlike prison, the person can choose to die with family at home, no longer suffering from illness/disease. Either way, no matter how the organs react, the person is choosing to no longer suffer.

So why is this being pushed onto veterans with PTSD? Ones who have kids too

Mi TIO.En Mexico suffria mucho. Y Querida morir. El Querida que lo Matara. Pero no podimos.hasta que Dios se lo llevo. Me pongo a pensár, a UN animal esta suffrindo.lo Matamos. Pero a una persona no Podemos.Quitar su vida.

I've watched some of the people who allowed filming of their assisted deaths. I saw 3 or 4. None seemed peaceful or unproblematic. Before death there seems to be an awareness and stress or fear. The videos are available on KZfaq.

/y

I lost interest when he tried to involve his personal opinions on execution. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and to make it known, but doing so in the capacity of a lecturing physician is not acceptable.

Wow, the sheer arrogance of this man. No empathy, no acknowledgment that a person might be the ultimate authority on how they want to live or die. Major God complex. This is a shameful lecture and I hope I never get a Doctor Who believes he is the one to decide matters of life and death that no matter what he says in this talk he is going far beyond his medical purvey.

🗣📢 *HEY TED TALKS, PLEASE LISTEN!* Those of us with hearing disorders get excluded when the sound quality has problems, like here. Whatever is wrong it is causing an ongoing metallic PING that is pummeling my brain in a most unpleasant way. Do you not hear it or maybe you do but think it is no big deal. It in fact is a big deal, so much so that I stopped the video to write this and when done I am leaving to avoid the migraine that would occur if I do not. I know it's hard to try to accommodate all human frailties, it's impossible when you are unaware they exist. So please consider this an awareness wake up call regarding those whose hearing rivals that of the animal kingdom. We would like to not only be invited to the table but allowed to remain with the absence of audible pain. Thank you from one who is tired of begging.

Apparently this doctor is looking for a way to justify denying assistance in dying to those who are suffering. If someone is suffering from terminal cancer or another condition that makes life intolerable, doctors can do little to help. He says they can "relieve" or 'reduce" pain. That still leaves people screaming in pain, even in hospice. They can't leave their beds. They're at the mercy of caregivers, who may be indifferent or even cruel. A lethal injection might lead to a few moments of pain, but you should compare those few moments with months and years of lying helpless in pain. I'm glad he refuses to use euphemisms. But he needs to recognize that there are things worse than dying. As he says, doctors want to "stop death." They don't care how miserable you are in the interim. He shows a gentleman with tubes and machinery; he doesn't ask how that feels to the patient nor does he point out that this gentleman will probably never know a happy life at home ever again.

Well maybe those murders should have thought twice so they wouldn't have ended up on death row. He seems to be struggling himself with death. Also organ donation is not what people think it is, many people feel the horrific pain of being torn apart.

con pentobarbital no me pareció indolora la muerte de mi perra con dolethal, que es con pentobarbital, hacía espasmos con el cuello y gestos raros con la mandíbula, eso con las sobredosis de heroína no pasa. Además me dio la sensación que estaba en coma y no muerta, deberían obligar a los veterinarios a confirmar la muerte mediante electrocardiograma, porque las catalepsias suelen pasar mucho en casos de sobredosis. Y el problema es que los animales pueden ir vivos al congelador, estando en coma pero no muertos, y eso ha pasado en españa. Antes de meterlos al congelador deberían obligarlos a confirmar la muerte con máquinas avanzadas.

A real doctor will always try best to make you feel better or save your life , a real doctor a good person will never look Dead as a good option, that is call integrity.

thought provoking, huh?

If you search terms such as "assisted dying" or "assisted suicide" or "euthanasia", you will find that it is overwhelmingly European/white people who favour it and who seek it for themselves. The countries in which the most assisted deaths occur are also relatively wealthy, industrialized nations. Western nations, and mostly northern as well. These are also societies with relatively low birth rates, yet they typically have disproportionately high rates of resource consumption and waste. If you add all the factors together, it begins to look as though perhaps an imbalance is being corrected by reducing the Euro/white/Western/consumer society portion of humanity.

Just another example of whats wrong with AS/ethanasia.

WHO CARES! DEAD IS DEAD!

1 Corinthians Chapter 6 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.The scripture also says that murder is sin. Shortening one's life in this way is an arrogant act against God and shows a lack of faith!!!! It was appalling that the women with the needles kept smiling while she assisted a suicide-murder. How sinful and tragic!!!

Thanks Dr. Joel Zivot.🙂 Comb Your hair or it's ambivilent?...Then He needs find another haircut? Ensuring dr lollipops 4ever purty sweet in the Oasis making money?😁