People with depression and other mental illnesses who aren’t capable of making that decision will use it. It also makes it a lot easier to argue for cutting mental healthcare and other suicide prevention measures.
Honestly as someone who’s struggled with depression for 20 years, and had a couple of attempts, the idea that the government may just decide there’s no problem with me yeeting myself is terrifying.
The problem I have is that preventing euthanasia does not mean there will be a significant effort to reduce the desire for it in the first place. If anything, I would say there are also perverse incentives (particularly in the US) for not allowing people to have that choice (also leaving isn’t really viable for many suffering either). Ideally using those choices would push a government for some changes… although I know it probably would not fix malice, greed, or incompetence etc.
Personally I would take a chance to test (physical, cheap) brain preservation if it were an option (esp. if I could set some revival conditions/scenarios). I know there would be no guarantee, though it is the tiniest step up from non-existence and I do think it should make some difference in the tone.
People with depression and other mental illnesses who aren’t capable of making that decision will use it. It also makes it a lot easier to argue for cutting mental healthcare and other suicide prevention measures.
Honestly as someone who’s struggled with depression for 20 years, and had a couple of attempts, the idea that the government may just decide there’s no problem with me yeeting myself is terrifying.
The problem I have is that preventing euthanasia does not mean there will be a significant effort to reduce the desire for it in the first place. If anything, I would say there are also perverse incentives (particularly in the US) for not allowing people to have that choice (also leaving isn’t really viable for many suffering either). Ideally using those choices would push a government for some changes… although I know it probably would not fix malice, greed, or incompetence etc.
Personally I would take a chance to test (physical, cheap) brain preservation if it were an option (esp. if I could set some revival conditions/scenarios). I know there would be no guarantee, though it is the tiniest step up from non-existence and I do think it should make some difference in the tone.