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MarlKarx-1818 t1_jdcqkxd wrote

I used to be 100% for assisted death but then I had a conversation with a disability justice organizer that really made me nuance my way of thinking. She said that unless we have tax-funded healthcare that is free or low cost at point of service, some folks that may otherwise want to stick around might choose this to not leave their families with huge medical debt (assuming surgeries/hospital stays/hospice costs more than what this procedure would). There are a multitude of reasons as to why someone may or may not want to end their life, but cost should not be one.

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Willis794613 t1_jdcvjb8 wrote

Only in America were someone be like just kill me because i don't want to leave my family in debt for years.

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newtoRI22 t1_jdcyjzy wrote

That’s literally happening in Canada right now with their MAiD program. People are choosing to end their lives early because they are worried about medical debts and some providers may encourage MAiD over hospice because hospice is more expensive.

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monkiesandtool t1_jdd0tua wrote

Wait a sec; Isn't Canada's Model a single payer system that's funded by the taxpayer?

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HawkingDoingWheelies t1_jddcr8w wrote

Yes, which goes to show you its not a blanket solution and even Canada struggles with affordability of their healthcare program, which is why they expanded MAID to include people with mental illness because it's cheaper for the government to kill them then support them

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Willis794613 t1_jddo81u wrote

absolutely horrible that this happens in this day an age.

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Previous_Floor OP t1_jdld5q9 wrote

I don't think it works that way. The family wouldn't be in debt for years or at all.

"Generally, the deceased person's estate is responsible for paying any unpaid debts. When a person dies, their assets pass to their estate. If there is no money or property left, then the debt generally will not be paid. Generally, no one else is required to pay the debts of someone who died."

Source: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/does-a-persons-debt-go-away-when-they-die-en-1463/

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schoolbusserman t1_jddiq2s wrote

It’s not only money though. A lot of people will feel guilty about being a time burden on their family with all the caregiving, rides to appointments etc

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Proof-Variation7005 t1_jdcu9e1 wrote

Yeah, I'm still in favor of this because I think it moves society to a generally better place if we allow people die quickly with dignity without stretching it out and suffering but, between existing inequities in our system, and concern about potential for abuse, there's a lot of pieces that need to put into place and fixed before we're anywhere close to an ideal

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TheSausageFattener t1_jdf61or wrote

I appreciate the empathy but in these cases we cant let the perfect be the enemy of the good by waiting until everything is in place. There are diseases that deliver a fate worse than death, and its haunting when you know somebody going through it or who went through it. Theres a peace of mind in knowing that if my existence was reduced to a living hell I have a legal escape.

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