I think, if you’re in that situation, you should have every right to call it. I think it’s wrong make someone who’s already in so much pain feel guilty for wanting peace. If I were in that position, the last thing I’d need is someone telling me I’ll burn for eternity if I call it quits. If you care about someone you have to be able to let them go. It’s not right to make them suffer more than they can bear.

You might not agree but euthanasia is a slippery slope

A lot of it has to stem from religious thinking. But from a secular standpoint, there does remain the issue of whether or not the person is of sound mind to make such a decision. Sadly, many - even family members - will exploit people of dementia, etc.

I think this question is likely approached from the wrong direction. Rather than, "[i]Why do we condone the ending of a pet's suffering but condemn the ending of a loved one's suffering?[/i]" it's more a question of, "[i]Why do we feel the need to do everything in our power to preserve a human life but not an animal life?[/i]" I think the answer goes back to the mentality of previous generations. As my grandma used to say, "[i]Animals are good for three things. Eatin', wearin' and workin'. If it can't do any of those, it's not worth keeping around.[/i]" People didn't always look at animals with the same compassion we do now. Just a few generations back they were property, not family. A horse was looked at much in the same way a tractor is today. If it got injured, it was worthless. If the resources to "fix" it would likely outweigh the benefit of getting it back to work, they'd put it down. Sure, people might get attached to them, but people get attached to their cars too. Taking a car you've had for years and made memories in to the scrap heap is an emotional thing, but we do it. Why? Because we tell ourselves, "Hey, it's just a car." Back in the day it was, "Hey, it's just a horse." At no point, however, has it been, "Hey, it's just mom." And that, I think, is the difference. As we began considering animals as more than just resources and tools, we needed a way to justify our previous behavior. It wasn't because we were guilty or cold hearted, it was because we were "merciful" and "loving". It wasn't to alleviate our burden and, it was to end "their suffering". It's how we got our children to sleep at night. Now, however, we've been living with that justification so long that at times it seems the more logical course of action. How can we be so kind to animals when we are so cruel to our loved ones? Honestly, I think it's just a matter of our perceptions changing while our culture has not.

Been a constant topic in hospitals. What's is too far gone? It's definitely not an easy question to answer. I've seen one video where they had an older individual have a psychological evaluation and sign and a few things before being given a button to push. Can't imagine that stuff.

So sorry for your loss. In my opinion, keeping loved ones around who are suffering terribly, with little quality of life, is usually done for selfish reasons. Alzheimer's is a terrible disease. One of the worst. My grandfather was a WW2 paratrooper. He got Alzheimer's and had the mentality of a 6 year old. Thing is, he still had flashbacks of the war as well. His screams broke my heart. I've made it perfectly clear to the appropriate parties that if I get Alzheimer's, I will die in an unfortunate accident. And vice versa.

If a human wished to end their suffering, I would not prolong it. That said, you are absolutely correct... this would be a much more difficult decision than putting down a dog. Why? Well, what if the person is incapable of telling us what they want? Is it our decision to make? Would they have chose to stay? Or do they want to go?

Hmmm... I think it is because some of us have a different feel for human and animal. After all, when an animal dies, they don’t have as much emotion as a human. They do not cry, or feel sad, or maybe even betrayed. Maybe a little, but if they are loyal, they will be steadfast. Humans, on the other hand, are more expressive, and when you pull the cable, you automatically begin to think of what that human would’ve wanted, because humans make decisions all the time. It’s like making the decision between life and death for someone else, except there is no right answer, so you get scared.

I thinks it’s because humans have souls, whereas animal do not. It’s not the suffering that counts, but the fact that, specifically those who are not saved, should have every last chance to convert. As unlikely as that may seem.

Humans are distinct from the rest of living creation in that they bear the image of God. Your grandmother’s life carries more value than your dog.

When my mom died from MS we let her go naturally, it was painful even with the medications... i remember that she said she was ready to go... she fought for years, it hurt, bad to watch so i hear you. If i couldve helped her leave i would have at least had the thought in my head, even if i didnt act on it. Sorry for your pain😳 I've considered the idea of assisted suicide the older I get. When I walk into care facilities where older debilitated people are it scares the shit outta me. Smoking, drinking the way I have in the past, all the frailties of old age and being a constant burden to my family is not what I want. I don't know what to think of the consequences of that path concerning any afterlife, but I know I want any "plug" pulled if I should fail to that point in this life. As far as pets, it is so hard to do the "humane" thing when putting a animal down, my grandfather would just get his shotgun and throw the body on a fire. That's how the old school did things when animals are finished being useful. I went to the vet and they put our dog to sleep before lethal injection, it was very painless they told me. Moral? Idk? Yes, because people have been given a position on this earth either by a God or cosmic selection, as far as other people dying from assisted suicide, that is a debate i would be willing to listen to and maybe contribute what I feel and think.

I believe the answer would be something like along the lines of... what if the human had a chance of curing the disease? Most would feel worse in that case(depends on circumstances) What if the pet had some chance of curing the disease? Oh what is that? There was a chance but you just didn’t pay for it... oh

Well people are different so idk why you're generalizing. Actually it's not uncommon for people to pull the plug on loved ones that are suffering. Yah there are those who want to hang on especially with the thought that medicine today is so advanced they might pull through but other and the person themselves might see the opposite

I think we justify it because it eventually becomes the cheapest option for the animal. I have friends that have said if it ever costs more than a certain amount they'll just put the animal down. Usually it's in the $1500-$2000 range. Then there's the quality of life argument some people say. The animal is in pain and you shouldn't let it suffer because you don't want to put it down. How do we know the dog wanted to die too? We won't know until humans are able to bind minds to those of animals to know what they want. This is not an argument against it and I don't look down upon people that do it. I'm sure it's the toughest decision some people have to go through.

Yeah, sorry for your loss... But yeah, it is quite interesting... [spoiler]perhaps you could join the void...[/spoiler]

interesting indeed