this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2024
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[–] [email protected] 32 points 6 days ago (11 children)

The median age of this group was more than 77. The vast majority – around 96% - had a death deemed "reasonably foreseeable", due to severe medical conditions such as cancer.

This seems like an important detail, there seems to be this narrative that all these depressed 20 somethings are now committing legal s*icide, but the majority of these cases are elderly people with painful terminal conditions.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 days ago (2 children)

You shouldn't use the median figure to come to that conclusion, here is the actual distribution

In terms of what conditions death is "reasonably foreseeable" in, there are some concerning categories. Frailty for instance contributes to a huge number of deaths and there is a lack of research or investment in treatment (only recently even being considered a medical condition as opposed to a normal part of ageing).

It's not clear to me whether diabetes is classified as track 1 (death reasonably foreseeable) or not

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

I mean, in both these the percentage of people under 55 opting for euthanasia is under 12%. Yes I wouldn't classify someone who's 55 as "elderly", but they're not young either and I can imagine someone with a really painful, likely terminal condition at that age opting for a dignified death. Heck I'm 35 and if I got diagnosed with a type of cancer that has a really low survivability I think I'd opt for spending a year smoking weed on the beach and getting blowjobs then dying dignifiedly.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

under 55 opting for euthanasia is under 12%.

Which is a ~1000 people if you have ten thousand applicants, and would make it one of the leading causes of death among younger people

I can imagine someone with a really painful, likely terminal condition at that age opting for a dignified death

Yes, it's very easy to imagine appropriate conditions for euthanasia. The problem is the inappropriate conditions, overlaid by an economic and political system that found it easier to help people kill themselves (in a nice and more robust way to be sure) than expand care and services.

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