marie-claire

Dear Newtoger, I believe the rights of mental health and disability patients are very well protected by the German constitution. Personal Freedom is valued very high in this country. It can only be taken away (temporarily) when there is a severe threat that a person could harm themselves or others. This personal freedom includes your right to decide about your medication, your treatment and of course your choice to have children.    However, the stigma about mental health issues does exist and people are not always ready to talk freely about their experiences. This is why a post like yours is so important. To be honest and open about your questions and your hopes is the best thing you can do for yourself, your partner and your future children. Good luck with everything!   

I think terminally ill patients should be taken seriously and their dignity should matter most. Ordering helium from some guy on the internet should not be the only option they have. 

There is a very good documentary called "How to die in Oregon". In Germany however it is against the law to assist someone with ending his life. Even though there are several treatments which come quite close to assisted suicide, but they only happen at the very end of terminal illnesses. One is called terminal sedation. It is a common and widely accepted way to prevent suffering at the very end of life. Another form of treatment is to give the patient increasing amounts of morphine to prevent pain until the patient actually dies of the effects of the morphine.