ayEUTHANASIA
Although Euthanasia may relieve suffering for some, it should not be legal. Controversy over euthanasia can be traced back to ancient times. Ohio tried to legalize euthanasia in 1960, it was short lived as it failed after many debates over the morality of it. In 2008, Washington passed a law saying it was permitted under certain circumstances and in 2014 New Mexico said terminally ill residents have the right to obtain aid in dying. Euthanasia is defined as the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or irreversible coma. The practice is illegal in most countries.
Many people throughout the world are for this procedure. They personally believe that there is nothing wrong with Euthanasia. Many strongly argue that the physician is doing no wrong if the person or family agrees to the assisted death. In their minds they are actually doing them a favor, instead of doing them harm as others see it. The physicians and doctors that are allowing this think this is the best opportunity for their patients on death row, but are not in as critical condition to make the call. To them its not the easy way out, but it is another option as if prescribing them pain killers or other medication. This would not be an option to any normal patient to decide or choose as one of their procedures. It will only be allowed to those who are
are in critical condition. The idea behind this procedure is that it will be a way for the person in need to be able to face the situation without any pain or suffering or when in a situation filled with trauma.
Euthanasia is not something that should be given to patients to use when they feel like they can’t go through with life anymore. That is giving too much power to one person and can be a huge causality if the wrong person has the rights to this. A person could be in a very emotionally unstable moment, and with the rights of euthanasia they can easily kill their self as long as they sign over the rights to the doctors. “Derek Humphry argues that euthanasia is ethically justified as a means of relieving unbearable suffering, as long as it is limited to fully informed adults who specifically request it”. (1) Here it says that these adults just have to be justified to be able to go through the euthanasia process. This means they have to be stable at the time. As long as they are able to answer some questions and prove that they understand what they are doing, they can give the rights for the physician to commit homicide. The doctors are not putting into account that if the patient is emotionally stable at the time or if they are in tough times. They are just allowing anyone to have the procedure as long as they are able to answer some questions concerning the topic. This is giving someone an easy way out instead of that person living through pain and hard times. If we were to allow euthanasia to happen the amount of homicide would double the numbers within a years' time. The physicians say they are not committing any homicide crime, but yet the definition of homicide is “the deliberate and unlawful killing of one person by another; murder.” This here proves that what the physicians are doing is unlawful and is morally wrong.
As physicians, or any medical professional, their work should be for the good of their patients. The medical field itself has helped so many people and is viewed as beneficial to the world, which it has been for centuries. However, euthanasia is progressively changing this outlook on the medical field and it's professionals for the worst. Euthanasia may be taking the
patient out of his or her pain and it may seem like the only option left, but that doesn't mean it isn't wrong and shouldn't be stopped. Killing someone, even if they consent, is never acceptable and shouldn't even be viewed as an option. Patients in that are in the amount of pain that they want to end their lives aren't in the right mind to make decisions for themselves anyways, so their consent is meaningless. Physicians are expected to do good for the world and to help people live longer, not end people's lives. It's not ethical for them to take away someone's life just to end their pain. Homicide is illegal with or without permission to do so. Medical professionals might not view euthanasia as homicide, but deliberately ending someone's life is the definition of murder and justifying murder with ending pain does not make euthanasia ethical. With euthanasia being legal, it takes away the value of a person's life. Euthanasia is just another example of physicians becoming sloppy in their practice and giving up on patients. Once the medical field loses their ethicality, they lose a part of their humanity and without humanity, no good can be done for anyone.
Physicians are degrading human life by allowing euthanasia. They are taking one's life from them just to help their pockets. They are not considering that they are actually killing somebody during the process of all of this. They are hiding behind the scenes and acting as if nothing bad has been done. The physicians are a part of something that is pure evil, something much more than helping patients when they are basically offering to kill them. “We are obligated both to preserve life and to relieve pain. Sometimes it may be impossible to do both. If it is impossible to preserve the life of the terminally ill, we are not immoral if we do not. Of course, there is still the obligation to relieve pain and suffering. If we do what we can to relieve pain and in the process, hasten death, there is still no moral blame, since we could not preserve life.” (Fineburg, Paul). They are taking one's life from them just to help their pockets. They are not considering that they are actually killing somebody during the process of all of this. They are hiding behind the scenes and acting as if nothing bad has been done. They are a part of
something that is pure evil, something much more than helping patients when they are basically offering to kill them.(Fineburg, Paul). “We are obligated both to preserve life and to relieve pain. Sometimes it may be impossible to do both. If it is impossible to preserve the life of the terminally ill, we are not immoral if we do not. Of course, there is still the obligation to relieve pain and suffering. If we do what we can to relieve pain and in the process, hasten death, there is still no moral blame, since we could not preserve life.” (Fineburg, paul) Here it is talking about how a doctor or physician is saying how sometimes the only way they can help is to offer euthanasia. He makes this statement as if there is no other way. They are not even trying to help the patient. They are stating that the cause is too much so it will just be easier to do euthanasia. The physicians wouldn't come out and say that they are ending someone's life. He used an euphemism in statement from his quote. He basically said that their job is to help pain and if that is to mean death then nothing moral is wrong, that it's death and they "tried". These physicians are using euthanasia as a crutch in their job. They are not trying their hardest to save somebodies life so they don't have to suffer a painful death. They know that they can lean on euthanasia to help ease the thought of them dying a painful death, but yet they are still killing the person either way and they don't feel sympathy for that.
This subject of euthanasia is not just wrong and right from the viewpoint of if someone thinks you should be able to kill someone or not. It comes from religious values of people's beliefs. Me personally as a Christian am against this euthanasia because it goes against what the Bible states what not to do. “You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13) it clearly says in the Bible that you shall not murder someone. It comes straight from Jesus that if you are a Christian you should be against euthanasia because it is the murdering of one person. If you stand firm in your beliefs you should not allow this to happen. No matter if the person gives them permission to end their life or not, it is still looked at as murder. " For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a
transgressor of the law." (James 2:11) In this passage from the Bible it even says that if you murder you have become a transgressor of the law. In other words that you have broken the rules. These are laws that God set out for us. Our nation was built from men rich in faith. It even says in our pledge of allegiance "one Nation under God", if our founding fathers believed in God then they would go by the words of the Bible to shape our nation. This means murder of one man would not be allowed. This is much greater than one decision, it is about some one's life and beliefs.
Therefore, Euthanasia devalues human life and should not be legal. Society is making assisted suicide legal and justified when it is not. Suicide by physician is not ethical and should never be passed as a law to be legal.
Works Cited
DiManno, Rosie. "Euthanasia Is Barbarous and Immoral." Euthanasia, edited by Margaret Haerens, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/ EJ3010134269/OVIC?u=scschools&xid=70b1abf9. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017. Originally published as "Death to Death with Dignity," www.thestar.com, 16 Oct. 2013.
Humphry, Derek. "Voluntary Euthanasia Is Ethical." Euthanasia, edited by James D. Torr, Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010134213/OVIC? u=scschools&xid=4cb75c66. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017. Originally published as "Why I Believe in Voluntary Euthanasia," www.finalexit.org, 1995
Muehlenberg, Bill. "Euthanasia Should Not Be Legal." Euthanasia, edited by Margaret Haerens, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010134262/ OVIC?u=scschools&xid=39622d19. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017. Originally published as "Clear Thinking on Euthanasia," CultureWatch, 22 Sept.in here…