Euthanasia

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome, stated by Isaac
Asimov. Every person has an ideal on how they want to die. Some people die calm and peaceful;
others die suffering in pain and begging for death. This leads into the controversial debate over
euthanasia. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, euthanasia is the act or practice of
killing someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any more suffering. Funny, it is
that same reason why we put down our pets? The view of euthanasia on an animal is to end the
creatures pain and suffering. As for human beings, the view of euthanasia is considered murder
of another human being. The only thing that differentiates humans from animals are the
cognitive abilities. Generative computation, promiscuous combination of ideas, the use of mental
symbols, and abstract thought gives way opinion and choices. A person cognitively alert and
terminally ill should be able to choose how he or she wants to succumb to death. In many
societies, the acceptance of euthanasia on violent criminals (deemed to be a threat to society) is
considered not only to be humane, but also to justify the degree of heartbreak the actions caused.
Why cant a person have the same dignity if theyre terminally ill and seeking comfort?
Throughout this paper, it is going to discuss in favor for and the legalization of euthanasia and
physician assisted-suicide.
The argument for euthanasia brings about many questions. Some of those questions are
why should a person be forced to live without the ability to breathe, to eat or drink, or even to
think for themselves and why should someone be forced into continual pain and suffering when
he or she feels that life is meaningless, humiliating, and the destruction of self-worth? No one
should be forced into doing something they do not want to do. Although, there are procedures
that can revive a person, it does not necessarily mean the person will wake up being who they
were beforehand. These procedures have been shown to deteriorate a person's personality and
self-worth, which can make life feel meaningless. Often times, the procedures are painful and
largely unsuccessful at extending or even improving the quality of life. There are human values
that trump even continued life. Faye Girsh, EdD, Senior Advisor of Final Exit Network (2001)
states, At the Hemlock Society we get calls daily from desperate people who are looking for
someone like Jack Kevorkian to end their lives which have lost all quality... Americans should
enjoy a right guaranteed in the European Declaration of Human Rights -- the right not to be
forced to suffer. It should be considered as much of a crime to make someone live who with
justification does not wish to continue as it is to take life without consent, (para. 3). Anyone
who has watched a loved family member descend into the depth of confusion and disorientation
will know the utter trepidation that can accompany the process, as the person in question tries to
put together moments of clarity with the misery of knowing one's grip on reality, one's dignity
and sense of self is slowly slipping away.
Legalizing euthanasia would help alleviate the suffering of terminally ill patients. It
would be inhuman and unfair to make a person endure such unbearable pain. In many cases,
individuals suffering from incurable diseases or in conditions where effective treatment would
not affect their quality of life; should be allowed the liberty to choose induced death. Euthanasia
is an aid in dying without pain and should be accepted and considered by law. People measure
euthanasia as killing another human being but that would be murder which is against the law.
Euthanasia should be a natural extension of patient's rights allowing him or her to decide the
value of life and death for that individual patient. Maintaining life support systems against the
patient's wish is considered unethical by law as well as medical philosophy. A patient has the
right to choose whether or not he or she would like to discontinue their treatment, but does not
have the right to shorten their life to escape intolerable agony. The fear in waiting for death is
traumatic and frightening enough; extending the reaper only makes it worse. Due to medical
advances, people are living much longer. Unfortunately, all too often, people are suffering from
excruciating pain longer which means experiencing a slower death. This could mean more than
experiencing discomfort, but even losing ones dignity as well. Suicide and even assisted suicide
seems like a logical choice when faced with such circumstances. As far back as the 16th
Century, people have been arguing for the terminally ill to be aided in ending life by physicians
who should not be held morally or legally to blame for assisting the individual. The beginning of
the 21rst Century saw many bills supporting the use of euthanasia proposed in many Western
legislatures with little to no success, (Bonin, 2012, para. 3).
According to Registerednurse.org (2014), Euthanasia can be translated to mean good
death, (para. 1). The word euthanasia comes from the Greek "eu" for good and "thanasia" for
death. A serene death might be achieved through skilled and compassionate care, as well as by
the dying person's own sense of having lived a righteous life. The duty of a physician to preserve
life, it is also their responsibility to the patient to alleviate and manage pain. The Hippocratic
Oath taken by all physicians says; do no harm, yet it also states, I will respect the privacy of my
patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially
must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it
may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great
humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God, (Tyson, 2001,
para. 24). Hence, in the United States, Oregon has a law called the Death with Dignity Act which
allows for terminally ill patients to acquire through their physician a prescription for a lethal dose
of medication, which the patient, and not the physician, would administer him or herself. In
Oregon, some assisted-suicide deaths have become family or social events some Oregonians
who die from assisted suicide make it a teachable moment for children or a party event for
friends and family, (Marker, 2013, paras. 21 & 22). But the need for assistance from a physician
to either administer or stand by while a person proceeds with euthanasia is abundant.
While under the watchful eye of a physician, the patient and his or her family can have
the relief knowing that a skilled professional is present if anything was to go array with the
euthanasia process. This type of euthanasia is called physician-assisted suicide. In 2008 paper,
written by James Fieser, Kathryn Tucker found that there is a strong support by some physicians
for physician-assisted death. A national survey conducted in March 2005 found that 57% of
physicians believe it is ethical for a physician to assist a competent, dying patient hasten death,
(Tucker, para. 18). For the protection of physicians as well as patients and the legalization of
physician- assisted euthanasia, should have safeguards set in place to prevent abuse. There have
been horror stories about euthanasia being performed with impure and unethical reasons,
including the deliberate ending of life without patient consent. Sadly, some family heirs would
see this as an opportunity to misuse and abuse the euthanasia rights for gain of wealth or
inheritance. Depressing of the thought that a person would do such a horrible act is unimaginable
but in some instances, it is true. Such stories do suggest the need for more regulation and control
of euthanasia. History has clearly demonstrated that any law or system can be abused. Euthanasia
violations against human rights would indicate that a slap on the hand would not be adequate as
an appropriate consequence for abuse. Physician liberties and patient rights must first be
protected by strict guidelines, laws, and safeguards that are sure to be rigorously followed and
enforced. In America, a country of freedom, lawsuits are always on the horizon, thus a line in the
sand between murder and euthanasia must be well-defined and harshly upheld.
Truthfully, every person is going to pass away someday, the fact is when, how, and in
what condition. Rightfully, everyone should have the same degree of control in choosing the
circumstances in which they live, so why not have same decision for death. The ethical conflicts
that surround euthanasia are non-debatable. Medical advances have changed the face of death;
merely decades ago, if an individual's heart stopped, that individual died; however, now an
individual can be revived repeatedly and the body kept alive by machines indefinitely. The
medical culture has adapted the view to prolong life at all costs, frequently resulting in the
elderly or terminally ill to be subjected to treatments that is futile and decreases the individual's
quality of life without noticeably lengthening it. Many view death as a medical failure, when in
all actuality, death is inevitable, (Bonin, 2012, para. 4).













References
Girsh, F. (Winter 2001). Free Inquiry. How Shall We Die. Euthanasia.procon.org. para. 3.
Retrieved from: http://euthanasia.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000126
Fieser, J. (2008). Physician Assisted Death in Oregon: A Success, Kathryn Tucker. Utm.edu.
para. 18. Retrieved from: http://www.utm.edu/staff/jfieser/class/160/6-euthanasia.htm
Marker, R. (2013). Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide & Health Care Decisions:Protecting Yourself
& Your Family. Patientsrightscouncil.org. paras. 21 & 21. Retrieved from:
http://www.patientsrightscouncil.org/site/euthanasia-assisted-suicide-health-care-decisions/
Bonin, A. (20 February 2012). Human Euthanasia, The Debates for Both Sides.
Examiner.com. para. 3 & 4. Retrieved from:
http://www.examiner.com/article/human-euthanasia-the-debate-the-arguments-for-both-sides
Registernurse.org. (2014). The Euthanasia Debate. Registernurse.org. para. 1. Retrieved from:
http://www.registerednurse.org/resources/the-euthanasia-debate/
Tyson, P. (27 March 2001). The Hippocratic Oath Today. Pbs.org. para. 24. Retrieved from:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html