Ethical Euthanasia
Euthanasia and its Ethical Issues Euthanasia can be defined as the deliberate killing of a person for the benefit of that individual. In most cases, euthanasia is carried out because the person, who dies, asks for it; but there are situations in which the patients are unconscious or in a coma or not mentally stable enough to make the decision for themselves. (Wikipedia, 2010) Euthanasia is one of the major ethical topics all around the world; there are people who believe that if a patient chooses to die a painless death, he or she should be allowed to do so, and there are people who believe that euthanasia is against the law or their own religion and so, it should not be performed.
People should be allowed to die in dignity and without pain. There are times in one’s life when he or she has to make a decision to follow their heart or to follow the law; this is one of those times. The doctor can inject the person so they can die without sorrow and pain, and take the risk of escaping the penalties or facing the consequences; or …show more content…
that doctor could stand by the law and let the patient die naturally while he or she is in pain and agony. Dr Derrick Summers believes that people should be allowed to leave this world without having to fight a losing battle, even if it is against the law. He thinks that the patients have a right to be injected if they are in a serious condition which the medical experts concerned know, that the patient is not going to make it. Not only the law but religion also plays a key role in preventing doctors to perform euthanasia.
Some believe that every human life is created by God and only God has the right to decide when to end it. “Religious people who are against the subject of euthanasia believe that life is given by God, and only God should decide when to end It.” said by Pope John Paul II. He also thinks that if God made a person to suffer in pain, he or she will suffer in pain, and if God chooses for someone to live, they will live. Some people think that dying is just one of the tests that God sets for human beings, and that the way we react to it shows the sort of person we are, and how deep our faith and trust in God is. (Information for Research on Euthanasia, 2010)
In the Netherlands voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide are still criminal offences, but under certain circumstances, doctors are exempt from criminal charges. The Netherlands Criminal agency says that “the doctor must be convinced that the patient has made a voluntary and well-considered request to die, the doctor must be convinced that the patient is facing interminable and unendurable suffering and has to inform the patient about their situation and prospects. Together with the patient, the medical officials must be convinced that there are no other reasonable solutions. The doctor has to consult at least one other independent doctor who has seen the patient, and given his written assessment of the due care requirements as referred to in the points above, you must help the patient to die with due medical care.” The Dutch law also agrees that children over the age of sixteen should be allowed to make the decision of having euthanasia performed on them or not along with their guardians consent. These laws are completely reasonable and there has not been any uproar in Netherlands about this.
Some non religious people think that suffering has its own value; thus proving that it isn’t only the God-fearing people who dislike the idea of euthanasia. M. Scott Peck believes that with pain and suffering one learns how to cope with the rough times in their life. He says different people have different pain thresholds; for instance, one person could be moaning and crying from a bullet wound on their arm while others could be completely calm about it. Normally the people who are calm have experienced the pain before and therefore know how to cope with the situation. M Scott Peck has had various injuries in his life and has trained himself not to feel a certain amount of pain. This is why he thinks that people should learn to feel pain and try to bear it to become stronger.
The government and most people haven’t paid a lot of attention to this argument, but in most countries there is a shortage of health resources.
As a result of which some people who are ill are not able to get access to a lot of medical recourses. At the same time, those supplies are being used on people who cannot be cured. Most of these medicines include pain killers, morphine and other drugs that can reduce pain. Allowing such people to commit euthanasia would not only let them have what they want but also make valuable resources available to those who wish to live and actually have a better chance of making it than the ones who these supplies are used on. Painkillers or pain suppressors aren’t the only medical resources that are exhausted; there are also antibiotics and many other drugs which could be used to keep someone alive provided they were available. But no one pays any attention to this, because Euthanasia is against the
law.
In most countries, it is illegal to kill someone using euthanasia. In other words, if the doctor injects them the doctor will suffer serious consequences if they were to be exposed. Euthanasia has been against the law since 1996; many bills have been passed to alter this, but the law still stands. People say if we legalize Euthanasia people will say things like "we can't control drugs so let’s legalize them", or "if we don't make abortion in hospitals legal, many will die from backstreet abortions". Most of these reasons help in making euthanasia illegal in Australia, though it was legal for a while in the Northern territory.
After seeing all this evidence about religion and laws, I still believe that Euthanasia is ethical. I think that no one would want to die a slow and painful death; they would rather die without pain and in their sleep. Without this option people feel that they have no control over their bodies and would die without any dignity. Many would not want to violate the law or state the religious reasons to not die with the help of euthanasia; as for me, I would like to die in my sleep without feeling a huge amount of pain at the end of my life. Euthanasia doesn’t have to be legal all over the world and I think that there should still be some restrictions the misuse of Euthanasia.
In conclusion, euthanasia is definitely one of the major ethical topics all around the world. There are many reasons why it is ethical and not ethical for Euthanasia to be made legal. Some say that people should be allowed to die in dignity and without pain. In the Netherlands voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide are still criminal offences, but doctors are exempt from criminal charge in certain circumstances. God-fearing people who are against the legalization of euthanasia say that, every human life is created by God and only God decides when to end it. They strongly feel that it is illegal to kill someone, even in the case of Euthanasia, and if the doctor injects them the doctor will suffer serious consequences if exposed. Some non religious people think that suffering has its own value; and it isn’t just people who believe in God who argue about how suffering can build one’s strength. Even though a majority of the global population would completely disregard the concept of euthanasia, I feel that it should be made accessible to those who wish to end their lives with the help of euthanasia.
People should be allowed to die in dignity and without pain. There are times in one’s life when he or she has to make a decision to follow their heart or to follow the law; this is one of those times. The doctor can inject the person so they can die without sorrow and pain, and take the risk of escaping the penalties or facing the consequences; or …show more content…
that doctor could stand by the law and let the patient die naturally while he or she is in pain and agony. Dr Derrick Summers believes that people should be allowed to leave this world without having to fight a losing battle, even if it is against the law. He thinks that the patients have a right to be injected if they are in a serious condition which the medical experts concerned know, that the patient is not going to make it. Not only the law but religion also plays a key role in preventing doctors to perform euthanasia.
Some believe that every human life is created by God and only God has the right to decide when to end it. “Religious people who are against the subject of euthanasia believe that life is given by God, and only God should decide when to end It.” said by Pope John Paul II. He also thinks that if God made a person to suffer in pain, he or she will suffer in pain, and if God chooses for someone to live, they will live. Some people think that dying is just one of the tests that God sets for human beings, and that the way we react to it shows the sort of person we are, and how deep our faith and trust in God is. (Information for Research on Euthanasia, 2010)
In the Netherlands voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide are still criminal offences, but under certain circumstances, doctors are exempt from criminal charges. The Netherlands Criminal agency says that “the doctor must be convinced that the patient has made a voluntary and well-considered request to die, the doctor must be convinced that the patient is facing interminable and unendurable suffering and has to inform the patient about their situation and prospects. Together with the patient, the medical officials must be convinced that there are no other reasonable solutions. The doctor has to consult at least one other independent doctor who has seen the patient, and given his written assessment of the due care requirements as referred to in the points above, you must help the patient to die with due medical care.” The Dutch law also agrees that children over the age of sixteen should be allowed to make the decision of having euthanasia performed on them or not along with their guardians consent. These laws are completely reasonable and there has not been any uproar in Netherlands about this.
Some non religious people think that suffering has its own value; thus proving that it isn’t only the God-fearing people who dislike the idea of euthanasia. M. Scott Peck believes that with pain and suffering one learns how to cope with the rough times in their life. He says different people have different pain thresholds; for instance, one person could be moaning and crying from a bullet wound on their arm while others could be completely calm about it. Normally the people who are calm have experienced the pain before and therefore know how to cope with the situation. M Scott Peck has had various injuries in his life and has trained himself not to feel a certain amount of pain. This is why he thinks that people should learn to feel pain and try to bear it to become stronger.
The government and most people haven’t paid a lot of attention to this argument, but in most countries there is a shortage of health resources.
As a result of which some people who are ill are not able to get access to a lot of medical recourses. At the same time, those supplies are being used on people who cannot be cured. Most of these medicines include pain killers, morphine and other drugs that can reduce pain. Allowing such people to commit euthanasia would not only let them have what they want but also make valuable resources available to those who wish to live and actually have a better chance of making it than the ones who these supplies are used on. Painkillers or pain suppressors aren’t the only medical resources that are exhausted; there are also antibiotics and many other drugs which could be used to keep someone alive provided they were available. But no one pays any attention to this, because Euthanasia is against the
law.
In most countries, it is illegal to kill someone using euthanasia. In other words, if the doctor injects them the doctor will suffer serious consequences if they were to be exposed. Euthanasia has been against the law since 1996; many bills have been passed to alter this, but the law still stands. People say if we legalize Euthanasia people will say things like "we can't control drugs so let’s legalize them", or "if we don't make abortion in hospitals legal, many will die from backstreet abortions". Most of these reasons help in making euthanasia illegal in Australia, though it was legal for a while in the Northern territory.
After seeing all this evidence about religion and laws, I still believe that Euthanasia is ethical. I think that no one would want to die a slow and painful death; they would rather die without pain and in their sleep. Without this option people feel that they have no control over their bodies and would die without any dignity. Many would not want to violate the law or state the religious reasons to not die with the help of euthanasia; as for me, I would like to die in my sleep without feeling a huge amount of pain at the end of my life. Euthanasia doesn’t have to be legal all over the world and I think that there should still be some restrictions the misuse of Euthanasia.
In conclusion, euthanasia is definitely one of the major ethical topics all around the world. There are many reasons why it is ethical and not ethical for Euthanasia to be made legal. Some say that people should be allowed to die in dignity and without pain. In the Netherlands voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide are still criminal offences, but doctors are exempt from criminal charge in certain circumstances. God-fearing people who are against the legalization of euthanasia say that, every human life is created by God and only God decides when to end it. They strongly feel that it is illegal to kill someone, even in the case of Euthanasia, and if the doctor injects them the doctor will suffer serious consequences if exposed. Some non religious people think that suffering has its own value; and it isn’t just people who believe in God who argue about how suffering can build one’s strength. Even though a majority of the global population would completely disregard the concept of euthanasia, I feel that it should be made accessible to those who wish to end their lives with the help of euthanasia.