Euthanasia is defined by Webster’s dictionary as the act of practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals, in a relatively painless way. Assisted suicide on the other hand which is often confused with euthanasia is suicide simply helped or committed with the assistance of another person.
So you may be wondering why this drug should be offered to patients? One main reason is to relieve pain. What if you or a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness and the suffering is unbearable. Not only is the person in physical pain, but by watching their loved ones lose sleep, miss work, and in pain by watching you suffer, you could easily become depressed. I’m not saying euthanasia should be offered to treat all terminally ill patients, but it should be an option for those that would want it.
I believe we should have the freedom to do what we feel is best for our bodies. We have the liberty to decide our job, religion, and sex preference. So why not have the right to decide if we want to die peacefully or die in pain? Euthanasia gives people a second option, when they are left with a terminally ill disease and will be left to live a bad quality life. I don’t think spending the rest of your life stuck in a hospital bed, unable to walk, or unable to do anything at all is a high quality of life.
I purpose we take an example from a country that has legalized euthanasia. Belgium legalized euthanasia in 2002. A report from BBC news says, the pope that helped draft the law, views euthanasia as "recognition" that a dying patient in "constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain" should be "the only judge of their quality of life and the dignity of their last moments,". Belgium has strict regulations on patients wishing to be euthanized. Patients wishing to end their own lives must be conscious when the demand is made and repeat their request for euthanasia. They have to be under "constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain" resulting from an accident or incurable illness. Authorities have to ensure that poor or isolated patients do not ask to die because they do not have money for such treatment, and minors cannot seek the assistance to die.
There are many good reasons why euthanasia should be legalized. It should not be treated as the way to end all terminally ill patients life, but as a choice for patients. I think euthanasia is the patient’s choice, and should only be up to the patient to decide. Euthanasia should be looked as a cure for patients suffering from a terminal sickness, and should be treated with the upmost care of any medical procedure. Although euthanasia is a very controversial subject I believe it should be legalized, and have very strict regulations that follow.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Instead of embracing this act of death, we should respond to suffering with compassion and solidarity. (Anderson, Screen 1) Many of the patients seeking to end their lives in this way usually suffer from depression or other mental illnesses, but also from loneliness. Instead of us giving them pills to kill them, the doctors should provide the suitable medical care they need. As for the patients in physical pain, pain management drugs can be administered to improve their quality of life. The terminally ill patients are provided with hospice care and fellowship to accompany them on their last days of life. Doctors should help their patients die a dignified death of natural causes, not assist in killing them. (Anderson, Screen 1) Physicians take the oath to always heal and care, never to kill intentionally. Palliative care focuses on the patient’s quality of life and improving it by alleviating pain and other distressing symptoms of a serious illness. At any age or stage in illness, palliative care is available to help improve the patient’s life as a whole. It does not matter if the illness is curable, chronic, or even life-threatening, medicine can improve your symptoms dramatically, helping you live with your…
- 1073 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
What is euthanasia? Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful diseases, in other words assisted suicide. There are different types of euthanasia that can be distinguish, the performing of killing with drugs or life-saving treatment because the patient…
- 863 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
First, people have the right to end their life when they choose because they do not want to suffer anymore. There are people in this world who live with a terminal illness knowing their days are numbered. Pain has been associated with death for a long time. No one, especially the people who are dying of an illness, want to die in pain. Patients tell doctors they would rather die at home than at…
- 632 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
What if you knew that your path in life was coming to an end and were told it was going to be insufferable? Would you endure the agony of dying slowly and uncomfortably; or would you choose to pass away on your own terms, comfortably surrounded by friends, family, and loved ones? Assisted suicide is more often than not confused with euthanasia. With the process of euthanasia the physician is the individual who administers the, usually a lethal, drug.…
- 569 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
It helps with pain management, but when one is diagnosed with terminal cancer, the quality of life is gone. That is no way to live, laying in bed in pain, or having visitors come and mourn you before you're even gone. Speaking from personal experience, I have seen patients suffer tremendously on pallative care. Yes, the nurses and doctors try their best to keep a patient comfortable. But being kept comfortable can only do so much. I have seen first hand patients begging to die, struggling to take their last breath. If they were given the option of physician-assisted suicide, most would probably jump at the…
- 641 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the United States, active euthanasia is currently banned, with the exception of the state of Oregon. “Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act (DWDA), which was enacted in late 1997, allows terminally-ill adult Oregonians to obtain and use prescriptions from their physicians for self-administered, lethal doses of medications” (Death With Dignity Act). It would appear to be an easy assumption that most people in the United States believe that ending the life of a human being who is alert and able to communicate is morally wrong, though most likely is suffering and experiencing a lesser quality of life because of that; for example, a patient who is suffering from a terminally ill disease like Lou Gehrig’s disease, cancer and multiple sclerosis. With a closer examination of the facts, however, might lead to an extreme change in the opinions of even the strongest supporters of anti-euthanasia.…
- 1807 Words
- 8 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Euthanasia should be legalized to allow terminally ill patients the opportunity to prepare for their deaths, avoid unnecessary pain and die with dignity. Euthanasia is “the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment.” (Am. Heritage) The literal meaning of the word euthanasia, "‘an easy or happy death,’ from the Greek word eu- ‘good’, and thanatos ‘death’"(Harper), is proof in itself that the whole idea is to help people and not to belittle the value of life. The fact that suffering animals can be put out of their misery, but suffering people are forced to stay alive and endure the pain, is inhumane. Legalizing euthanasia would be no more than an act of mercy allowing medical personnel to bring slow, painful deaths to a halt.…
- 985 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
To better understand this process, knowing some background information is helpful. Per the World of Criminal Justice, in 1997, the supreme court ruled that “there is no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide”. Although these laws have not changed, there are exceptions to this that argue on the behalf of physician-assisted suicide. For example, in Oregon a patient can go through with this only if they administer the drug themselves. One must meet certain qualifications for this, and such circumstances include, but are not limited to, terminal illnesses. Arguments for this process include the suffering a patient experiences. When a patient has a terminal illness, the pain at the end can be excruciating. Some of these patients do not consider living in pain to be living at all. They find it cruel to live in pain, and would rather go comfortably. Therefore, they seek the help of assisted suicide to end their suffering. There is also the argument that when they are reaching their final days, they want to be able to die with dignity. Their final days can be painful for both them, and their loved ones. In some cases, the patient does not recognize their loved ones, or is not even conscious when they pass, making it incredibly difficult for the family to say their goodbyes. Also, if a patient chooses to end their life, doctors can save their organs and then use them to save other people who need them. People who are in this position, argue that the choice of ending their life should be their choice, and their right. They want to be able to control what their body does, before it may be taken away by the illness. Although the opposing argument may…
- 931 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
Physician assisted suicide is a topic that may be considered sensitive to many due to their religious beliefs or moral. This method of termination of life consists of doctors providing terminally ill adult patients with the means to end their own life. They give the patient a prescription of a lethal dose of barbiturates. While I do understand the negatives to this matter, I will argue that physician assisted suicide should be available for individuals who request it.…
- 918 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
This argument needs to be settled so people can either go through the process or not even have the option. If patients cannot obtain euthanasia then there needs to be more ways that will ensure patients less pain and suffering for them. IN the future, hopefully the Unites States will legalize euthanasia or find a better alternative than euthanasia that will allow patients to die with dignity. People of the United States and all over the world cannot live in fear of what might be right or might be wrong, chances need to be taken to understand and develop more. To end with is a quotes from “Doctor Death, Jack Kevorkian, and “My ultimate aim is to make euthanasia a positive experience.” (Euthanasia…
- 1193 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
In some countries euthanasia is legal like Albania, Germany, Canada, among others. This process consists using a lethal injection, certain amount of pills or not giving the appropriate medication to treat the patient’s condition; the main purpose being reaching death with the less amount of pain. Assistive suicide may be more doable because you’re not literally executing the action, its still having the same common denominator, the same purpose, with the same ending.…
- 468 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Euthanasia or assisted suicide has always been a controversial topic for social policy. Although the terms are used interchangeably, they are different by definition and are treated differently by law. Some define euthanasia as a process to end a life, sometimes involving the participation of medical personnel, while assisted suicide requires active participation and consent from the patient. Although the end results are the same, there are different dynamics to this controversial process.…
- 988 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Euthanasia is a painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. People decide to use euthanasia because they fell weak, tired, and uncomfortable. They suffer from pain or unacceptable side effects of pain medication, people may also have fear about the future. Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. Some countries allow euthanasia, while some forbid them. Euthanasia is a law that should be taken into consideration in America. For those patients that have a disease that is completely incurable should be given the opportunity to die with dignity. There are 4 different types of euthanasia and they are voluntary is accordance with the authority consent of a dying person. Involuntary is contrary to an authoritative refusal of consent from the dying person. On-voluntary is done without an authoritative consent or authoritative refusal of consent from the dying person. Active euthanasia a case of killing. Passive euthanasia = a case of letting die.…
- 626 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Euthanasia is known as the act of deliberately ending a life which will initially free an individual from an incurable disease and intolerable suffering, with full consent of the patient. This act is often referred as an easy and painless, illegal death. Assisted suicide, also known as Euthanasia or mercy killing, is the act of a doctor helping a patient with an incurable disease leave this world painlessly and with personal consent. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to lose all control over your own body? To lose the ability to talk, eat, walk or read, making you incapable of doing anything other than just being there? To live in constant fear that every next painful breath you to take might be your last. Everything that you…
- 4225 Words
- 17 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The alternatives to euthanasia that people end up using/doing are horrifying. By refusing people the right to end their own lives, we’re increasing that pain and indignity to a such a horrifying extent. There are multiple cases of human beings that have tried taking their lives in other ways, such as starvation, because they were denied this painless death. If humans really want to end their lives, they will and sometimes in the most horrific, most painful ways, so they might as well have a painless option. They deserve to die painlessly with their dignity and self-respect still in…
- 905 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays