Euthanasia And Physician-Assisted Suicide

If you were told you had a terminally ill disease and only had one more year to live, filled with suffering, what would you chose to do? This question leads us to the sensitive and controversial topic of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Euthanasia can simply be defined as physician-assisted death for terminally ill patients. This issue has stirred debates that have drawn attention to the complex issues concerning the ethical implications of end-of-life care. Supporters of euthanasia argue that they seek only to prevent unnecessary suffering while the critics maintain that it is unethical to end an individual’s life. However, many public opinions have reported that over 80% of the general population support amendments in the law to
Euthanasia is a significant debate amongst Christians, but has gained support over the years due to the idea that we have progressed as autonomous individuals. As humans, we have the right to choose the moment we want to ease our suffering and end the fight against terminal illness by seeking assistance to die (Badham 5). He explains that many medical procedures are carried out yet there is no realistic hope that the patient will recover and return to an independent life (Badham 11). He supports Arthur Clough’s quote “Thou shalt not kill; But need’st not strive, Officiously to keep alive”. This refers to the philosophy behind palliative care and hospice. It helps one accept the inevitability of death and live out their final days with as much dignity as possible. He goes on to discuss the question of whether there is a significant difference between letting a person die or assisting a person in death. He believes there is none (Badham 13). Badham believes that individuals should have a right to their own choices (Badham 16). No individual should be forced against their will to undergo burdensome, unbeneficial treatments (Badham 14). Badham discusses multiple personal experiences that led him to his support of Euthanasia. A major contributor to this factor was his grandmother who had dementia. She wanted to go to heaven to be with Jesus and he did not see a reason to not let her. I could personally relate to this instance because my grandfather recently passed away from Alzheimer’s. It was extremely hard to watch him suffer from the accompanying aliments of these incurable diseases. Badham eventually discusses Dignity in Dying to insist on the need for precautions in any proposal for legalizing euthanasia. He believes this is too restrictive and that one who is incompetent can equally