In Favour of Euthanasia

EUTHANASIA

Imagine….
You are now 25 years old; you are having an excellent life. You have just come out of university and now have a great job that pays well…
A tragic accident means that you are now paralysed, forced to live out an existence in a hospital bed. You go from loving life to despising it. As much as you want to live, you have lost your will.
You express this wish to the doctors, who are young adults like yourself, this decision that you have lost sleep over, and they say, "you will get better"… how frustrated would you be? Can u imagine to live like this forever…

One of the most controversial issues in the recent past has been the question of legalizing the right to a dignified death, or euthanasia (a good death). Like the question of capital punishment or suicide, euthanasia is controversial since it involves the deliberate taking of human life.

Euthanasia good death is derived from the Greek - euthos (easy) and thanos (dying). Euthanasia is the intentional premature termination of another person's life either by direct intervention (active euthanasia) or by withholding life-prolonging measures (passive euthanasia), either at the express or implied request of that person (voluntary euthanasia), or in the absence of such approval (non-voluntary euthanasia.
The issue of euthanasia has fascinated and troubled sensitive and concerned persons through the centuries. Plato, in The Republic, condemned physicians who allowed patients to suffer from lingering death and suggested euthanasia. So did Seneca when he raised the query of whether man is lengthening his life or death. Indian philosophical tradition has justified the idea of willing one's death (ichacha maran) Even a person like Gandhi, whose name is synonymous with non-violence, supported this idea.
A common argument in support of euthanasia is that rather than degenerate helplessly, the ill person can choose to make an honourable exit. In my opinion, life should be a matter of choice, I think people should have the power to control what happened to their bodies, and that they should not be forced to suffer through intractable pain until their body finally dies. At times a terminal illness is so incredibly painful that it turns life into an unbearable burden, so for them death can represent a relief of insupportable pain. These people also believe that God does not send us any experience that we cannot handle, that God supports people in suffering.
It is also argued that euthanasia is an act of compassion and concern. Even Mahatma Gandhi insisted that the critics of euthanasia were wrong in assuming that death was always worse than life. When life is painful and unbearable, he pointed out, not to kill was an act of hinsa. There is far more violence in the slow torture of individuals, wanton humiliation and oppression of the weak and the killing of their self-respect than in benevolent taking of life .
Many people often regard euthanasia another form of suicide but In this sense it is different from suicide because when a healthy person takes his life he might be finding a way out of his responsibilities but a person suffering from a terminal illness however does not have any duties to fulfill.
Another factor of concern especially in developing countries is that of limited resources. Prolongation of the life of one aged patient may in fact entail the deprivation of aid to others and even shorten their lives. A difficult but necessary choice has to be made..
Of late public opinion the world over seems to be in favour of legalizing euthanasia. It is already legalized in countries such as Netherlands , Belgium n Switzerland. Four out of 10 psychiatrists in the UK believe that doctors should be legally able to help terminally ill patients commit suicide, according to a survey. Opinion polls show that not only do euthanasia and assisted suicide already enjoy the support of a substantial majority of the UK population, but also that this support is actually growing. A 75% majority in favour of permitting medical assistance in the ending the life of a sufferer from a painful, incurable disease in 1984 increased to 79% in 1989, and 82% in 1994 (British Social Attitudes Report, 1996.) The overwhelming majority (83%) thought it acceptable to withhold life-sustaining treatment. A similar number (86%) said that in some cases the desire to commit suicide was a rational act.
This is an issue where ready- made solutions or clear answers are not possible. An incorrect decision could debase an entire country as in Nazi Germany, where under the name of euthanasia, a whole population was liquidated. Soul searching is called for and a debate at the national level is necessary.
A number of delicate issues have to be dealt with: Who should be allowed to ask for euthanasia? Should this right be given only to the terminally ill person or to his immediate kith looking after him to exercise it on his behalf?
Should physicians, who according to their oath are expected to save life, be asked to kill or should this be the task of others who are paid for such a service.
This list of questions is merely illustrative of the kind of problems that might arise.
There is a need for immediate action since as of now the situation is completely muddled and patients are condemned to misery they would rather end. Doctors are torn between law and conscience and families are obliged to witness prolonged suffering by a loved one.