Pro Euthanasia Research Paper

Euthanasia (assisted suicide) is the practice of providing and administering drugs to a willing terminally ill patient to help end their life and has been practiced since the Ancient Greeks and Romans. However, in the United States, euthanasia is illegal according to the federal government and has sparked an ongoing debate of legalizing euthanasia since the early years of our country. For instance, in 1647, the early American colonies’ Common Law Tradition prohibited euthanasia, deeming the practice “unnatural”. Then, from 1828 to 1868, the practice was slowly prohibited in most U.S. states, until Dr. Samuel D. Williams advocated its use in 1870. From there the controversy was refueled and citizens began taking a stance on the issue. By 1994
For instance, Amendment 9 relates to euthanasia by stating “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” (U.S. Constitution, Amendment 9). The central idea articulated in the amendment is that people have more rights than the Constitution states, meaning that euthanasia or the right to die could be interpreted as a right people have that isn’t stated in the Constitution. So according to Amendment 9, euthanasia could be constitutionally legal and therefore, supporting my pro position on the issue. In addition, another amendment can constitutionally support euthanasia, like Amendment 10. Amendment 10 states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” (U.S. Constitution, Amendment 10). In this amendment, it means that the states can decide what the Constitution doesn’t enumerate and since the Constitution doesn’t cover euthanasia explicitly, then the states can legalize euthanasia, which is the case in WA, OR, and MT. Since Amendment 10 gives the choice to legalize euthanasia to states, ergo the issue is constitutionally connected and supports the legalization of euthanasia in certain states. Finally, Amendment 14 can also support euthanasia constitutionally because it says, “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,” (U.S. Constitution, Amendment 14). Basically, no state can take away a person’s liberty and liberty entails freedom to live life the way one wants, including death as well. Through this interpretation, the Constitution supports the legalization of euthanasia, the pro position, but another explanation could be construed to support the con position. For instance, Amendment 14 also