The Arguments Against Euthanasia

Death is heavy and weighs on the backs of us all. It looms over the shoulders of the unhappy, creeps under the beds of the ill, and swallows the elderly in their sleep. There is yet a man, to claim that tomorrow, his eyes will open, or will not close for an eternity. Our lives are but a book, waiting to be concluded, or shut mid sentence. As the writers of our own book, we have the right to know where, when and how the book ends. Are the lives of the ill worth any less than the unhappy or the elderly? Why do we hold them back from their easeful passing, but await their impending demise? Do we not see a difference in the life of one who wants to end temporary suffering or one who chooses to end a suffering that will not end?

Euthanasia
is an alluring, heavy sounding word. It conceals its danger like alluring words do, but the fear is there, nevertheless. The pain of living the last of your days, bedridden and ill would be just as, if not more traumatic than dying by your own hand. Assisted suicide. The physician’s practice of settling a life of discomfort, with ease - to let go of a life that would otherwise be filled with pain and suffering. It is utilized through drugs, injections, the withdrawal of food and water, and what is referred to as “The peaceful pill”.

After we’ve run our course, our fear is to leave seeds of grief in the hearts of our loved ones. Although inevitable, the overwhelming heartache brought upon by the certain passing is much more difficult to handle. Considerably more difficult than the thought of the pain consuming our ill loved ones. Even still, a sense of tranquility through the silence when it’s all over; knowing they left with their dignity in the tight grasp of their hands and