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Arguments Against Euthanasia Essay

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Arguments on Euthanasia In this paper, I will be presenting the opposing arguments on Euthanasia, the controversial issue of terminally ill patients committing suicide with the assistance of a physician. One of the main arguments for euthanasia is that people have the right to die. Many people for euthanasia have the mindset that humans have the right to control his or her body and life and therefore have the freedom to choose how, where and when they will die. This belief stems from the idea of free will, which is a fundamental part of the human soul. Adding to this argument, supporters state that other human rights include the right to die such as the right to life, which is not the right to simply exist or to a life of minimum quality …show more content…

As for violating the patient’s autonomy, supporters contend that to violate a person’s autonomy would be to violate that person’s wishes but this is not the case of a person who does wish to die. The belief that death hurts people stems from the idea that it prevents people from living the life they could have. To supporters, people who request to be euthanized have a low quality of life and acknowledge that their life will only get worse. A person who wants to die did not make that choice because they had nothing to live for but because at some point they decided the pain was too much to endure. The main argument against euthanasia is that it goes against the will of God. Opponents of euthanasia claim the it is God who gets to decide who lives and who dies and to commit suicide would be to go against the will of God. Opponents also argue that it was the philosopher Immanuel Kant who said that rational human beings should be treated as an end in themselves and not as a means to something else; Our worth is not dependent on anything. If we exist we have value despite whatever condition that existence is in. Those against euthanasia also feel that euthanasia is against the patient’s best interest because the diagnosis may inaccurate and the patient is not terminally ill or the patient may be unable to make a sound judgement regarding their

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