Benefits Of Euthanasia In Australia

Euthanasia is the practice of ending the life of an individual for the purposes of relieving pain and suffering. Over the years, there has been a big debate about its merits and demerits, and the debate is not about to end anytime soon. However, no matter what side of the debate one supports, it is important to consider a few facts. One, the prolonged stay in hospital is bound to raise medical costs. Two, some medical complications bring suffering and pain to the patient without any possibility of getting back to one 's normal activities of daily living. However, ending the life of a person intentionally may be treated as a serious crime in some jurisdictions. Given these facts, it is evident that making a decision about euthanasia is bound to be a challenging task. Although not everyone might agree, euthanasia is a necessary procedure that relieves the pain and suffering of the patient and rids the family and the government of expensive medical costs that would not necessary improve the life of the patient.

Euthanasia is the practice of purposefully ending someone’s life in order to relieve their pain and/or suffering. Euthanasia is legal in many countries including Belgium, France, India, Japan, and few states

[The criminal code of Canada states] “everyone who councils, aids, or abets someone to commit suicide whether or not suicide ensures , is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years.” 1 It is this law which violates the human right to life as well as creates a widely spread controversy over whether or not euthanasia should become legalized in Canada. 2 Legalizing euthanasia would create many benefits for those who suffer from a terminal illness, giving them freedom and control over their own lives. Euthanasia should be legalized in Canada; this is because the euthanasia law is not consistently applied, it would create medical advances for Canada which would bring the country up to speed with other countries around the world, and legalizing euthanasia would benefit those who wish to die by preventing inhumane suicidal crimes from occurring. 3

Albert Camus once quoted, “But in the end, one needs more courage to live than to kill them self.” Today I will be discussing the topic of Euthanasia also known as “assisted suicide.” The word originated from the Greeks, meaning “good death”. Euthanasia refers to the ending of one’s life, primarily to end suffering and pain. Euthanasia is a controversial topic and generates many political and religious debates. Although euthanasia is illegal in Canada, in some jurisdictions such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and the American states of Washington, Oregon and Montana, euthanasia is a legal and common practice.

Voluntary Euthanasia has been considered a controversial topic for many decades. The idea of committing an act that involves the taking of human life is not one that many people would care to discuss openly. The main argument is that a person who has been diagnosed with an incurable illness and is in extreme pain and their ability to move has been limited, while that person still has control over their destiney should they be allowed take their own life (Bowie, R.2001). The worldwide debate weather one should be allowed to end a life is still one of the biggest ethical issues. The attempt to providing the rights of the individual is in conflict with the moral values of society. Voluntary Euthanasia has been highly rejected by many religious and pro-life institutions.

Euthanasia, or voluntary assisted suicide, has been the subject of much moral, religious, philosophical, legal and human rights debate in Australia. Euthanasia is defined as the intentional act of terminating one’s life, who is suffering from an incurable illness or a terminal disease. This act requires explicit consent from the person who wishes to die and it must also be done out of concern and compassion for that person who is suffering. Several legislative attempts have been made to legalise euthanasia in parts of Australia. However, at the present time, it remains unlawful. With Euthanasia being illegal all across Australia it has forced our citizens overseas to unregulated medical centres in hope of having access to a

In the year 2017 human euthanasia, also known, as assisted suicide is legal in a variety of countries around the world such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Canada, and a handful of states in the USA. Euthanasia is illegal in Australia but was legal in the Northern Territory for a short period of time. It is not a crime for a person to take his or her own life, A patient can choose to not receive any treatment for a terminal illness and can also request to have their life support turned off. But In Australia, and the many other countries where assisted suicide is not yet legalised individuals who are living with the daily torment of a terminal illness do not have the option to peacefully and painlessly end their lives of discomfort.

If these alternative means to euthanasia eventually result in death anyway, why then should we force an individual to suffer unnecessarily rather than provide them the choice? Autonomy, or the right to self-govern is one of the major foundations of human rights in the United States and is therefore fundamental in decision-making in health care. It is the leading contributing factor in the legalization of euthanasia in countries such as Belgium, and the Netherlands (Karlsson et al., Dying cancer patients’ own opinions on euthanasia 35).

The term euthanasia is translated from the Greek terms for “good death” or “easy death.” Euthanasia can be subdivided into two main categories: voluntary euthanasia and involuntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is the process in which one is “killed upon that person’s request for reasons of ending suffering.” Therefore, it is performed with the consent of a patient. Involuntary euthanasia is the “mercy killing of a medically or legally incompetent person,” meaning that is done without the consent of a patient. Assisted suicide is a practice that is closely related to euthanasia. Assisted suicide occurs when “one person gives another person the instructions, means, or capability to bring about their own demise (Smith).” In the United States, euthanasia is currently illegal in every state. However, assisted suicide is legal in a few states, including California, Montana, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. (State-By-State)

Euthanasia is the idea of helping a person who decided they wanted to die meet their end quickly and painlessly. This is also called assisted suicide. Most of the cases of euthanasia are related to a terminally ill person who wishes to end their life as easy as possible, rather than suffering through the effects of the illness killing them. The topic of euthanasia is one of the biggest controversies in medicine today, due to the religious and ethical problems of interfering with the “natural right to a natural death” (Dowbiggin, I. R., 2003, p. 2).

Medical ethics is always seen by many as an unusual blend; one many always seem to question. The fuse appeals to a range of different temperaments, to the philosopher, the doctor, and to the man or woman of action. It tackles the big questions of the morality of killing and the painstakingly difficult decisions having to be made by many on a daily basis. It also relates to the ethical spectrum as well, when can a mentally ill person be treated against their will? Is it a crime for any doctor to practice a form of euthanasia? Where better to start medical ethics, than with the complex topic of euthanasia.

Some foreign countries do have euthanasia as an option for various patients. The most known country being the Netherlands. The dutch law was one of the first to give the approval of euthanasia. The law in the Netherlands regarding euthanasia has a set criteria that the practice falls under to ensure that the doctor who carried out the patient’s request is not persecuted for committing a crime (Boer 197). The process must follow the set regulations or else the patient’s death would not be considered euthanasia but rather a serious crime. Euthanasia had been legal in the netherlands since before the 1980’s, but on January 1, 2002 euthanasia was made fully legal throughout the Netherlands. With the formal legalization some of the previous regulations changed. From that date on the criteria was that euthanasia was: the only way to end suffering in a patient that had no chance of recovery, requested by the patient, and the patient’s doctor had consulted with at least one other doctor about the case. Only cases that did not meet the criteria were then examined and deliberated by judges. In these deliberations most of the cases passed the criteria unless there were any procedural errors (Boer 198). The change in the law allowed more cases to be processed, providing optimal results in many more cases. The Netherlands set a precedent that not all countries agree with. Australia is one of the many countries that does not allow patients to opt for euthanasia. In Australia, each state legislation outlaws voluntary active euthanasia, assisted suicide and physician assisted suicide. The Australian law says that all acts resulting in someone else’s death is labeled as murder (Ebrahimi 73). France forbids assisted suicide and euthanasia, the law does not believe a patient’s consent justifies someone taking their life away. However they do allow the patient to decide to stop end-of-life treatments and die in a

Euthanasia is not only a procedure that is considered in the Unites States, but it is also practiced in other countries. Regulations for the process of euthanasia in other countries differ greatly compared to the regulations of the United States. In 2002, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide (The Guardian). The legalization of this act imposed a strict set of conditions before being performed by the physician. The patient must be suffering unbearable pain, their illness must be incurable, and the demand of taking one’s own life must be made in “full consciousness” by the patient.

In this way, poor patients will always see euthanasia as the only possible way to save their families from spending a lot on their medication. As stipulated by Dr. Peter Hildering, people fear to become a burden to others and the society and so are the patients. As a result, legalizing euthanasia makes patients put this in their minds as the only available solution. Patients will fail to let their mind be calm for their bodies to heal. Doctors will also not consider researching on ways to cure diseases that are hard to control. As a conclusion, euthanasia will undermine medical research.

The following essay will define euthanasia and make the distinction between active, passive, voluntary, non-voluntary, involuntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Relevant legal issues within the Australian context will then be discussed. Ethical issues such as ‘sanctity of life’ versus ‘quality of life’, and the ‘slippery slope’ argument will also be explored. Ethical reflections regarding euthanasia will be considered from both a deontological and consequentialist perspective. Finally, personal opinion will be expressed based on ethical considerations.