Godelieva De Troyer

Many people would argue that it’s okay to end your life or someone else’s life, if they do not have the possibility of getting better and are terminally ill. Another reason is that maybe they have a mental illness or are a harm to themselves and others. On the other hand, some people believe that life has value and great worth and that being euthanized takes away that value in having life. There is much argument and debate over whether or not Euthanasia is ever justified. At the end of the day, it’s based on what a person believes is right. Everyone has the right to believe what they want to. However, Euthanasia can never be justified because it makes people believe that life is not worth living if you are terminally ill, deformed, in a coma, have a disability, feel that you are a burden to someone, in unbearable pain or have the right to commit suicide. No matter how bad life gets, people should know that life is always worth living. When someone consents to being euthanized or having someone else be euthanized, they may miss out on memories and life’s joys. There is a lot of pain in life that people have to deal with, but that does not mean that anyone has the right to decide that they or anyone else should die. This also does not give anyone the right to inject drugs into someone in order to kill them peacefully. It doesn’t matter if you are just trying to help

It has been argued that for people on life support systems and people with long standing diseases causing much pain and distress, euthanasia is a better choice. It helps in relieving them from pain and misery. In cases like terminal cancers when the patient is in much pain and when people associated with them also are put through a lot of pain and misery, it is much more practical and humane to grant the person his/her wish to end his/her own life in a relatively painless and merciful way.

Another argument for euthanasia is justice. Justice says that we must respect one's decisions and rights. Not letting someone who is terminally ill and suffering is not doing them justice. If there were someone I knew who was terminally ill, I would not want to see them suffer. Supporting their decision of dying with dignity would be my duty. My father would not allow me to visit my ill grandfather in the hospital. He wanted me to remember him how he was, not the sick man in the bed. We have a duty to do them justice in what they want.

Coming from a religious background I find it hard to disagree with Euthanasia becoming legal. Euthanasia, coming from the 1980 declaration from the Vatican, Juar et Bona, is defined as an action or an omission which of itself or by intention causes death, in order that all suffering may in this way be eliminated. One of the biggest examples as written is that Jesus suffered on the cross. He was not put out of his misery. He was not killed before he was placed on the cross. He was alive and slowly dying in much pain. Just as Jesus suffered people suffer all the time, but suffering also allows us to grow as better people.

Euthanasia is used in many countries. One man was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His son was by his side the whole time. The man told his son that if he was ever lying on a bed full of tubes and good to nobody, to tell them to let him go (Pratchett). Some would say that the man should be put out of his misery. I believe that the man should be helped until he dies. Some believe in promoting euthanasia because of the good it may bring to the suffering, but I, along with many others, believe that euthanasia is wrong.

In the poem Diving Into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich she talks about diving into a shipwreck armed with a book of myths, a camera and a knife. She then goes on to describe what she experiences on her way to the wreck and what she finds when she gets there. In the beginning it sounds as though she is going on a treasure hunt because diving into a shipwreck after reading a book of myths makes it seem like she is going after buried treasure, but once you get into the second stanza it becomes clear that the poem contains a deeper meaning. Even in the first stanza when she describes putting on the suit and diving into the wreck on her own it is like she is separating herself from the world above, and throughout the poem she makes all of these

When it comes to the topic of euthanasia most people readily agree that it can be a good thing for those who are terminally ill. On the other hand some people disagree with euthanasia because they say there is medical technology and medication that can be used to help with the pain and symptoms. My own view on the matter is that it can be a good thing for those who have a terminal illness because it isn’t fair that we make them suffer through the pain just because we aren’t ready to let them go or because we don’t necessarily agree with their choice to be euthanized.

Although I, personally am pro-euthanasia it is also wise to recognize and respect other considerations. Ultimately it comes down on what the involved family and person wishes.

The stories of Don and Iris Flounders and of Carol Ferry reflect this opinion and show first hand experiences of people choosing euthanasia during a period of terminal illness. Don Flounders was diagnosed with mesothelioma and so him and his wife, with the help of a doctor who was a euthanasia advocate, went to Mexico, purchased Nembutal(commonly used to euthanize animals) and both ended their lives a few years later. In a video that they took in the moments before their death they mentioned that they wanted to die on their own terms and that they didn’t like the fact that they had to travel so far to end their own lives (Healey 38). Carol Ferry was diagnosed with emphysema along with a tumor in her chest and pelvis that caused her to be terminally ill and she too believed that she should have the right to die on her own conditions and with the help of others and ended up ending her own life sometime after this article was written (Ferry). Although neither of these people are specialists in the area of euthanasia or medicine, having a personal experience with terminal illness and ending their own lives gives them some form of credibility to speak on this subject. Both of these people make a valid point in saying that there is "no virtue in suffering" as Ferry says it

The word euthanasia has its origin millennia ago in Ancient Greece, where it means literally "the good death". However, in today's society, there are deeper and more layers of meaning to euthanasia than before. There are three basic types of euthanasia: voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia concerns itself with the express wish of a mentally competent person to die through the assistance of others. Voluntary euthanasia can further be divided into two categories: passive voluntary which is the specifically requested withholding of unwanted medical treatment, and active voluntary which is the deliberate action of killing the patient at that patient's informed request. Should dying human beings be made to suffer horribly during their last days in this world before looking forward to a painful and undignified death when they wish it to be otherwise? The answer is no. As such, voluntary euthanasia should be legalized for terminally ill patients.

Most people do not like to talk or even think about death; much less the topic of ending one’s own life. However, for some, death is a desired alternative to living in agony. Euthanasia has been a topic of debate since antiquity, and both sides stand firm on their beliefs. The right to choose death is illegal in most countries. I believe in people’s freedom to do what they please with their own bodies. The basic right of liberty is what America was founded on. Euthanasia should be a legal option.

Life is the greatest thing man possesses and should not be thrown away through euthanasia. Euthanasia requires doctors to judge another man’s life to determine if it’s bad enough to destroy. Someone’s life is not something a man should be able to judge. Even if allowed many doctors wouldn’t have it. The Canadian Medical Association surveyed doctors and found out how many would actually issue Euthanasia:

If people were to step into the shoes of patients suffering from life threatening and life destroying illnesses such as AIDS, HIV, leukaemia and cancer, that maybe they might think differently. For some of these patients there is still hope, but unfortunately for the rest there is none and they know that life is coming to an end and for those people euthanasia would be an answer to their prayers.

Furthermore, anyone should have the right to end his/her life by euthanasia because of all the pain and suffering one goes through. Most people in positions like this would more than rather alleviate their pain, suffering, and depression that comes along with their

Millie, Montag’s wife, tried to kill herself. She took too many sleeping pills. And it wasn't the first time. The men who came to pump millie's stomach said that they deal with 9 - 10 cases a night. These people, who live without the “sadness” of books, try and kill themselves on a regular basis. Then later, when the old woman kills herself in