Persuasive Essay Against Euthanasia

The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. Aristotle

Envision one of your family members being diagnosed with end-stage cancer that has spread throughout their entire body. They are helplessly suffering from pain that cannot be controlled with any type of treatment or pain medications. Meanwhile your cousin has been watching her father slowly die and lose all quality of life. While some doctors believe that assisted suicide is morally wrong, it is the right way to end the pain and suffering of terminal illnesses in certain situations. If that family member could have been given the option of assisted suicide, they wouldn’t have to go through so much unnecessary suffering and they could die with dignity.

Opinions of euthanasia and assisted suicide vary by country to country, and only a few nations permit euthanasia in the case of terminally ill patients (van der Heide et. al., 2007, p. 1957). The public discourse surrounding the ethical, and subsequently legal status of euthanasia is frequently heated and somewhat polarized, because the debate cuts to the very heart of notions of human rights and ethics. Unfortunately, this only tends to further obscure the issue at hand, which is in reality a fairly simple question. Namely, what is more important; the preservation of individual human life for as long as possible, potentially despite the wishes of the individual, or allowing an individual to choose the time and manner of his or her death? As will be seen, the only reasonable answer to this question is to favor individual freedom, but first, it will be necessary to counter some of the distractions and misinformation that opponents of euthanasia use to avoid confronting the essential question at hand.

The word euthanasia in Greek translates to ‘eu’, which transcribes to good, and ‘Thanatos’ meaning death, together it means ‘good death.’ Euthanasia also known as assisted suicide or assisted dying, is the process of assisting a person in committing suicide in order to relive their suffering. This can be involuntary or voluntary as some patients are not able to make the decision for themselves. For example a patient who is comatose cannot make this type of decision so it would probably fall on a power of attorney, family member, or a living will previously written by the patient. Assisted suicide is a growing issue because people have different opinions on whether suicide, specifically this type of suicide is morally correct. This act is illegal today in the majority of the United States and only certain places have legalized it. More and more debates continue to arise involving the issue, as a larger amount of people want to make it legal in the United States. Euthanasia can be enacted by either a patient being prescribed a medication to die or they can be given a lethal injection by a specific doctor. The idea of assisted suicide has been controversial since 500 BC; it is believed ancient Greeks and Romans supported euthanasia so the issues has been around for a lengthy amount of time. It is important for people to be informed about this issue before making a decision on where they stand. Today, there is a lot of controversy about euthanasia, however, helping people escape

Euthanasia is defined as “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy” (Snyder 49). The key word in that definition is mercy; it is a person’s own decision to die due to extreme conditions. Another phrase to describe voluntary euthanasia is physician assisted-suicide. The opinion that people should be allowed to choose when to die is not the opinion of a select few. “Public-opinion polls have consistently shown that approximately sixty percent of the American public favors legal reform allowing physician-assisted death as a last resort to end the suffering of competent patients” (Miller 125). Doctors should be allowed to permit the death of terminally ill individuals because it is people’s right to refuse treatment; safeguards should be in place to ensure everyone involved is protected, and the pain and suffering associated with terminal illness would be greatly reduced.

The debate over the use of euthanasia is ever growing. This is due to the fact of constant increases in medical advances. Medical advances are growing the number of medicines one can be given before palliative care is an option. The main concern of the debate is whether trying new treatments and medicines are necessary before palliative care is given. Two articles will be analyzed using the Aristotelian method. Both articles are valid, but the New York Times article written by Haider Javed Warraich offers a complete perspective using all three persuasive appeals compared to the article written by Terry Pratchett for The Guardian, which the majority is written on emotion.

One who is not terminally ill does not know the pain and suffering of being terminally ill. Some described the pain as unbearable and intolerable. Why should someone be destined to live in this much pain? In some states and countries where this action is legal, they are not compelled to. They are given the option of assisted suicide. On the contrary, some believe this option is inhumane and unethical. This is still a constant controversy happening in America and around the world. No one should be compelled to endure the pain of their illness if there is no cure, which is why assisted suicide should be legal with the patient's request.

Euthanasia is derived from the Greek word “easy to die” and is also known as “mercy killing”. Ancient societies allow many babies that were born with a birth defect to die. Also, elder people starve themselves until they die. As well as in the military, soldier were allowed to shoot a partner if he was seriously injured before they get caught by the enemies. In the nineteenth century, the use of anesthetics and painkillers made euthanasia less painful because before that, the methods used for people to commit suicide were violent and uncertain. For centuries, euthanasia has been practiced, but it became an issue in the twentieth century. Euthanasia is a controversial topic because some people think that causing another people death is not ethical, but others think is a way to help people being relieved from their suffering.

Albert Einstein once said, “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” Allowing a person to suffer is unnecessary, especially when the individual wants to succumb. Dying is not a crime, and it should not be considered one. A person’s destiny should be determined by the sufferer themselves, not the government. Sue Rodriguez, a Canadian advocate, stated, “If I cannot give consent to my own death, whose body is this? Who owns my life?” Each human owns their body. Therefore, people deserve to have a voice about their future. Euthanasia should be legalized in the United States, because patients with terminal illnesses deserve the right to decide their own fate.

Webster’s definition of Euthanasia is, “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (such as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy”. Euthanasia has become a topic of great debate on both American and International stages. Many see it as a threat to the preservation of life and the decay of society’s moral fabric, while others see it as an expansion of civil liberties and self-autonomy. While my personal beliefs are inherently anti-assisted suicide, I find myself having joined the pro-Euthanasia camp. My belief that man is entitled to complete control of his or her own destiny takes precedent that life should be protected. My reasons for allowing every man and woman the right to die are as follows.

Euthanasia. The word is derived from the ancient Greek word ‘eu thanatos’, meaning easy death. In today’s society euthanasia generally refers to mercy killing, the voluntary ending of the life of someone who is terminally or hopelessly ill. Knowing that, it is seemingly obvious and appropriate to say that one has the right to die an easy death if, and only if, he/she is terminally ill- different situations should not play any part in this issue. Personally, I believe that euthanasia should be legalised if it is voluntary. It is apparent that euthanasia should be permitted for the following reasons: individual liberty; undesired pain, suffering, and misery; and it is a moral act.

The main objective of introducing the law of Euthanasia to Victoria is to end the suffering for patients who are painfully dying from an incurable disease. It’s absolutely absurd people who are opposing to this matter because everyone has the right to ask for help at the end of life if medical science can no longer support and you most definitely have a right not to be tortured. The painful suffering is not only endured by the patient, the agonising suffering is also hard for family and friends to watch.

Euthanasia, also known as physician assisted suicide, is a worldwide controversy being discussed to this day. While many oppose this strategy due to the fact that numerous consider this act to be “manslaughter,” or religious beliefs, they also believe that it will increase suicide rates in society; however, euthanasia should be legalized worldwide because not only does it voluntary relieve an individual from their suffering pain, it benefits those who have higher chances of living, and helps the economy.

Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a person’s life in order to end pain and suffering. A person who typically undergoes euthanasia has an incurable condition or clear chronic depression. Many people confuse euthanasia for the term ‘assisted suicide’, which is the act of encouraging or assisting a person to kill themselves.

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.