Pro Euthanasia Research Paper

Many consider suicide primarily because they are convinced they are burdens on their families and society. Therefore, if assisting suicide for those with terminal illness is legalizied , the so called right to die is very likely in practice to become a “duty to die”. Many consider the law to be the teacher of what is right and proper, and such a codification would be manipulated by the healthcare industry, and by those who regard life as worthless

Being able to decide the fate of your own life is not an easy decision to make, and is not something to be toyed with. However, when someone is in a desperate situation, and must choose before they lose their mind (quite literally), death may be more appealing, instead of living, and being forced to suffer. By legalizing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, we would provide “vulnerable” patients with better overall protection and health care, give patients (who are excruciatingly suffering and have no chance of recovery) the option to end their lives before they ever needed to go through such an ordeal and giving them peace of mind, and spare the families of the patients the emotional pain of watching their loved one slowly and painfully passing away. For these reasons, I believe that euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide should be legalized in Canada.

To begin, patients can die with dignity. Dying with dignity is the philosophical concept that a terminally ill individual should be allowed to die naturally and comfortably instead of experiencing a life of deep unconsciousness prolonged by mechanical support systems. (Death with Dignity) In 1993, Sue Rodriguez, a sufferer of ALS, believed that the time and manner of her death should not be determined by her illness or by the law. She expressed that it should be legal for a physician to end her life for her at a time she has chosen. (Fenton) Rodriguez took her case to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, she argued that Section 241(b) of the Criminal Code, everyone who aids or abets a person in committing suicide commits an indictable offence, violates her rights in the Charter under Section 7, that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security, 12, that everyone has the right not to be subjected to any

Section 7 (Legal Rights) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.” This section benefits all Canadians including non-citizens by ensuring that individuals receive the three main types of protection: life, liberty, and security. The right to live is the most fundamental right given to an individual. The right to liberty assures that unless individuals are imprisoned due to justice matters, they should not be subject to punishment. Lastly, the right to security allows individuals to have control over their body and its health, both physically and mentally.

Imagine laying in a hospital bed with a terminal illness, attached to many machines that are keeping you alive, family members and friends taking turns visiting, doctors constantly doing their routine check up, having no desire to eat or drink and being fed through tubes. The doctors have gave you the word that there is no chance of survival, it could be months, weeks, days, or even hours before you say your goodbyes. Would you not want all the suffering to stop and want your life to be over as soon as possible? In Canada as well as many other countries physician assisted suicide also known, as euthanasia is illegal. However, as some would like to call it mercy killing is legal in countries such as Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg under certain regulations such as the patient must be under an unbearable condition that is alleviated. Physician assisted suicide should be legalized in Canada as well for many reasons. People that are under constant suffering whether it is at the hospital or at home can die with dignity. One of the most important reasons physician assisted suicide should be legal in Canada is that it is a humane way for terminally ill patients to end their lives without suffering any longer. Patients that cannot enjoy their last days on earth due to suffering should have a choice, if they know that there illness is incurable then he or she is looking forward to dying since there is no chance of life. Additionally, the patients as well as family members and

[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

Canada is a country in which citizens have the freedom to make their own choices. Which is why, on June 17 2016, Bill C-14 was passed (Health Law Institute, n.d.). Under this legislation euthanasia is legal in Canada, so long as a patient meets a required criterion. Euthanasia refers to an individual’s choice to die in order to end the unrelenting suffering caused by a terminal illness. The legalization of this form of assisted suicide has brought forth the question; should people be allowed to die voluntarily or should they be made to live with their illness until the end? A person should be given the opportunity to die with dignity when diagnosed with a terminal illness, because it is a decision which is made in regards to one’s personal

There has been an ongoing debate about whether or not if a terminally ill individual should be able to have the option to take their life. The process is called physician assisted suicide. This process is different from euthanasia because with physician assisted suicide is the patient’s decision. Euthanasia is a decision made by the doctors. Physician assisted suicide should not be a legal option for terminally ill patients. according to an article in the NPR journal called “Debate: Should Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal?” A concession to this argument would be that since mentally ill people are suffering and doctors believe that since they have no chance of survival, they have the right to

It is brought about by someone’s request and shows that there was clear consent given. (Boutland, pp. 1). I believe that voluntary physician-assisted suicide should be permitted in Canada. We live in a society that is deemed as being “free”, where individuals are able to make decisions out of their own faith, conscience, and convictions. (John Rawls, Judith Jarvis Thomson, Robert Nozick, Ronald Dworkin, T.M. Scanlon, Thomas Nagel, pp 332). Therefore, individuals should have the ability to make this decision for themselves, to end their life, and they should be granted medical assistance in doing so. The right to die is as central as the right to refuse treatment (Boutland, pp. 1) There may be individuals who have suffered too much in their lifetime, who are still suffering with a terminal illness, and consider their life is not worth living, they should be able to receive help when it comes to death. They may not have a desire to live anymore due to their life not being deemed worth living. (Glover, pp. 355). They are entitled to forming an opinion on how worthwhile their life is, since it is just that, their life. If there is a terminally ill patient who is experiencing a lot of pain that medication cannot help to relieve, active euthanasia relieves the suffering that the individual is going through. (Rachels, pp.

According to s. 241 (b) of the Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, it is a crime in Canada to assist a person to end his own life. People who are grievously and irremediably ill can not seek physician-assisted suicide in dying and may be condemned to a life of intolerable suffering. This bill makes the patients lose the right of independent choice and brings more pain to their families. It is no doubt that the legalization of physician-assisted death and euthanasia is beneficial to both society and family.

In 1992, the Canadian Supreme Court decided that “abetting suicide without qualifications was a serious criminal offense” (Australian Nursing), and since the creation of the law, it has seen great controversy. Whereas, courts in other countries have decided to legalize euthanasia as a means to end a person’s life, Canada at the time did not agree with the legislation. A case in the Canadian Supreme Court has recently concluded that allowing euthanasia signify upholding basic human rights. In 2016, Canada will legalize euthanasia to be a practice available to patients as a means to relieve their afflictions. The practice of euthanasia in Canada is helping citizens to choose a practical method to end their life, if euthanasia continues to be

When someone is inevitably dying and in inexplicable pain is it really a crime to grant their wishes and end their suffering? As of right now euthanasia is illegal in many countries and is a very controversial topic. Is it compassion for the patient helping them in ending their life or murder? The doctor is not giving death as an option, it is the patients choice and even where it is legal there are many rules. Euthanasia should not be considered a crime because the patient is not being murdered; they are having their suffering end in a painless, humane way out of compassion for the patient and their family.

Assisted suicide is the intentional termination of life by another at the explicit request of the fully aware patient who dies. Assisted suicide should be legalized in Canada, and the world at large. The topic of Assisted Suicide has more recently become a controversial topic being debated around the world. According to the new health guide website last updated this month, Assisted Suicide is legal in only 11 countries. A survey taken by dying with dignity.com was answered by 80% of citisens all over Canada, 77% of which were in favor of legalizing Euthinasia. Although this survey proves that Euthanasia is something that a majority of canadians are in favor of legalizing, the decision should not be made based on a survey reflecting anyones opinion besides the patient themselves. The general public, the doctors nor the government should possess the right to decide whether one should live out their life in suffering, or to have a choice in assisted suicide. We should not tell the terminally ill no, instead we should give them a choice.

Euthanasia debate opposes two sides in which one side argues that letting someone suffer is not ethical and the other side defend that to help someone to die is not ethical based on the morality that no one should kill or help someone to die (fundamental right that everyone is allowed to live), they judge that euthanasia should compromise the criminal code. For my own morality, I am for the euthanasia possibility for the people in need to die for the reason of the person’s well-being.

First of all, what is euthanasia? It is something that not many people think about until they or a friend or family member is put in a position where they might actually have to consider it. Euthanasia, in the dictionary, simply is: the action of ending someone’s life in a painless way. It seems pretty simple but in reality it is a lot more complicated, not only for the people involved but for the society in general as well.