Should Euthanasia Be Legalized?

The debate on legalizing assisted suicide is an issue across the globe. It has brought countries to contemplate on the legalities of the matter in their respective legislative branches of government. Assisted suicide is just simply a matter of assessing one's will to perform such act with the permission of the subject or the patient in such way his will be done. The debate now focuses on either the act shall be legalized or not.

The controversy over the legalization of this issue has been getting increasingly more prevalent. Advocates of physician assisted suicide believe that it is the patient 's right to end their own life. It would permanently end their suffering, and would allow them to have peace of mind in their death. These people point to the Death with Dignity Act in Oregon, claiming it as proof that the legalization of assisted suicide can and will work. On the other hand, we can see many flaws in the process. In addition to saying that it is unethical, many Americans argue that this kind of law will be abused. They claim that before long, many patients will feel

Death and dying are a natural part of our lives. Not a day goes by that we do not take the chance of being run over by a car while running, being stabbed in a robbery, or being poisoned by bacteria in our food. In all of these cases, we have very little choice in deciding our fate. But what about those cases when we can do something to affect the dying process? What if we can decide whether we wish to live or die? For most of us, that is still uncharted territory, and just the thought of it chills us to the bone. Euthanasia is one such opportunity where a person can affect the dying process. It is not, as many people believe, a case of a physician killing a patient, but instead, a case where a patient who is facing a prolonged,

Euthanasia is defined as a gentle and easy death. This term is used for people who want to end their own lives peacefully. There are two types of euthanasia. Active euthanasia occurs when a physician kills the patient by means of drugs. The other type is passive euthanasia. This process occurs when a physician holds water, food, and drugs from the patient. The argument whether humans should help other human beings die due to sickness, old age, disabilities, and even the lack of motivation to live has been an issue since ancient times. Although, this topic has made headlines in recent years (Pickert). Countries have begun to make it legal, and some states such as Oregon have made it legal to have the “right to die” since 1997 (“State-by-state Guide to Physician Assisted Suicide”). Should euthanasia be legal in the United States as a federal law? Euthanasia is ethically and morally wrong because humans would be playing the role of God, physicians would disown the Hippocratic oath, it is against most religions, and it would lead down a slippery slope to where euthanasia becomes a cheap “treatment” for the sick.

Millions of precious lives have been deliberately taken throughout the world due to the new Euthanasia Law. Euthanasia is the practicing of assisted suicide, due to terminally ill patients or depression. The practicing has just been legalized September 2015, and will be put into effect in California January 1 2016. Although, it is still being argued if adolescents should have the right fro this and if it’s morally correct all together. Euthanasia should be illegal throughout the world, because people shouldn’t be the ones to decide their own death.

There have has been many different discussions about assisted suicide that have have arisen recently; whether someone should have the choice of committing suicide with the help of someone else, such as a hospital and whether it should be legal. However, people who are against the thought of terminally ill patients having the choice of committing suicide with the help of their doctor said it goes against the fundamental duty as human to keep people alive. The flip side is that we are keeping people alive but are making them suffer. Is it fair to make the determination that they have to suffer? Though Karen Sanders suggest in the article that assisted suicide, “alleviates suffering and better protects people,” than to keep terminally ill patients

Due to the concern of many incurable patients, it is rarely known that Euthanasia, a termination of one’s life with his/her self-willingness, is a release of permanent pain. On the other hand, it is committed by the doctors. Among Voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary Euthanasia, only is Voluntary Euthanasia being universally concerned by human beings. Various fascinating facts, Australia has already approved this act and many people from other countries have also committed Euthanasia. Regarding this topic, people have been in many debates about whether performing Euthanasia. The majority of the debates is talking about in two areas of knowledge, Ethics and the Human Sciences. Some say Euthanasia is still a way of killing and more importantly, most of the doctors cannot manipulate their mental pressure after “murdering” the patients. Unlikely, some believe that Euthanasia helps the patients to quickly end their torture from the incurable illness. Therefore, I will address the concern of Euthanasia in the United States and also propose some possible solutions to the Department of Health in the United States. As a result, I support establishing Euthanasia into the United States’ constitution of the Department of Health.

There continues to be a lack of consensus in regards to the legalization and implication of euthanasia. The Euthanasia Society of America was founded in 1938 to help educate people on why this process should be legalized (Wells 1284). Through the society, ordinary citizens could learn about all the advantages and disadvantages. The society tries to educate the ill on all of the options that they have in regards to the end of life treatment. Also when medicine can no longer help someone the person should have the right to end their life and alleviate their pain (Diaconescu 474). It should be up to the patient to decide if they are ready to die or if they want to put up a fight to survive. However, if the patient is in a coma or brain dead, family members and doctors should look at the advanced directives that the patient has given. In some cases, patients do not want to be kept alive if a machine is breathing for them (Meisel and Cerminara 2859). The patient should be able to have a choice in the quality of life that they want to live. Another argument is that people believe that church and state should be separate in hospitals as well. Patients do not want doctors being influenced by their religious beliefs when practicing medicine (Sharp, Carr, and Macdonald 275). The legalization of euthanasia shows to have many benefits for the families and patients that are suffering. Also with

Imagine your beloved grandmother has been involved in a car accident. The crash was messy and despite medical advances and cutting edge technology, your grandma is in incredible pain, she will never be able to fully function or move by herself, and she will never be able to live a normal life ever again. What would you do? When a loved one is in such pain, would you not want to give them the option of passing peacefully, to stop the pain they have been suffering for so long? Unfortunately, in the United States, and throughout the world, there are few places where euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal. Even then, the practice is generally only partially permitted and a majority of patients in cases where euthanasia should be an option, cannot travel to another state or country due to their condition. “The vast majority of families [of terminal patients] do not have the flexibility, resources and time to make all [necessary] changes” such as obtaining new driver licenses, finding new doctors and house, etc. (Maynard 2014). *Euthanasia and assisted suicide must be legalized as an option for those patients who want to end their suffering, for those who have no other alternatives or cures, for the people who would never have a life and for those people whose death is imminent. It is for these people, that the population needs to become more aware of the issue through education and sign the petition to give these terminally ill or injured

133 million Americans’ lives are drastically changed because of a chronic disease. 45% of United States population will be affected by an incurable, painful, and ongoing disease. As time goes on, the number will only increase. In fact by 2020, that number is estimated to increase to an estimated 157 million (Chronic). If euthanasia was legalized, people affected by chronic diseases would be able to die with dignity and peacefully. “Euthanasia, from the Greek for “good death,” is the intentional ending of a human life either by giving the person lethal drugs or by purposefully withholding life-saving treatment”(Cockeram). In terms of terminally ill patients, euthanasia should be legalized because the patient has the right to die peacefully and without enduring pain

Take a moment to put yourself in their shoes. The one’s slowly dying. The ones in unbearable pain. The ones with the inability to walk. Inability to speak. The one’s in so much agony that even swallowing is a struggle. Laying there, on your deathbed, you think: is the pain worth it? To some it may be. But to many its not. In reality,people deal with this type suffering for years on end. The way to end the pain, is a “good death” called Euthanasia. Euthanasia, also known physician assisted suicide, is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease. Now remember that physician assisted suicide is always with the consent of the patient. They are the primary decision makers. Therefore Euthanasia for terminally ill patients should be legalized in the state of California, because it is one of the most basic human rights which improves the quality of life and has already gained much public support.

Legalizing euthanasia provides a way to relieve extreme pain. Modern medicine has brought great benefits to humanity such as prolonging life, but by prolonging life it is also

Most of us fear death, but a large part of that fear comes from uncertainty and the worry that it might lead to an agonizing pain. If we knew exactly when we were going to die – and knew for a fact it would be painless – it is a fair bet that that fear would simply melt away. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, euthanasia is the act or practice of killing someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any more suffering (merriam-webster.com); also known as “mercy killing.” There are three classifications of euthanasia: voluntary euthanasia is performed with the patient 's consent; non-voluntary euthanasia is where the patient is unable to give their informed consent like child euthanasia; and involuntary euthanasia is performed on a patient against their will (NHS Choices). Practicing euthanasia is not about the right to kill; it makes economic sense, does not target the vulnerable, does not lead to horrifying alternatives, and does not violate the Hippocratic Oath. While the use of euthanasia is against the will of God; with the act of euthanasia, allowing people to die with dignity is kinder than forcing them to continue their lives with suffering.

In cases where an individual's quality of life is irreparably diminished by terminal illness, one may seek to end their life with the help of a doctor. This has been a solution for patient suffering in neighboring countries, but there are ethical and legal issues that make it an impractical solution for American healthcare. Considering the results of negative potential of euthanasia practices exposes its flaws, and sheds light on better alternatives. Therefore active euthanasia, not to be confused with physician assisted suicide, should not be legalized in the United States.

Voluntary euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide, has been a controversial issue for many years. It usually involves ending a patient’s life early to relieve their illness. Most of the controversy stemmed from personal values like ethics or religion. The euthanasia debate puts a huge emphasis on what doctors should do for their patients and how much a person’s life is worth. Supporters of euthanasia primarily focus on cost and pain alleviation. Opponents of euthanasia tend to focus on morality. Whether euthanasia is legal or not could significantly affect future generations’ attitudes about death. Euthanasia should be legalized nationally because it helps patients that could be in unimaginable pain, offers more options for more people, and it is relatively inexpensive compared to the alternatives.