Taking a Look at Euthanasia

Today, there is a large debate over the situation and consequences of euthanasia. Euthanasia is the act of ending a human’s life by lethal injection or the stoppage of medication, or medical treatment. It has been denied by most of today’s population and is illegal in the fifty states of the United States. Usually, those who undergo this treatment have a disease or an “unbearable” pain somewhere in the body or the mind. Since there are ways, other than ending life, to stop pain caused by illness or depression, euthanasia is immoral, a disgrace to humanity, according to the Hippocratic Oath, and should be illegal throughout the United States.

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.

Advances in medical treatments have raised the average life expectancy of people in Canada. However, it fails to guarantee a perfectly healthy life for people who experience incurable diseases. The rising interest in Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide in Canada, is an outcome of the desire of people to have a greater control over their lives in terms of their capacity to determine death when the patients are terminally ill.

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

We are taught early that every life in the world is precious. Whether it’s a new born baby with a lifetime ahead of them, an elderly man at the end of his journey waiting for what comes next, a man who has studied his entire life to earn everything he has, or a criminal who looks for every opportunity to steal what he wants. When so much value in life is placed on every person’s right to do what they want, why is it then frowned upon when the same person wants to end their own life? I believe that Euthanasia should be legalized in Canada under certain terms and conditions.

[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

Imagine being someone one day then all of a sudden the next day you become nobody. Just like that a major event may occur in your life as well as those around you. Physician Assisted Dying (PAD) and euthanasia has just recently been legal here in Canada as of 2015. Bill 52, which allows for euthanasia, is a bill that allows people to have medical help dying, as long as they have an incurable illness. The patient must be in constant unbearable physical or psychological pain that cannot be helped. In order to receive PAD, the patient must be an adult whom is capable of consent. Minors, adults who lack decision-making, and other classes of patients such as the mentally ill do not qualify. While many people think it’s ethically wrong regardless of their health condition to ask their health care provider to assist in ending their lives; others feel as if it’s their right to choose how and when they die. A physician has numerous responsibilities that need to be taken into account when a patient as asked them to assist them into death. The physician needs to provide valid information to the patient like how there is other treatments or therapies, educating the patient on their decision, and they also need to make sure this decision came solely from the patients themselves. Physician Assisted Dying influences people with the concept that they have to right to die whenever they desire. Instead of taking your life for granted, this should come to a halt and not be extended to other

Euthanasia is categorized in various forms. The first category deals with the patient’s consent. Voluntary euthanasia refers to a patient making the voluntary enduring demand to be assisted with the procedure of assisted suicide while involuntary euthanasia is ending the patient’s life without their consent or awareness. Euthanasia is also categorized in the approach the patient’s life was ended. Active euthanasia is ending a patient’s life by the use of drugs with or without the aid of a physician. Passive euthanasia is terminating a patient’s life by disregarding the necessary actions to maintain life such as withdrawing water, food, drugs, medical and surgical procedures. While passive euthanasia is legal in Canada, active euthanasia is considered murder and is illegal.

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

The only way for someone to be able to receive Euthanasia is by meeting this law's various criteria. The facets of this law try to protect as much life as possible, so that its only eligible for the people with the greatest physical need for it. Many Canadians believe that assisted death is a law that works for the justice of our nation, by having this option safe, legal, we are protecting and helping to enforce people’s rights to

The controversy of a doctor assisting their patient who is already dying, end their life sooner to save them from continuous unnecessary pain and agony has been the topic of controversy for years. The practice of euthanasia is in my opinion a mercy and should not be banned because in reality it doesn’t physically hurt anyone. You could say it hurts the patient but then again that patient is already in tremendous pain or in an incapacitated state of no recovery, as in paralyzed or brain damage etc., so in reality it would actually help them by assisting ending their pain by assisted suicide. A doctors job is also always help their patients and the practice of assisted suicide in many ways is actually helping the person. However there has and probably always will be people who do not agree with the idea of a dying person end their life for sooner than nature had intended. This demographic would suggest that by dying by your own hand or assisted by a physician for medical reasons is still considered plain suicide. And for the religious people it is a sin by their beliefs. The people could also argue that it is not a person’s right to make that decision.

The ethical issue is Euthanasia, there are many groups that support or oppose this issue. Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. The different viewpoints are based around whether it is humane to assist someone in dying and whether it should be illegal for someone to assist the death of someone who has a terminal illness and are suffering incurable pain. Groups that oppose the issue generally believe that it is inhumane to end someone 's life early, these groups generally believe these people should be given care and as much comfort as possible until their last days. Groups that support the issue generally believe that if someone has lost their mental state or are suffering unbearable pain that cannot be cured, that they should be allowed the option of euthanasia because it is inhumane to make someone suffer unbearable pain if they do not need to. An ethical issue brings systems of morality and principles into conflict, ethical issues are more subjective and opinionated and generally cannot be solved with facts, laws and truth. Euthanasia is an ethical issue because there are two equally unacceptable options. It is considered wrong

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.