Euthanasia: Should it really be practiced - Essay Example

Euthanasia: Should it really be practiced? Euthanasia, or what is also called mercy-killing, is the practice of intentionally ending a life with the intent of relieving pain (The Associated Press, retrieved from http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/08/us/california-suicide-bill-dropped.html?ref=topics&referer=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/euthanasia/index.html). The act of mercy killing can be committed by commission or omission. The practice is of the assumption that the patient is well aware that their ultimate fate is death (Keown, 23). Sometimes, the patient has to administer the killer drug/poison themselves. Euthanasia is also referred to as assisted suicide at times. You have certainly heard of the incidences where medical practitioners deliberately lend their patients with incurable diseases a hand in ending their life. What follows this? They are promptly apprehended and media brands them as "Angels of death" or "suicide helpers". Such is the attitude that most people harbor towards euthanasia. To such people, killing is still killing regardless of the motive or how intense the suffering of the patient was. Logically speaking, though, euthanasia is not as bad as people paint it. I mean, what act of humanity is greater than giving a patient of terminal illness a dignified, painless transition to the next life and while at it relieving them of suffering? Opponents of euthanasia cite the possibility of fraud and abuse in administration of the practice (Ian and Richard, Retrieved from:http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/us/california-governor-signs-assisted-suicide-bill intolaw.html?ref=topics&referer=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/euthanasia/index.html). This shouldnt really be a concern, though legal guidelines on the rightful procedure for it can be laid down to regulate the terms and conditions for its application. Look at abortion, for instance, isnt it also an act of killing? It is, however, legal, with conditions on its administration of course. It is only allowed if the health of the mother is in jeopardy. The same can be done for euthanasia. Others still claim that a medical discovery on the cure of a seemingly incurable condition may be made someday. Honestly though, what are the odds that the cure of say stage for cancer will be found before the patient succumbs to the illness? It should be noted that mercy killing is only applicable in cases where theres definitely no cure and death is the only thing left. It just serves to hasten the death to reduce the suffering of the patient. The sanctity of life is a religious argument opponents put forward against euthanasia. Christians and other religious people believe that human life is sacred and is God given. According to them, only God has the mandate to decide when a human life should end. However, some Christians who are proponents of euthanasia believe that God is love and that letting a patient live in suffering is definitely not an act of love. To them, euthanasia is an ultimate act of love as it ends the suffering of a loved one suffering terminally. A claim that decision to take the euthanasia route by a patient is insensitive to the effects it would have on family and friends has been put forward (Minnesota citizens concerned for life, retrieved from http://www.mccl.org/euthanasia-and-assisted-suicide.html). Proponents of this claim think that such a decision would be detrimental to the family, friends, and caregiver. It would apparently cause feelings of guilt, grief or anger. Dont you think this is rather selfish? It’s the patients well-being and freedom from suffering that is most important. Feelings of others, harsh as it may sound, are secondary in such cases. Slippery slope argument has also been put forward in opposition of euthanasia. This argument is based on the fact that once the decision to legalize euthanasia has been made, there can never be going back regardless of the consequences that it may bring with it. Some of the projected consequences include: • In case of misdiagnosis, euthanasia could be sought to in situations where the patient actually had a chance to live. Legalizing euthanasia would kill the enthusiasm for research in the medical field to find cures for currently incurable diseases. Also, research into palliative treatments would also be crippled. Very ill people in need of constant care or those with severe disability may feel pressured to request for euthanasia in order to ease the burden they impose on their families. While this is somewhat right, I disagree on certain issues. In the case about misdiagnosis, regulations can be made to make sure that that the practice is only administered if confirmatory tests for the diagnosis have been run to rule out any possibility of misdiagnosis. Also, as much as the patient may really want euthanasia administered, it wouldnt be unless there were strong grounds for it. Having made clarity on the issues above, it is also necessary to address some of the benefits of euthanasia. It quickly and humanely ends suffering, allowing the patient to have a dignified death. It may also help end the grief and suffering that illness brings to the family of the patient. Watching a loved one go through pain and suffering can be very depressing to the family. Euthanasia also helps save on finances that would have been used in giving care to the patient whose death was bound to come anyway. Treatment and care for persons with terminal illnesses is usually very expensive. Most of the time it goes very deep into the family finances and may even leave the family in debt. It may help free health facilities giving room for other patients to be attended to as well. Think of patients who have been in a coma for a long period of time and are on life support machines, those with terminal illnesses awaiting their death on hospital beds. They occupy places preventing other patients from being attended to. I believe that everyone has a right to a dignified death. Why should we deny anyone that? Think of this, when your pet is suffering from pain causing terminal illness, you will certainly approve to having it put down to save it from the pain and suffering. We should look at euthanasia the same way. Works Cited Ian and Richard (October 5, 2015). ‘Assisted suicide bill into law’. New York Times. Keown, John. Euthanasia, Ethics, and Public Policy: An Argument against Legislation. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014. Print. Minnesota citizens concerned for life (2015) ‘Euthanasia and assisted suicide’ Minnesota citizens concerned for life The associated press (July 7, 2015) ‘Suicide bill dropped’. New York Times. Read More