Euthanasia(Assisted Suicide) Pros and Cons - Essay Example

Euthanasia (Assisted Suicide Pros and Cons Carolyn Lee PH1200 August 22, Jeanne Henry Euthanasia (Assisted Suicide Pros and Cons Euthanasia is one of the most controversial topics that have invited a lot of debate. Euthanasia is assisted suicide whereby an individual is led to the point of death with due assistance of one or more people upon the individual’s own will. There are quite a lot of diseases in which living feels extremely painful for the patient, so the patient chooses death over life in an attempt to permanently escape the unbearable pain.

In other cases, euthanasia is given to old patients who have gone into comma and have remained in that state for years. This paper discusses the ethical implications of this practice from both sides of the debate.Arguments in favor and against euthanasia Proponents of euthanasia base their claims on the fact that in the democracy and capitalistic modernity that are so widespread in the contemporary age, every individual has the right to decide for his/her own future. “The Hemlock Society is very vocal in their belief that euthanasia should be allowed, especially if the patient has conveyed those wishes” (Yares, 2011).

Therefore, if an individual wants to die, his/her wish should be granted. Proponents of euthanasia also say that this practice relieves the patient as well as the patient’s relatives of the continuous pain and havoc. In a lot of conditions, there is no hope of improvement of the patient’s condition. Instead of waiting for the death to come on its own, it is right as per the utilitarian view to assist the patient with the suicide. The utilitarian view considers all such practices ethical whose results are favorable.

Apparently, all results of euthanasia are favorable because it not only allows the patient an escape from the uninterrupted state of pain, but also give physical and financial relief to the relatives who have to pay for the hospital expenses on daily bases as long as the patient lives. In the present age, health care is becoming more and more expensive. People have to pay hundreds of dollars every single day for the patient care in hospitals. Euthanasia saves all this money and allows the relatives to take a sigh of relief.

Opponents of euthanasia fundamentally base their opinion on religious grounds, saying that it is for no one but God to choose the time of birth and the time of death of an individual. If an individual is in a state of stress or pain, it is God’s will. God will take the life out of the body when He will want. By interfering in God’s business, humans are making themselves sinful and will have to be accountable for their acts in the world hereafter. Suicide is wrong, be it assisted or otherwise.

By helping the patient embrace death, the caregivers are committing a murder. As an alternative to euthanasia, “Palliative care and rehabilitation centers are better alternatives to help disabled or patients approaching death live a pain-free and better life” (Maisie, 2011). Euthanasia cannot be reversed, so all possible alternatives should be considered in order to improve the circumstances for the patient as well as for the relatives instead of resolving to commit the act of murder. DiscussionBoth, the arguments in favor and against euthanasia seem to be logical.

There is no point in asking a person to sustain his life in pain, agony and discomfort if he is in a terminally ill condition. The right to live is a natural right in all the democratic countries. So the right to die should also be considered as a natural right in certain circumstances. In a democratic setup, all the people have the right to lead a free life, without causing any damages or inconvenience to others. If a person in no hope condition is asked to sustain his life in uncertain circumstances, his closest relatives will be suffered a lot.

So if a patient in critical condition opted for euthanasia, nobody can blame him. The right to accept death in dignity should be considered as a natural right. The major arguments against euthanasia are based on ethical or moral dimensions. Religions always argue against committing any kind of suicide. As of now, science failed miserably in unveiling the secrets behind life and death. The existence of soul or spirit on a live human body is acceptable to science. In other words, without energy in the form of soul or spirit, human body cannot function.

Science doesn’t know what happen to this soul or energy of a person after his death. According to the energy conservation theorem in science energy cannot be destroyed. If that is true, science should explain what happened to this energy or soul after the death of a person. Until science answers that question, the ethical argument against euthanasia, raised by religions cannot be neglected. It is often said that medical ethics do not allow a doctor to perform euthanasia. According to medical ethics, the duty of the doctor is to save the lives of humans rather than destroying it.

At the same time, a doctor has the responsibility in helping a patient to avoid his pain and agony using all possible means. Some people believe that euthanasia should be considered as part of the palliative care aspect of medical profession. If that is true, medical ethics principles should be modified or updated based on the changes happening in our social life. Nobody can deny the importance of human life in this world. In fact human life is the most important thing in this universe. As of now, human life is found to be exists only in our earth.

Even though, human explored other planets and outer space vigorously in the past, he failed to gather any evidences in favor of the possibility of life in other planets. Under such circumstances, the importance of human life on earth is unimaginable. ConclusionsIt is difficult to conclude euthanasia either as a wrong act or a right act. Even though science rejects the concept of life after death, religions are strongly arguing in favor of that concept. Until science clear out all the mysteries surrounding human life and death, it is logical to accept the arguments of religions.

References:Maisie, M. (2011). Pros and Cons of Euthanasia. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-euthanasia.html. Yares, K. (2011, July 18). What is euthanasia? Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-euthanasia.htm.