Is Euthanasia Ethical - Essay Example

Is Euthanasia ethical? Affiliation: Introduction Euthanasia is physician assisted suicide where the physician administers drugs to the patient to facilitate his or her death or make it occur quicker. It is mostly conducted on individuals with chronic diseases and who have suffered enough pain and who are known to die anytime. The physician therefore only assists them to end their suffering quickly. The issue of ethics comes in in relation to consent to carry out the mercy killing as it is commonly referred to. There are incidences where the patient asks for the mercy killing but in others the physician does it on their own decision or from prompting by the family of the sick patient but without the knowledge or consent of the patient (McDougall and Gorman, 2008). The paper will show through argument of both pros and cons that euthanasia is indeed an ethical issue. Argument There has been a lot of research focused on Euthanasia ever since it was discovered and started being discussed openly. One of the greatest advantages of Euthanasia is the fact that it ends the suffering of the patient. There are patients who suffer from chronic illnesses such as cancer and who have undergone all forms of treatments and there is nothing else that can be done other than just wait for their time of death. Their suffering is not only from the treatments as well as pain from the disease but also from psychological torture of thinking about the oncoming death and the family being left behind. The quick end to their suffering to discontinue this pain, suffering and torture is what they desire (Basri, 2012). The other advantage is that when mercy killing is administered, it actually saves on the medical resources which can be used for other patients who depend on it and who can actually get better and live longer than the chronically ill patients in their death beds. This is a reasonable argument though like the rest of the advantages it is prone to counterargument. This is especially the case in the less developed nations or in areas that have scarcity of medical resources ranging from the hospital beds to pain killer medicines and other health equipment. Killing the patients in order to save and use those resources for other patients is ethical decision as in the long run, more patients will be saved and good done to them. Euthanasia provides individuals with enough time to convey their wishes and goodbyes to their loved ones. For those who are religious, they have time to confess their sins and be prepared by their religious leaders of the oncoming death. This leads to satisfaction and psychological preparedness to the rest of the family and friends as well as happy ending to the patient without any regrets or last minute wishes as well. The downside of Euthanasia is that it devalues life. Being put to death and putting others to death is an indication of how life has no meaning to these individuals. Life is sacred and should not be taken for granted and by killing someone or instructing to be killed is an indication of how little people value life and death. Death is a supernatural thing and controlled by a powerful force and a supernatural being. Taking the work of God in our own hands and administering death is not only considered rude and ungodly but disrespectful of the powers of this supernatural being (Cavan, 2000). There are also nations and states where euthanasia is considered illegal. Anything that is illegal is taken to mean it is bad and unacceptable and hence the same case applies for Euthanasia. There is a very good reason why it is considered unethical and illegal as well. Taking the life of another person is considered to be against the human rights as they provide the right to life for every one irrespective of whether one has terminal disease or not (Biggs, 2001). When physicians complete their studies, they have the Hippocratic oath they swear which contains the ethical principles that demand they do no harm to their patients as well as do all they can to help the patient get better. Euthanasia goes against this oath of allegiance they sign as well as all of their ethical principles governing them and this is especially so if done without the consent of the patient or if the suggestion are provided by the physician to the patient. History of Euthanasia The practice of euthanasia was present in Europe as early as the 1600s. It was a technique practiced as a way to hasten the death of people in Marseilles and Athens. The debate on the ethicality of euthanasia was also present even during those times with the religious groups and moralists strongly opposing it as they say it going against the will of God. The scientists and physicians had no problem with it as to them they were assisting their patient by ending their suffering and this led to its continued practice to date. It may however have been more accepted in those times than in the current times because suicide was also accepted by the Protestants and hence the people endorsed euthanasia as well which they considered also as a form of suicide even though it was assisted by a physician (Dowbiggin, 2007). The issue and debate surrounding Euthanasia started in the US in around mid-1800s and also drew on mixed reactions similar to those in Europe the only difference being that they were not heavily inclined on the religious side of the debate. The Americans argued that it was not an ethical thing if the reasons prior to the euthanasia are examined and broken down. This is similar to any ethical or moral debate where the reasons are examined in detail before any decisions are made. States also started having legislative debates over the issue and its legality as well as ethicality. Those who saw the issue as ethical legalized the practice in their states while other rejected it. For those who went against the set rules and regulations, they face jail term or even hefty fines of even up to $1000. The Nazi however made most nations declare euthanasia unethical and illegal because they verified their mass murders as euthanasia campaign. The people who were handicapped in one way or another and hence could not positively contribute in the Nazi camp were killed in mercy killings and this was justified by them. Persuasive statement The ethical debate is not so much about the pros and cons of the euthanasia practice but more soon the reasons and motive behind the performance of the practice by the physicians. Before people heavily criticize or judge the physicians for carrying out the mercy killings, they should put themselves on the shoes of these patients who are in severe pain that even string painkillers cannot seem to drive away and nothing more can be done to them. They are also on the verge of death which is inevitable either way. This can be achieved by imagining the worse pain one has ever experienced and magnifying it. If one can bear such pain for the rest of their lives, then they can argue that euthanasia is unethical but if not, they should support euthanasia practice. Conclusion In conclusion, the debate on euthanasia and whether it’s ethical or not has been in existence for centuries and no solution has been found yet. It therefore should not be a matter for people to fight over or worry them. Personal values should guide the physician to making the right decision which can be verified using medical records of the patient. Euthanasia is ethical and that is the end of discussion. References Basri, Z. (2012). Euthanasia: Which M Is It? Mercy or Murder? New York: AuthorHouse. Biggs, H. (2001). Euthanasia, Death with Dignity and the Law. Massachusetts: Hart Publishing. Cavan, S. (2000). Euthanasia: The Debate over the Right to Die. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. Dowbiggin, I. (2007). A Concise History of Euthanasia: Life, Death, God, and Medicine. New Jersey: Rowman & Littlefield. McDougall, J. and Gorman, M. (2008). Euthanasia: A Reference Handbook. New York: ABC CLIO. Read More