Personal Look At Euthanasia Essay, Research Paper
Personal Look at Euthanasia
Recent debates over active euthanasia, “killing” a terminally
ill patient, in Holland, has risen the question whether euthanasia is
immoral or a simple human right. Doctors seem to have no doubt. They
made an oath. The definition of Euthanasia depends on whether it is
active or passive. Active Euthanasia is only allowed in Holland, and
it means that the doctor takes direct measures to put a patient to
sleep, whereas passive Euthanasia only involves stopping pill
consumption, or stopping treatment. In England, only passive
Euthanasia is allowed.
Euthanasia touches some of the deepest feelings in human
beings. It is the power over life and death, and responsibilities no
one wishes to take, have to be taken. This, of cause, leads to the
ultimatum, that it is the patients own choice. But can we allow some
one to take their own lives? Doesn’t this mean that everyone else
around the patient have failed, that more could have been done? From
the patients point of view, a lot of arguments talk in favor of
euthanasia. For one, no body wants to be a burden. If a person has had
a car accident which paralyses him from neck and down, and is doomed
to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he knows that he will
be 100% dependant on the ones that care for him, his lived ones,
forever. It can also be mentioned that the life quality of a
terminally ill patient, gets reduced a lot. Never being able to walk
again, never being able to talk to your children again, never being
able to go shopping, swimming, playing, driving etc. must be terrible
for anyone. The whole situation only gets worse, if the patient
himself, can see that his condition is worsening, and only time keeps
his thoughts clear. A third very important point, is pain. If people
see a deer, which had been hit by a car, and is in terrible pain, they
will kill it, out of pitty. Why shouldn’t the same be allowed with
humans, if pain reaches a level, where it is unbearable? For these
people, who do not have the choice of active euthanasia,
self-starvation is the only choice.
The doctors view on euthanasia, seems to be overall different.
First of all, they have taken their wove, always to assist patients
in prolonging their lives, and Euthanasia completely contradicts this.
Their approach is “Where there is life, there is hope”, so even a
person, who has 20 tubes stuck in them, feeding them, breathing for
them, there is still life, and who knows? Maybe the future will bring
the cure?
Euthanasia does mean “Good death”, but there can still be no
conclusion to a question, whether Euthanasia should be accepted or
not. Psychologists, philosophers, doctors and everybody else, will
consider this question for all time. My opinion is, that anyone who is
terminally ill, should have the choice, but to all rules there are
exceptions, and to something as serious as this, there shouldn’t be.