Euthanasia is a very controversial topic that is constantly being considered and reconsidered. Euthanasia can be described as “the act or practice of inducing the painless death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively quick and painless way for reasons of mercy” ( Euthanasia, 2011). In Greek, euthanasia means ‘easy death’ ( Euthanasia , 2011). Euthanasia is considered ‘”a good death'” by some and not by others, so it can be agreed upon that Euthanasia has both pros and cons.
Actively keeping a terminal patient alive when they are in great pain has been called “cruel and inhuman treatment” ( Euthanasia , 2011). Euthanasia would be a better alternative to keeping a patient alive while their life is full of pain. Euthanasia can also “relieve fear and anxiety” for the dying person, as it gives them control over when they die ( Euthanasia , 2011). The person who is going to die knows when they are going to die, rather than not knowing until death approaches.
However, Euthanasia isn’t always the best thing for every situation. While Euthanasia may cause less pain to some people, others feel that their Euthanasia was ‘bad’ due to the circumstances surrounding it ( Euthanasia , 2011). If a family member were in great pain and wanted Euthanasia, then Euthanasia would be most beneficial. Euthanasia can even have positive impacts on the family of the deceased, as Euthanasia can “relieve feelings of guilt and distress” ( Euthanasia , 2011). Euthanasia is good for all parties involved.
Euthanasia isn’t always medical or painless either; sometimes Euthanasias require doctors to perform Euthanasias by injecting drugs into a patient’s heart ( Euthanasia , 2013). Euthanasia can also involve mental pain if the dying patient begins to fear death, which may cause stress, anxiety, or depression. These patients are unlikely to experience ‘the good death’ that some are lucky enough to have experienced prior to their own Euthanasia . Euthanasia should only be done when the patient wants Euthanasia and/or Euthanasia is beneficial to everyone involved. Euthanasia isn’t always good for all parties, so Euthanasia shouldn’t be forced.
Euthanasia can also be classed in different ways with Euthanasia either being voluntary or non-voluntary where Euthanasia with a Voluntary is when somebody requests to die and Euthanasia without a request is when there is no direct request but it would have been reasonable to assume somebody wanted to die. One of the main concerns about Euthanasia is that it could be used instead of good palliative care, Euthanasia might just become the quick fix rather than putting in the time and money for good care.
Active Euthanasia might be considered immoral by some religious groups for example Christian, Jewish and Muslim Communities due their belief in the sanctity of life. Non Christians may find many forms of Euthanasia acceptable. Euthanasia is not legal in most countries. Euthanasia was formerly legal in the Netherlands, a law passed by the Euthanasia Society of America that legalized Euthanasia in four states from 1996-2002 when it was then overturned by the Supreme Court of New York State.
In 2002 Euthanasia became legal in Belgium and Luxembourg with further legislation allowing doctors to administer lethal injections coming into effect in 2002/3. In 2005 Euthanasia was legalized in the state of Oregon however this only applies for residents who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, have less than 6 months to live and make a request orally at least 15 days before receiving a lethal injection.
Australia is one of two countries in the world where euthanasia is illegal and can lead to imprisonment and Euthanasia was legal in the Northern Territory for a short period after the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995 before being overturned by Federal Government legislation. Euthanasia is widely accepted in other countries such as Switzerland, Germany and Japan where Euthanasia can be requested by anybody but Euthanasia may not be carried out without appropriate reason.
In 2009 Euthanasia accounted for 3% of all deaths within Belgium compared to 0.4 % of total deaths worldwide reported by Lancet Study 2010. Euthanasia has been used for people who are physically ill however it is also used on those who experience mental illness such as depression and dementia, this would suggest that Euthanasia should only be allowed if somebody’s life is in no longer considered to be worth living. Euthanasia can also lead to Euthanasia tourism, where patients travel from other countries such as the USA and Australia for Euthanasia when Euthanasia is illegal in their own country.
Euthanasia may not always be a success and could result in people being forced to take Euthanasia unwillingly or Euthanized individuals coming back to life or feeling pressure from others to accept Euthanasia. It has been suggested that an individual should only have the right to die if they are capable of making decisions about his/her life which means limiting Euthanasia mainly just for those who are terminally ill however this would then mean that it cannot be used on people with mental illness which would limit Euthanasia even further.
Euthanasia may also be used as a way of saving medical costs if Euthanasia is allowed to be carried out domestically by at home Euthanasia but Euthanasia could lead to Euthanized individuals not receiving the correct pain medication or unbearable suffering for Euthanized people living in poverty who cannot afford pain relief, this would then mean that they are saved from their suffering but it can still cause mental distress through guilt and complications by Euthanizing someone illegally at home rather than letting them suffer.
Conclusion – Active Euthanasia should not be allowed as there are too many ethical issues surrounding Active Euthenasia. Active Euthenasia may become widely accepted however Euthanasia should only be allowed if the Euthanized person is terminally ill and requests Euthenasia otherwise Euthanasia can lead to Euthanized individuals feeling pressure into Euthanasia or Euthanizing someone unwillingly which could then affect their mental state after Euthenasia.
Active euthanasia is when there are deliberate actions by others to kill the patient, such as injecting them with lethal drugs. Active euthanasia is often used so that patients do not experience any pain or suffering during their death process. However, it may also be used to reduce the financial burden on families and healthcare systems (for example, by not treating a patient who cannot afford treatment).
