Human Euthanization

Euthanasia should be legalized for terminally ill individuals on a voluntary basis to reduce medical costs, prevent prolonged physical pain and unnecessary suffering, and to preserve the dignity of the dying person. Terminally ill patients often accumulate massive amounts of medical expenses. In addition to costs, terminally ill patients are subject to excruciating pain and discomfort due to the disease and/or treatments involved, given only to prolong the inevitable. When a person is dying, he or she may have very little or no say in what goes on in one’s own home, finances, or other aspects of that person’s life, but one reserves the right to die with dignity intact.

Euthanasia comes from Greek prefix “eu” meaning good or easy, and suffix “thanatos” meaning death (123helpme.com). In ancient Greece, suicides and assisted suicides were practiced regularly. In some situations, it was considered honorable to commit suicide or have a family member assist in one’s death (Walker). On the other hand, Socrates was sentenced to suicide as punishment for “corrupting the city’s youth with his teachings” (Yount). As time went on, suicide and assisted suicide became decreasingly accepted in society. As Christianity was introduced into Western civilization, a value was placed on the human life that was not there before. It was said that only God had the right to take the gift of life away from individuals. By the 19th century, most countries had laws against suicide, punishing the family by taking property, livestock, etc. However, those laws were lifted because they were found insensitive to the grieving families. Today in the United States, there are no laws against committing suicide or attempting suicide, however assisted suicide and eut...

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...rable illness wishes to hasten death, the clinician should be obligated to assist the patient in carrying out those wishes, by prescribing medication or withholding life prolonging treatments. If laws were made to allow euthanasia and assisted suicide, this would have a positive effect on the economy, the public, and the emotional and financial condition of dying patients and their families.

Works Sited

Williams, Mary. Terminal Illness. 1st. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Print.

Yount, Lisa. Euthanasia. 1st. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Print.

Yount, Lisa. Right to Die and Euthanasia. Revised. New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc., 2007. Print.

WWW.procon.org/euthanasia/historical-timeline

WWW.usatoday.com

Walker, Richard. The Right to Die?. 1st. North Mankato, MN: Sea to Sea Publishing, 2006. Print

WWW.123helpme.com