Dilemma On Euthanasia

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Recommended: Ethical and legal issues euthanasia

Shea Cullison
I am writing this paper to address the moral issue of whether or not doctors should be able to legally practice euthanasia. Euthanasia is more commonly known as physician assisted suicide. It is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy. Euthanasia should become legalized in the United States because a living person should be able to make the choice to end their life if they are suffering beyond what they are able to bare. Whether that suffering is physical, psychological, social, or spiritual they should be allowed to make their own decisions. The moral dilemma that is presented with euthanasia is that one person is knowingly ending the life of another human being.
Euthanasia can be a difficult subject to address because it may not ever actually affect us unless we are placed in a situation where we would have to choose for ourselves whether or not we would ask a physician to assist in our own suicide, however, euthanasia must remain illegal in the United States. The main reason that it should remain illegal is that doctors should not be asked to take the life of another human being. By allowing people to accept euthanasia this would then be imposing on the rights of those who would have to perform the procedure. What if they feel that it is morally wrong? They should not be forced to kill a patient simply because that person believes they are beyond saving. Doctors have gone through years of schooling in order to learn how amazing the human body is and they know how to help people recover from illness and injury. Euthanasia should not be an option for someone who believes they...

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...assive euthanasia.” According to the American Hospital Association, which is referenced in the article, about 70 percent of the deaths in hospitals happen after a decision has been made by the patient to withhold treatment. If this “passive euthanasia” is allowed to happen, and people are choosing to have their treatment withheld, how is that any different from the real thing? If patients are choosing to die, but in a slow and painful way, they should be able to have a shot administered to them that will first put them to sleep and then they will peacefully die. If done properly, euthanasia is a virtually painless procedure. One shot would put a patient to sleep, another would make their muscles relax, and the last one would stop their heart. Euthanasia is not a heartless procedure. Legalizing it could help many people find relief from their pain and suffering.

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