Free Euthanasia Essay

Euthanasia

After years of debate the issue of euthanasia has sparked my interest. Euthanasia

should be legalized here in the United States. As we contemplate legalizing

euthanasia many issues should be taken into consideration. One issue that should be taken

into consideration is by religious orders. I feel a religion must support the decision of any

person in their congregation who is about to die in whatever choices he or she makes.

Euthanasia is a type of suicide that is intended to benefit the person who is dying and

requires a final act by some other person. Euthanasia comes from the Greek word ‘eu

thanatos’ which means ‘good death’. Even in the Greek culture the topic of euthanasia

was a debated issue.

Many religions feels that the holiest gift that was given to us from god was the

right to life. These religions will not allow a religious burial if one commits any type of

suicide. Is this negligent of religions because they are not looking at the picture in whole?

Should each case be looked at individually? I do think that suicide in general is morally

wrong, but if there were a medical reason why you are exiting this world before your

time is up I think you should have the right to a religious burial.

There are certain conditions in which euthanasia should be available for a patient.

These conditions are as follows:

1. A patient is suffering from a terminate illness and it is unlikely that a cure for the illness will be found.

2. A person is dependent on a machine or other technological means of survival just to keep their life going.

3. There is a voluntary and rational wish to die from a patient that is in intolerable pain.

These are the conditions in which euthanasia should be acceptable for religion. On the

other hand a physician has to make an ethical and a moral decision before even

considering performing euthanasia on one of his or her patients. The ethics that have to

be taken into consideration by the physician are autonomy, beneficence, and

nonmaleficence. What is meant by these ethics? The ethic autonomy means that every

“normal” person has the right to end his or her life at any time by himself or herself.

What is meant by “normal”? A normal person is someone that is sane and also alert to

their surrounding. The ethic beneficence means that a physician’s main job is to relieve