John Steinbeck's Arguments Against Euthanasia

How would you feel if you were forced to suffer through days of excruciating pain, all because someone else had different beliefs? Well, the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck explores the topic of mercy killing through the killing of Candy’s dog, who was merely existing while in constant pain. Another way to describe this way of death is Euthanasia. The article “Where is Euthanasia legal?” defines it as the act of intentionally ending a person’s life so as to help relieve the suffering of pain. Euthanasia is justified in certain situations because no individual should be forced to endure agonizing physical pain against their will; moreover, they should be able to have control over their own death, making it as comfortable and pleasant

For example, Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old terminal cancer patient, stated while talking to a reporter about deciding to use euthanasia to end her life peacefully, “I will die upstairs in my bedroom that I share with my husband, with my mom and my husband by my side, and pass peacefully with some music I like playing in the background” (Dobuzinskis). Maynard wished only to be with the ones she loved most on her final day when she was finally going to be liberated from her misery. Without euthanasia, she would have had to continue to undergo many horrific days of excruciating pain, until her body could no longer take the pain, inevitably shutting down. Another example is from the American Civil Liberties Union, who articulates, “The right of a competent, terminally ill person to avoid excruciating pain and embrace a timely and dignified death bears the sanction of history and is implicit in the concept of ordered liberty” (ACLU). This further proves the point that all humans should have the undisputed right to chose their own death when capable to make the decision, which is given to them by simple human rights. Individuals should not be forced to sustain incredible pain without being allowed to end their ongoing agony; it is entirely

One reason they are opposed to the topic is the Hippocratic Oath. The oath states, “the prohibition against killing patients… stands as the first promise of self-restraint sworn into, as medicine’s primary taboo” (Kass). Although some may believe this perspective is correct, it is strongly flawed. One reason why this thinking is faulty is brought up by the director and founder of Exit International, who expressed, “ Over time the Hippocratic Oath has been modified on a number of occasions as some of its tenets became less and less acceptable” (Nitschke). When this theory was first developed, they also believed that women should not be allowed to study medicine and that doctors should never break into the patient’s skin, which clearly these are not accurate assumptions. The oath has simply just not evolved far enough yet, and while society is trying to advance it, close minded individuals, are blocking the opportunity to help those in need. Consequently, once people fully understand what euthanasia is used for, and all that it is helping, then it will be rapidly legalized across the