The Ethics Of Child Euthanasia

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Dr. Funke Philosophy 4/29/16 The Ethics of Child Euthanasia The right to die, or not the right to die; that is the question. In an ideal and perfect world, no one, especially children should ever succumb to death 's door. It is a real tragedy that some dreams do not come to pass; from being married and having children, to graduating college, these hopes and aspirations are virtually an impossible and unattainable goal due to being stricken with an incurable illness. The reality is, there are both children and adults in this world that pondered about ending either their lives or a loved one 's life due to deterioration from disease and agony. Both supporters and critics have strong reasoning and are asking the right questions. While both sides are firm of their convictions and believe that one is right and the other is wrong, it will take an honest look from both sides to see what is the right course of action. In the modern world of the twenty-first century, there are 195 recognized countries. Of these sovereign entities, Belgium currently is the only one to legally allow euthanasia for children of any age group. This has caused severe backlash from both Western and Eastern countries alike. The very idea of giving families with severe diseases the option of mercy killings is a serious concept. The critics are flabbergasted on why anyone would want a child to die this way. With a topic that is gaining more and more controversy every day, this issue should not be left in the wayside and neglected. At the end of the day, child euthanasia should be a legal option for those who face terminal disease. With a sensitive topic such as child euthanasia, one must be careful about being bias and not examining both si... ... middle of paper ... ... alike. While some desire to take treatment and medicine until the end, not everyone wants to continue with the feeling of hopelessness and being in pain. By making child mercy killings legal, at least the option is available. Child euthanasia needs to be a last resort and not a first option. Word count 1802/1800 Works Cited Page Valley, Paul. "Child Euthanasia: Too Hard to Live, Too Young to Die." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 15 Feb. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. Williams, Thomas D. "Euthanasia in Belgium: Doctors 'Hasten the Death ' of 1,000 Non-Consenting Patients a Year - Breitbart." Breitbart News. 12 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. Coghlan, Andy. "Should Young Children Have the Right to Die?" New Scientist. 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. Funke, Michael. “Universal Law Question.” Message to the author.. 28 Apr. 2016. E-mail.

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