Introduction
Euthanasia is very much likened to physician-assisted death. While the latter entails the provision of means of death in the form of prescription by the physician, Euthanasia requires direct involvement of the physician in the death of the patient’s life. It involves an injection of a leather substance to the patient. Many countries worldwide have legalized euthanasia. Some legislation support euthanasia with many human rights groups having varied and dissimilar views on the matter. Euthanasia is a very critical concern that cuts across the value of life to the very recessive call to the protection of human rights 1 . The laws supporting euthanasia have stipulated the circumstances under which the Euthanasia might be considered. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the physician administering euthanasia to see to it that these stipulations have been fully met.
Euthanasia is broadly categorized into two: passive euthanasia and active euthanasia. Passive euthanasia is the deliberate action by the doctors or physicians to terminate the life of a terminally ill patient by lethal injections. Contrariwise, active euthanasia is a case where treatment is deliberately withheld to cause a patient’s death. Another categorization is the voluntary euthanasia and involuntary euthanasia classification. Involuntary euthanasia occurs in a situation where the patient is either unconscious or unable to give their consent. Voluntary euthanasia is attributed to one of the absolute human rights, the right to decide. As each person has the right to choose how to live or die, so is the administration of voluntary euthanasia. This paper will give an argumentative report on euthanasia with more emphasis on the case for euthanasia and the underlying evidence.
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The Case for Euthanasia
The legalization of euthanasia has raised many ethical dilemmas. For instance, the circumstances under which euthanasia is justifiable remain vague. Nonetheless, many factors support euthanasia. In most states where euthanasia is illegal, a living will which stipulates the consent and substantial circumstances under which euthanasia is carried out can be adopted.
Pain Relief
Unbearable pain is one vital aspect to consider in administering euthanasia. This argument rests on the idea of ending the severe pain in patients suffering from terminally ill conditions. Studies show that most euthanasia requests were based on pain 2 . Most patients who are sick terminally problems are subjected to the fear of severe an uncontrolled pain. Incurable illness, as some studies show, can be answered by euthanasia. Some scholars argue that the end life choices should incorporate measures to relieve patients from symptoms. Pain and suffering are subjective and should be approached from a human rights standpoint. Furthermore, the concern about pain is also aligned with the carers of the patient. The carers are mostly close relatives and friends who carry the burden of taking care of someone and watching them suffer without any hope of relief or recovery.
Quality of Life
Ethics and moral values have for far too long been part of the euthanasia legitimacy debate. The debate of euthanasia and the quality of life has been tremendous and still is. Severe health conditions can directly impact on the quality of a terminally ill patient. Conditions such as nausea, breathlessness, and paralysis are highly likely to deprive patients of their life’s quality. According to some scholars, euthanasia should be understood as “good death.” 3 A doctor who is concerned with humanity should uphold the quality of life. The ethical driver behind this argument is to put more emphasis on the quality of life more than on the sanctity of life.
Psychological Factors
As earlier mentioned, the question of good death rises whenever euthanasia is thought of. Adverse health conditions can cause depression and loss of control to patients. Patients suffering from incurable diseases are prone to adverse psychological effects such as suicides. Chances of premature suicides can be minimized by euthanasia. Several reports of committed or attempted suicides by patients have been reported.
The Case Against Euthanasia
There are various opposing views to euthanasia. These views have been cited by organizations, scholars and prominent individuals in the society. They are;
The Concern about Pain
From this standpoint, euthanasia is seen as not a significant way to end torture. This argument tends to separate life from depression, which in full realization, is unrealistic. Pain is part of the experience and a life full of uncontrollable and incurable pain is considered not worth living.
Absolute Respect for Human Life
Various social settings disallow taking life in all circumstances. The people who hold these beliefs argue that life should be protected in all situations, rather than being destroying it. This argument, however, is illogic and inconsistent with the fact that life itself is not absolute and some circumstances demand an emphasis on the quality of life rather than sanctity 4 .
Conclusion
It is only until and unless a different standpoint is taken when approaching critical underlying elements of euthanasia such as the quality of life, that a clear understanding of the matter will be achieved. In its very inception, euthanasia is a critical issue that cuts across all aspects of human life: respect, protection, and quality 5 . In the recent past, much has been studied, written and reported on the euthanasia issues and the underlying factors around them. Nonetheless, issues such as the implication of euthanasia to the carers of the patient have not been well analyzed. This gap calls for further studies and research.
Bibliography
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