Euthanasia is the termination of a very sick person’s life in order to relieve them of their suffering. The term is derived from the Greek word euthanatos which means easy death. A person who faced euthanasia usually has a critical condition. But there are other conditions that contribute some people want their life to be ended. In many cases, it is based on the person’s request but there are times when they may be too ill and the decision is made by relatives, medics or, in some instances, the courts.
The ethics of euthanasia. Euthanasia increases the number of agonising moral dilemmas such as; 1) there is right to terminate the life of the ill patient who is having severe pain and suffering? 2) What conditions can euthanasia be justifiable, if at all? And last but not least is the moral difference between killing and letting someone die. Why euthanasia should be allowed Those in favour of euthanasia argue that a civilised society should allow people to die in dignity and without pain, and should allow others to help them do so if they cannot manage it on their own. They say that our bodies are our own, and we should be allowed to do what we want with them.
So it’s wrong to make anyone live longer than they want. In fact making people go on living when they don’t want to violates their personal freedom and human rights. It is immoral if let they live in suffering and pain. They claim that suicide is not a crime so euthanasia should not be a crime. Why euthanasia should be forbidden Religious opponents of euthanasia believe that life is given by God, and only God should decide when to end it. Other opponents fear that if euthanasia was made legal, the laws regulating it would be abused, and people would be killed who didn’t really want to die.
The legal position. Euthanasia is illegal in most countries such as Britain. Sometimes doctors carry out euthanasia even it is illegal. To kill another person deliberately is murder or manslaughter, even if the other person asks you to kill them. Anyone doing so could be punished 14 years in prison. Under the 1961 Suicide Act, it is also a criminal offence in Britain, punishable by 14 years’ imprisonment, to assist aid or counsel somebody in relation to taking their own life. Nevertheless, the authorities may decide not to prosecute in cases of euthanasia after taking into account the circumstances of the death.
Ethical Argument Euthanasia can weakens society’s respect for the sanctity of life. Firstly, all human beings are to be valued, irrespective of age, sex, race, religion, social status or their potential for achievement. The philosopher Immanuel Kant said that rational human beings should be treated as an end in themselves and not as a means to something else. Secondly, general people tend to devalue some lives. This happened when normal people look at things from their own perspective and see life with a disability as a disaster, filled with suffering and frustration.
Some societies have regarded people with disabilities as inferior, or as a burden on society. But, from the perspective of disable people, they totally disagree with the general perspective. They claim that all people should have equal rights and opportunities to live good lives, many individuals with disabilities enjoy living, many individuals without disabilities don’t enjoy living, and no-one is threatening them, the proper approach to people with disabilities is to provide them with appropriate support, not to kill them and the quality of a person’s life should not be assessed by other people
