Euthanasia, widely known as mercy killing, has been a topic of debate globally. The word ‘euthanasia’ is made by the combination of two Greek words eu (well) and thanatos (death). The terms euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide or terminal sedation are sometimes used inter-changeably to define a condition wherein a lethal injection is given to patients who are extremely ill. This intentional killing is for the beneficence of pain and suffering of the patient. The ethics and legality of euthanasia have been questioned in many countries and only a few have approved it. It is a complex and challenging issue in the field of medical care today. Many technical points have been put forward to legalize euthanasia which are opposed by religious, philosophical and social bodies.
There are diseases whence the patient experiences 1) remitting pain despite heavy doses of narcotics, 2) physical debility and cannot take care of himself/herself and 3) meaningless and purposeless life and waits for death. However, the patient’s autonomy to control his/her own life has been questioned. Decisions on euthanasia affect the 1) patient, 2) family members and peers, 3) physicians and 4) general public (Emanuel 142).
In my opinion, it is the level of patient’s motivation that matters and not the level of medical interventions that are used to keep him alive. People like Lance Armstrong, the cyclist and Yuvraj Singh, the cricketer, have survived the deadliest cancers. According to a recent study, the answer and wish of the patient is greatly dependent on how the questions are worded and what kinds of choices are given. We all can very well understand that our answers are very much affected by 1) the question, 2) who is asking the question and 3) how he is asking the question (Emanuel 142). Any terminally ill patient, who is de-motivated and disinterested in life, will ask for euthanasia, however, it is in the best interest of the patient that he should be counseled and given hope for life along with appropriate medical treatment.
An 80 year old cancer patient wished to end his life because he felt debilitated and could not do things as per his interests. The pain levels, however, were under control and he was not experiencing any physical discomfort (Emanuel 142). I feel, if this patient could be counseled properly, his interest in life may arise again. His life may have been made more meaningful if he was made to sing lullabies for infants.
In a survey done in the United States, more than a half of the requests for the lethal injection were made by the family members or spouse (and not by the patient himself). In the same study, 96% of the patients receiving the lethal injection were estimated to have less than a week to live (Meier et al. 1193). I feel withdrawing the life support from a patient who will live for only a week is a gross misconduct ethically and morally. All the religions that exist and that have existed advocate the ‘regard to life and its creatures’.
In the Holy Bible, Christ has said “Love thy neighbor”. I feel each and every entity of the human race is our neighbor. The surroundings in which we are living, that is, the whole universe is our neighbor. When we love anybody, we do not kill that individual, and when we love the whole creation, we cannot kill intentionally nor could we find in our heart to have it done for us by someone else.
Even if we ignore the religious and philosophical part from this debate and take hold of only the science and medicine, we can conclude that alternative treatments are there for terminally ill patients. Palliative care units of hospitals may be utilized to ‘kill the pain and suffering and not the patient’. Secondly, if the voluntary euthanasia is legalized, there is a chance of involuntary euthanasia coming into existence (Materstvedt et al 97). We should never forget that the job of a physician is to give life to the patients and not the death.
In the end, I would like to conclude that life is a precious gift from God and humans do not have the autonomy of decide for the end of life. Euthanasia may be legal in many countries, but no physician can question the healing power of God within. The phrase “die with dignity” must be replaced with “live with longevity”.
Works cited
Emanuel, E. J. “Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide.” Archives of Internal Medicine 162 (2002): 142-152. Print.
Materstvedt, L. J., Clark, D., Ellershaw, J., Forde, R., Gravgaard, A. B., Muller-Busch, H. C., Sales, J. P., Rapin, C. “Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: A view from an EAPC ethics Task Force.” Palliative Medicine 17 (2003): 97-101. Print.
Meier, D. E., Emmons, C., Wallenstein, S., Quill, T., Morrison, R. S., Cassel, C. K. “A National Survey of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the United States.” The New England Journal of Medicine 338.17 (1998): 1193-1201. Print.
