Euthanasia: For
Euthanasia has been a heated debate topic for several years. It appears that just recently, people have begun warming up to the idea of ending one’s life before the physical, psychological, and emotional toll of illness and age become too much for one to bear. We should be inclined to agree with these individual for several reasons. We do not get to decide when and if we are born, but perhaps we should have a say in when we die. Moreover, we are the only ones who can decide when life has become unbearable, and should be granted the courtesy of making this autonomous decision. Perhaps most obviously, we grant this courtesy to family pets, literal dogs, when they are suffering, and it is laughable that we deny the right to human beings when they ask for it.
The fact we are unable to decide when we are born seems like madness to many. We are thrust into the chaos, horror, sadness, and also happiness of life, forced to go about the routine that was established long before we arrived. Assuming this does not drive us mad to begin with, many of us make it to old age, now with the help of modern medicine. One may think this is wonderful, but it is turning out to be ironically horrific as the elderly are suffering more than anybody with diseases like ASL, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s. They are dying slow, painful deaths because when they ask for relief, society says no. This is not only cruel, but confusing. We do not decide when we are born, but we should have a say in when we die, when possible.
When life becomes unbearable and we are sure we are at the end of the line, we are sure. A dying person knows they are dying, that is all there is to it. Doctors, family, and friends who find the idea of euthanasia uncomfortable or akin to murder will attempt to console the patient with ideas of miracles and cures that are right around the corner. Some may even insist it cannot be as bad as the patient says. It is. The patient is the only one who knows how bad it is and if they have made an autonomous decision not to live this way, it is also cruel not to grant them the relief they have asked for.
Finally, and perhaps the most convincing argument of all, is that this is a courtesy we give to family pets, as well as all wounded animals. If a hunter encounters a wounded, suffering animal in the woods, they do not shrug their shoulders and tell the animal it will get better. They put it out of its misery. The same can be said for beloved family dogs and cats. We do not let them suffer with cancer, tumors, or injuries from accidents. We grant them the decency of a comfortable and quick death. If we do it for animals, we should do it for humans.
In sum, while many find the idea of euthanasia uncomfortable, it is sometimes the kindest thing one can do for a person. Provided they have completed their end of life plan as an autonomous individual, before any deteriorating effects have had an impact on their decision-making abilities, it is clear that a patient should be able to choose when they die, and decide when an illness has become too much for them to bear any longer. They should be given the same courtesy we give to ailing family pets. Modern medicine has allowed us to live longer without yet discovering cures for serious diseases that strike in old age. Until that time, it is the only kind thing we can offer.
Works Cited
Fletcher, Joseph F. Morals and Medicine: The Moral Problems of the Patient's Right to Know the Truth, Contraception, Artificial Insemination, Sterilization, Euthanasia. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2015 . Print.
Nagae, Hiroko, Chihoko Nagurai and Emiko Imamura. "Defining End-of-Life Care from Perspective of Nursing Ethics." Nursing Ethics (2012): 608-618.
