SHOULD EUTHANASIA BE MADE LAWFUL?

Gao Huan

An old man, aged 87, is suffering great pain from his liver cancer. He is fully conscious and wants to end this agony as soon as possible. However, he has to wait for the arrival of the death, both patiently and painfully. Since euthanasia has not been made lawful, it would surely be illegal if the doctor gave the patient a mercy-killing injection, even if at the request of the patient himself.

To let a dying man suffer till he finally dies, or to relieve his pain by artificially shortening his life a little bit, which is more humane? In answering this question, people find themselves in a dilemma. As for the lawmakers, their feeling is utterly mixed.

If we look at the issue with more sobriety, things might be easier. According to the great psychologist Freud, man has the instinct of death as well as the instinct of life. But we have long been ignoring the instinct of death. In the constitutions of various countries, it is stated that man has the right to live, but not stated whether man has the right to die. Homicide is illegal, which can be graded as murder or manslaughter. But the law does not and probably can��t punish those who commit suicide and that, in some degree, implies that man has some right to die. But what if a man with an incurable disease wants to die? He may not even have the ability to kill himself. He needs someone else��s help. But can anyone help him? NO! Because if anyone is kind enough to do so, he has, according to the law, committed murder. The instinct of death is a built-in nature. When the right time comes, the feeling of death is like that of going home. But now, simply because the law forbids euthanasia, many people have to be tortured, waiting for the desirable termination of life.

So euthanasia should be made lawful. It is the most humane thing to do.

However, there are still many technical problems: How can we make sure that the law of euthanasia is not exploited by some clever bad guys? How can we prevent euthanasia from becoming a law-protected method of murder? How can we make sure whether a patient is really past remedy and whether he really wants to end his life? These problems are the greatest difficulties in making the law of euthanasia. But people should not stop their efforts simply because law-making is difficult. This is a law-ruled society. We must improve the law. Since euthanasia is justified, it should be made lawful.

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