Is it ethical?
There are two types
of euthanasia, and I
am referring to
active or positive euthanasia
which
entails purposely taking
action to
cause a death to a person
who is
terminally ill or living
with incurable
suffering. Passive
or negative
euthanasia means action
is not taken
to prevent someone’s
death i.e. not
resuscitating them,
or not using
respiratory devices
when needed and allowing them to die.
The first type, the one
I’m concerned with is the one that is illegal
in many countries.
Should it be? Generally, it would be about
choice, not seen as
suicide, but rather, pain that would eventually
lead to death.
The pain has no worth other than to be alive. But
in a system where this
choice is an option, there will be abuse of
it. Who will decide
on legitimacy of the patient or their carer’s
intentions? What
of inheritance payoffs when an old relative dies,
this is a chance to
legally speed up the process. Will each case
be dealt with individually?
Or will there be a protocol and if the
patient held certain
elements in their life, they would be allowed
euthanasia.
So it becomes socially
excepted. What if someone wanted to live,
but they held the criteria
for euthanasia? Would their carer be
able to give the all
clear for euthanasia? So it will come down to
whose life will be worth
living? If two people have pass the exact
terms to receive [isn’t
that a nice word, it makes me think of
presents] euthanasia
but only one of them wants it, is the quality
of one person’s life
actually better or worse than the other? It all
comes down to mentality.
And how much a person can endure
psychologically.
Another thing, how about
the family members or friends that
assist with euthanasia
where it is illegal all out of love because
this is the patients
wish and by helping them, they can end their
suffering? Should
these people be punished? When lives are at
stake, there are never
clear-cut answers. I am pro choice [as I
am with most things
because I believe that we should have the
merit to decide things
for ourselves], but because of the
potential of abuse,
I feel there should a very strict code that
must be followed.
Each induvidual case be looked at closely for
corruption and go through
some screening, like a court or board
perhaps of some kind.
So, to sum it up, I say
yeah – it’s just another one of those
issues that will be
pressed for and will never go away. Whatever
one’s religion, suffering
is universal and something that
everyone understands.
How society presents euthanasia will be
the critical thing on
its success.