Essay on Euthanasia in America
Essay on Euthanasia in America
In America today many arguments are centered on the right to choose: the right for women to have an abortion, the right for gays to be allowed to raise children or be legally married, and the right to physician-assisted suicide. These arguments all have something to do with the individual having the right to make this choice or if society should be able to decide for them, thus removing this choice. Euthanasia is a choice everyone should have, but like all rights, it should not be taken advantage of. By legalizing euthanasia the practice of assisted suicide would be an available choice as well as regulated to see that it does not get abused and used for the wrong reasons.
Today, more than ever, the push is on to "change the rules." Dr. Kevorkian, a leading doctor in the fight in legalizing Euthanasia, while deplored by most medical professionals for his methods, is heralded as a hero on many fronts for bringing this issue into the public square. By all accounts, a time of decision is upon us. When a fully conscious person requests death, should a doctor assist the person in dying? It is the purpose of this paper to present a concise overview of the primary arguments for the legalization of doctor-assisted suicide and also attempt to identify and clarify the active/passive distinction inherent in the debate on euthanasia, before concluding, through an analysis of writers such as Rachel’s, that the distinction is in itself morally important.
My four primary arguments for legalizing euthanasia are as follows:
The mercy argument, which states that the immense pain and indignity of prolonged suffering, cannot be ignored. We are being inhumane to force people to continue suffering this way.
The patients right to self-determination. Patient empowerment has been a trend for more than twenty-five years. "It's my life, my pain. Why can't I get the treatment I want"?
The economics argument, which notes the cost of keeping people alive, is exceedingly high. Who's footing the bill for the ten thousand people being sustained in a persistent vegetative state? Aren't we wasting precious resources when an already used up life is prolonged unnecessarily?
The reality argument. "Let's face it people are already doing it".
Lying in bed, alone in inconceivable pain. For many people the process of dying includes weeks, months...