The purpose of this article is to explore whether there are practicable circumstances in which euthanasia should be permitted. Euthanasia is a term defined by the Oxford dictionary as “the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable disease or in an irreversible coma”. It will take into account the full range of moral, ethical and legal perspectives. The document will also consider the implications of recent real-world case examples and the different laws that exist globally. Furthermore, the different types and methods of euthanasia will be explored. My opinion is that, under certain circumstances, euthanasia should be accepted. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There are two classifications of euthanasia: active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is when death is caused by deliberate intervention, for example, when a person is killed by an overdose of painkillers. Passive euthanasia is when death is caused by omission or simply by allowing the death to occur. This can be done by withdrawing or withholding treatment: opting out could be exemplified by turning off a machine that keeps a person alive; the withholding would include intentionally not performing a surgery that will prolong a person's lifespan. Euthanasia can be further classified as voluntary and involuntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia occurs at the request of the person who dies. Involuntary euthanasia is performed against the patient's will. Another type of euthanasia is indirect euthanasia which occurs when someone provides a treatment that has the side effect of hastening the patient's death. The term “assisted suicide” refers to cases in which the dying person needs help to kill themselves and asks for it. Euthanasia divides opinions across moral, ethical and religious lines. Most religious opinions believe that this should not be allowed because it clearly goes against the word of God. It is believed that every human being is God's creation and that this imposes certain limits on us. Our lives do not exist for us to do with as we see fit and only God should and has this authority. Some Eastern religions believe that we live multiple lives and that the quality of each life is determined by how we behave in the previous one. People who follow this believe that ending one's life in a short time prohibits their ultimate goal of final liberation. An example of a religion that follows this is Buddhism. A further religious argument in support is that all human beings are made by God, which makes them special: human life should be protected at all costs. A significant ethical argument is that euthanasia devalues life. If euthanasia were allowed, the strong message would spread that it is better to be dead than sick or disabled. The message that some lives are not worth living will promote death as more precious than life: it shouldn't happen. A further ethical perspective is that this puts pressure on the vulnerable. Existing euthanasia would give people the potential to pressure those who are vulnerable to end their lives. This coercion or persuasion will be almost impossible to prevent, which is the very essence of the argument. One of the main pressing topics is a financial topic. This argument is that the last months of a sick person's life are often the most expensive, and euthanasia is an easy way to prevent this money from being spent: sick people can be forced to endprematurely to their lives to save money. It is moral and ethical to have the right to die in the same way as to have the right to live. People live in their own bodies and should have the authority to decide what happens to them and to control the outcomes, including the right to die. People should be able to determine what time, how and when he or she will die. A compelling view in favor of euthanasia is that if an action promotes the interests of the majority it should be done. This is essentially the utilitarian view of euthanasia. Utilitarians believe that euthanasia should occur if the greatest number of people were satisfied with the decision to make it morally and ethically acceptable. One supporting worldview is that euthanasia may be necessary for equitable distribution of healthcare resources. In practice, healthcare resources could be transferred from a patient who previously died by euthanasia to someone who was ill but treatable. The final postulate of euthanasia is that euthanasia occurs despite it being illegal in most countries in the world. Legalizing it would bring better regulation and consistency of approach. Frank Van Den Bleeken was someone who had committed murder and appealed for euthanasia to ease his “psychological pain”. He claimed that the sheer pain and grief of having to live with himself after this murder was unbearable and therefore he would choose death over life behind bars for the rest of his life. Critics of his case say it reflects the poor mental health services available in Belgium. Frank was ultimately granted euthanasia and received death. Belgium legalized euthanasia in 2002 and is one of only three countries to allow the practice, the others being the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Other countries, including Switzerland and some states in America, allow doctors to assist suicide in certain circumstances. Tony Nicklinson went to the High Court to fight to be able to end his life with the help of a doctor - he died six days after the verdict because he himself was starving. Nicklinson had been paralyzed from the neck down after a stroke seven years earlier. He wanted assurances from the court that anyone who helped him end his life would be free from prosecution. While the judge acknowledged that his case and that of another paralyzed man, known as Martin, were deeply moving, he said it was up to parliament and not the courts to decide whether the law should be changed. In a statement released through his lawyers, he added: "I am saddened that the law seeks to condemn me to a life of increasing humiliation and misery." Tony actually moved the court but was not granted euthanasia and therefore took it upon himself to end his own life by starving himself to death. This illustrates the aspect of people causing their own death and a point of view in support of better regulation and efficient monitoring of euthanasia. Valentina Maureira Riquelme was a Chilean teenager who attracted international attention after she used social media to ask Chilean President Michele Bachelet to allow her to die by euthanasia. He spread his message via YouTube and the video went viral. Bachelet was deeply moved but denied her request. Valentina said the idea to end her life came when she heard about the case of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old American with terminal brain cancer, who died by assisted suicide the previous year. Young Valentina said she is frustrated by the lack of options and how the disease has affected her quality of life. TO.”
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