Should Euthanasia Be Legalized - Personal Statement

For my should euthanasia be legalized essay is relate to you, you would have to be contained to a bed, unable to live the lives you do currently. Only being able to count the days, months and in some cases, years. There's no cure for their pain for patients suffering from a terminal illness, and they can only live through the pain. Some, at this point, consider the act of euthanasia; the NHS defines this as 'deliberately ending a person's life to relive suffering'. I'm speaking to you today to inform you of the different acts of euthanasia and why I feel it should be legal under specific conditions.

The euthanasia process is illegal in the UK, and if a doctor fulfils a patient's wish, they can face a lifetime in prison. As someone who has had a family member suffer from a terminal illness of Motor Neurone Disease, I feel that euthanasia should be legal in the UK and globally. Each and every person should have their own decision on what they think is best for themselves personally. My late family member suffered for over eight years with the terminal illness and had decided that if euthanasia were an option, they would have taken it as their suffering was incurable. I support the act of voluntary euthanasia as this includes the occurrence at the request of the patient. However, I can understand the controversy around non-voluntary euthanasia as this occurs if the patient cannot decide themselves due to age or mentalphysical state.

Without the legality of euthanasia in the UK, over 200 people travel to countries that have passed a law to make it legal, with this number only increasing. The idea that some feel they have to leave their home country and family to risk the law to end their pain is unacceptable.

Indeed, there are also the people closest to these people to consider; watching a loved one suffer and having to acknowledge there is no way to aid them must surely be both emotionally stressful and painful. Moreover, not knowing how a loved one feels, for suicide is a desperate act often as a cry for help. The impact on the family who remains can be catastrophic. By legalising assisted suicide, the process can become a choice made by the whole family in a safe environment. For some patients, their families may have not realised their true feelings; I feel being forced to antagonise the issue may do great good. The patient also may then decide not to end their life. However, this is not in all cases, but the family and friends can feel less guilt if they can recognise the patient's reasons for wanting to die.

Yet what is perhaps stranger is why some countries have legalised assisted euthanasia, and others refuse. Why is it morally acceptable somewhere and morally unacceptable somewhere else? For example, in the Netherlands, voluntary euthanasia has been legal since 1983, with some 3,000 people requesting it each year.

I fully accept that if Britain were to legalise active and assisted euthanasia, there would need to be strict guidelines and rules to follow, ensuring the right to end one's own life is not abused. But surely this is our right, our right to choose a gracious death with your loved ones beside you, rather than a slow, painful death.

In conclusion to why euthanasia should be legal, consider for one moment the possibility that you or a loved one close to you was suffering, that they wished to choose a dignified death but were unable because the law prevented it; ask yourself how you would feel.