Why Euthanasia Should Not Be Legal: Pros and Cons
Euthanasia is an intentional action taken that results in the ending of a person's life. When a terminally ill individual has capacity and gives a request for their life to be ended with free consent. This is often referred to as assisted suicide, this is done to end on going pain and suffering from illness but is deemed illegal in the United Kingdom. A health care professional is needed to administer a lethal injection with the purpose of causing death. In some cases when a person cannot give permission such as being in an irreversible coma, the consent is given by someone else on their behalf. Usually, the sick person would have expressed a wish for their life to be ended in such circumstances. However, this effects medical practice and research as previously medical professionals discovered cures for different illnesses when working on terminally ill people, therefore, some believe that euthanasia can undermine medical research. In “why euthanasia should not be legal” essay will be an attempt to reaveal both pros and cons of this practice.
Many believe that euthanasia will devalue human life, not only does it affect the patient but leaves their loved ones with emotional and mental pain. The Hippocratic oath written in 400 B.C states “first do no harm”, this oath taken by doctors as a point beginning not to bring harm to their patients. Therefore, it is believed that “the right to die” will change the medical profession, it will be considered the right to kill. Giving power to doctors and putting vulnerable people at risk, until recently it was not allowed and now many countries permit it. health care providers may suffer from emotional and psychological effect when taking the life of another due to the shift from the fundamental rules of medicine to heal and promote life. Letting doctors administer lethal drugs could support violence, not only does this change the dynamic of patient and doctor relationship but how other view the disabled including those with other manageable health conditions. Euthanasia could promote infanticide based on a poor forecast of the outcome of a situation that may lead to a low quality of life. This could also lead to involuntary euthanasia for those who are physical and mentally incapacitated.
In 2019 Phil Newby with motor neurone disease lost a high court case to end his life as it is illegal in the United Kingdom. During an interview regarding the case, Alistair Thompson from Care Not Killing Organisation stated that if the law changed in support of euthanasia, other people who are vulnerable will feel pressured to end their fight. Although some people would like the choice to decide how their lives would end, religious leaders go on to oppose the use of euthanasia as they believe that only God is to decide when and how a person dies. The Christian medical fellowship (CMF), An organisation consisting of more than 4500 members, who are British doctors wrote to the Parliament their desires to be led by the Christian faith and beliefs. Therefore, Euthanasia is not to be legalised as it goes against one of the commandments of the bible, “Thou shalt not kill”. In all, it is believed that death should come naturally, and euthanasia should not be legal.
For the purposes of allowing people to die with dignity, euthanasia should be legalised to prevent cruelty, protecting human rights and providing the individual with freedom of choice. This process is for people who are ill beyond recovery and are expected to die soon. Under proper regulation with compassion and fairness, Euthanasia has the potential to serve those who are terminally ill. There are many patients struggling with incurable diseases, this right will allow individuals and their families to stop suffering and initiate healing in the absence of their loved one. Watching a loved one suffer can have long lasting mental and emotional damage. Dr Kailash Chand from Liverpool argued that “if society is to offer this solemn choice it must also build in safeguards to its laws that not only rectify the inadequacies of the current situation”. Giving an individual the right to choose when and how they die, lets them control their own life. Nobody wishes to be a burden on other due to sickness, euthanasia can give that relief as well as assist with space availability in hospitals and not use large amounts of medical funds. This will allow people to die in peace. The proposal to legalise euthanasia is to legalise is to support the final act that brings peaceful death. It will be controlled by the person but will not allow anyone to end another's life. This will show that it was completely voluntary and will not legally implicate health care providers and others. Doctors can harm a patient to benefit them such as cutting an abdomen to remove cancer, same goes with euthanasia a doctor can assist an individual to die in order to take our pain and suffering as well as low quality of life.
Conclusively, euthanasia shall remain a controversial topic as it is based on what it would mean to human life. In this paper it evident that if the law permits the act of euthanasia will help end pain with the consideration of the quality of life. However, a person should also not be offered with the option of terminating his or her life since he or she is part of the society and the decisions made may have impacts on others. If a person has the capacity to interact with others it is wrong but if the person is hurting too much, then some may say that it is a good option.
