Ariana Herrera
English 214.93
Euthanasia position paper
Many individuals consider euthanasia, which is the painless killing of a patient
suffering from an incurable and painful disease or an irreversible coma, morally wrong.
They see it as a cop out for those who no longer wish to continue with the struggles of
life, however, I see nothing wrong with it. Euthanasia should be legal throughout our
country strictly limited to individuals who are suffering from a life ending disease that
causes them emotional or physical pain. I believe the government tends to exert way too
much power over its people, especially when it pertains to his or her own health.
Although several treatments have been discovered and offered to the variety of
illnesses that exist in our world today, some simply have no cure. Knowing that not every
treatment is going to help or work for everybody, it is still permissible to give a patient
the choice to refuse or accept medical treatment basically giving them the option to die
yet the idea of euthanasia is still considered inhumane. All euthanasia does is allow
patients to regain control of their own body and decide when they get to die peacefully
and with dignity, rather than in a slow and painful manner. Personally, I see nothing
wrong with it, but before jumping into the reasoning as to why many argue for or against
it, it is important that an individual understands where euthanasia began, in order to get a
better understanding of the controversy.
Euthanasia, commonly known by many as assisted suicide is said to
originate from ancient Greek and Roman physicians that would use ether on their
patients. They believed that it would help ease the painful death of their patients and
make it a bit more bearable. According to scholar Kyriaki Mystakidou in The Evolution
of Euthanasia and ITS Perceptions in Greek Culture and Civilization the term euthanasia
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was coined from the Greek word meaning ‘good death’. Its intended purpose was meant
to help ease the patient’s life not worsen it. I could not agree more with the people of
ancient Greece; no individual deserves to leave this earth in a painful dehumanizing
manner. If something can be done in order to help an individual with a terminally ill
disease then by all means I believe it should be encouraged for them to keep fighting for
their life. On the other hand if it is evident that there is nothing that can be done and that
the individual is more or less waiting for their final day to arrive then they should be able
to make the decision of dying with dignity and being conscious of their reality rather than
dying suddenly and painfully. That is why I strongly believe that euthanasia should be
made legal.
Many are against euthanasia because they believe it will demean the value of
human life, and allow people to run away from their personal issues. During an interview
with Italian news company named, ANSA Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, the head
of a group that is responsible for the ethical issues in the Catholic Church called
euthanasia to be, ‘absurd’. He believes euthanasia is bad for society because it allows us
to get rid of the sick, rather than trying to potentially find solutions to their health issues.
Many have also argued that euthanasia enervates society’s view on life. Many
American’s fear that it will allow society to label people as desirable or undesirable, by
getting rid of those who cause a heavy burden on the lives of others. They believe that by
making euthanasia legal the rates of death
throughout our country will increase. A lot of the arguments against euthanasia are based
on moral and ethical values, our society thinks that they know what is best for an ill
patient; but they do not.
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With that being said, lets take Brittany Maynard’s story into consideration. She
was once a vibrant and beautiful young woman in her late twenties until her life
completely changed in early January of 2014 when she was diagnosed with terminal
brain cancer. Three months later she was told that she only had six months to live. After
much careful consideration Maynard decided that she would not let cancer end her life,
so she decided that she would do so herself. Brittany Maynard and her family then made
the decision to move from California to Oregon so that she could have access to the
Death with Dignity Act.
In a video directed by Allie Hoffman for an organization called
CompassionChoice she talked about the several changes she had been experiencing due
to her terminal brain cancer. Over the months Brittany Maynard had gained over twenty
pounds simply due to the medications she had been taking. She stated that she did not
like looking in the mirror or being photographed; not because she hated herself, but
because she no longer recognized herself, which saddened her. Although she tried to live
her life as if she had not been diagnosed with a life ending disease it was tough at times
and it got even tougher as the illness progressed and she began experiencing seizures. She
recalls a time where she had two seizures in one day that literally left her speechless and
ended up sending her to the hospital. Brittany Maynard mentioned in the video that it
hurts when others judge her for making the decision because they do not know the pain
that she endures every single day.
Opting to seek euthanasia rather than medical treatment is much more practical
for a patient who is diagnosed with a terminally ill disease who does not want to leave
their family with the financial burden of their medical expenses; it also provides them
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with a painless death, rather than letting treatment suck the life out of them. Several
patients who find themselves in the situation of deciding whether they should go through
a medical treatment in many cases wish they had another option, in which case would be
euthanasia. Many treatments that are offered for terminal diseases do not necessarily
guarantee the patient that they will get better, however in many cases they do guarantee
them that they will have possibly acute or many major negative side effects. Many
treatments not only make the patients feel weaker and tired but they also change their
physical appearance and alter their emotional state.
Patients end up feeling hopeless as they may not see positive results and only end
up seeing the negative side effects that have turned them into a completely new person.
Although it seems harsh for those of us who are blessed with good health, many people
who are going through terminal diseases would rather die with dignity and being able to
enjoy their last months of life rather than being lifeless due to a treatment that did more
damage than help.
Instead of letting the disease and the treatments change them there are many
people who would rather make the conscious decision of how they wish to leave this
earth. If one knows that death is inevitable then it is only right that one should be able to
consciously make the decision of being euthanized once they have come to terms with the
idea of death and being able to say goodbye to their loved ones. Euthanasia is a choice
that people should be allowed to make in order to take control of their lives; it is not in
any way, shape, or form, suicide. According to Google definitions suicide is “the act of
killing oneself intentionally.”
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Seeking any sort of medical attention whether it is for a small cold or a severe
health complication can be extremely expensive. Based off my research I have come to
the conclusion that financial struggles could also be a great factor as to why patients
would chose euthanasia. After being diagnosed with a terminal ill disease they see no
point in even continuing treatment. They see it almost as a waste because they know that
it will not help them get any better. Instead of treatment serving its purpose of helping
them it actually creates more stress for the patient and his or her family because they have
to figure out a way to pay for all the expensive medical bills.
Many individuals consider euthanasia, which is the painless killing of a patient
suffering from an incurable and painful disease or an irreversible coma, to be morally
wrong. They view it as an easy escape for those who do not wish to continue fighting
against the everyday struggles that life throws at them. I do not see anything wrong with
it, and I believe that it should be made legal throughout our country only when it pertains
to patients who have been diagnosed with a life ending disease.
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Sources
"A New Video for My Friends." YouTube. CompassionChoices, 29 Oct. 2014. Web. 1
Apr. 2015.
Emanuel, Ezakiel J., MD. “Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide.” JAMA Network.
American Medical Association, 28 Jan. 2002. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
“Historical Timeline- Euthanasia- ProCon,org. “ProConOrg Headlines. ProCon.org, 23
July. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
McKenna, Josephine. “Vatican Condemns Brittany Maynard’s End-of-life decision.”
USA Today. USA Today, 4 Nov.2014. Web.15 Apr.2015.
Mystakidou, Kyriaki. “The Evolution of Euthanasia and ITS Perceptions in Greek
Culture and Civilization.” Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. (2005): 95-104. Web 18
Feb.2015.