Euthanasia: Where do we draw the line between mercy and murder?
In 1991, a woman named Lillian Boyes, who was then 70 years old, had been
suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for 13 years when she pleaded for Doctor Nigel Cox
[7]
to end her life. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Edition (2005) defines
euthanasia as a practice (illegal in most countries) of painlessly killing a patient who
[5]
has been suffering from an incurable and painful disease. At a time where we can
decide almost everything for ourselves from the clothes we wear to the food we eat,
what about death? Should we have the right to decide our death?
Despite groundbreaking medical advancements, there are still many cases in
which medicine still cannot alleviate all the pain from a patient suffering from chronic
diseases. Euthanasia, however, allows patients to choose to put an end to their state of
suffering and in return, die without pain. Such as Boyes’s case where her nurses
recalled that she would scream like a wounded dog whenever she was touched,
[7]
euthanasia is a solution to end the misery posed by serious illness. In countries where
it is legal, such as Belgium where it was legalized in 2002, physicians use euthanasia as
the last resort—when the physician has determined the pain of a patient to be
[8]
unbearable, both physically and mentally, through objective standards.
For patients who must depend on family and caretakers due to illness, the quality
of life is a questionable argument. Patients who have lost independence means they
[2]
also lose the ability to partake in most recreational activities. Peter Singer, a
philosopher and bioethicist who wrote Rethinking Life and Death, associates suffering
[6]
and enjoyment with one’s quality of life. To support this argument, Arthur Dyck, an
esteemed professor at Harvard University, states that life is no longer worth living when
the following elements are present: despair, serious illness, distress, physical or mental
[5]
handicaps—similar to Boyes’s way of life prior to being injected with a lethal dose. The
lack of quality of life, or the complete loss thereof, of a patient poses a situation where
one might wish to die.
It is generally accepted that people have the right to choose for themselves as
what is called personal autonomy. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states that to
be autonomous is to have the ability to govern oneself, directed by desires and
[3]
conditions. The pro-euthanasia movement belies that a person is entitled to the
freedom of choosing death over their own life and must therefore be respected by all
[5]
including the physician. As an example, the Dutch Penal Code Article 293 makes
euthanasia legal in The Netherlands so long as the request is voluntary among other
[1]
reasons. This law justifies euthanasia as morally acceptable by the principle of
autonomy. Likewise, Boyes’s physician Dr. Cox stated in a 2013 interview: “If they are
[7]
being properly managed, I think it is reasonable to ask for help to end their days.”
Much as there are reasons to support the cause, there are also advocacies to
forbid it. Dr. Melvin Kirschner, a respected member of the Joint Committee on Bioethics
of the Los Angeles County medical and bar associations, believed that should a
physician be allowed to terminate a patient’s life, it goes against the designated role of
[5]
a doctor in society. He also stated that such a decision will bring distrust to a doctorpatient relationship. However, Dyck claims that the decision to end one’s own life
belongs to that individual only. Moreover, John Paul II, in Evangelium Vitae, claimed that
there is meaning and value in suffering. He defined suffering as a transformative
[5]
event. St. Paul wrote once: “Suffering produces endurance.” Clearly, the Christian
perspective believes that suffering is not meaningless. However, advocates of
[5]
euthanasia perceive death to be a merciful action when suffering is no longer bearable.
Judge Stephen Reinhardt, in an article in the Houston Chronicle, ruled that “a
competent, terminally-ill adult, having lived nearly the full measure of his life, has a
strong liberty interest in choosing a dignified and humane death rather than being
reduced at the end of his existence to a childlike state of helplessness, diapered,
[2]
sedated, incompetent.” This statement strongly supports the belief that one, under a
condition that has put them in grave pain, has the inherent right to choose death.
Ultimately, no man or woman should ever be denied the right not to suffer. To give
terminally-ill patients this autonomy to choose their end is to mercifully give them the
freedom to die in peace and with dignity.
References:
1. “Background about Euthanasia in The Netherlands.” Patients Rights Council,
Patients Rights Council, www.patientsrightscouncil.org/site/holland-background/.
2. Badr Naga, Bilal S. H., and Majd T. Mrayyan. “Legal and Ethical Issues of
Euthanasia: Argumentative Essay.” EUTHENASIA, MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL OF
NURSING, 5 Oct. 2013, www.me-jn.com/October2013/EUTHENASIA.pdf.
3. Christman, John. “Autonomy in Moral and Political Philosophy.” Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 28 July 2003,
plato.stanford.edu/entries/autonomy-moral/#ConAut.
4. De La Torre, Esther B. “The Right to Assisted Suicide.” The Right to Assisted
Suicide |, Lone Star College, www.lonestar.edu/rightto-assist-suicide.htm.
5. Pakhu, Joseph. “DEBATE ON EUTHANASIA (PROS AND CONS).” Joseph Pakhu's
Thesis, Repositorio, 2015,
repositorio.ucp.pt/bitstream/10400.14/18991/1/Joseph%20Pakhu's%20Thesis.p
df.
6. Spike, Jeffrey P. Book Review Rethinking Life and Death: The Collapse of Our
Traditional Ethics By Peter Singer. 256 Pp. New York, St. Martin's Press, 1994.
$22.95. 0-312-118-805, ResearchGate,
www.researchgate.net/publication/245987281_Book_Review_Rethinking_Life_an
d_Death_The_collapse_of_our_traditional_ethics_By_Peter_Singer_256_pp_New_
York_St_Martin%27s_Press_1994_2295_0-312-118-805.
7. Stuart, Julia. “As Figures Show 13,000 Patients Want a Right to Die, Dr Nigel Cox
Talks for the First Time about His Role in a Mercy Killing.” Independent,
Independent, 13 July 2013, www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-andfamilies/health-news/doctor-who-answered-prayer-patient-desperate-die975.html.
8. Van Zeebroeck, Shanthi. “Kill First, Ask Questions Later: The Rule of Law and the
Belgian Euthanasia Act of 2002.” Statute Law Review, Oxford Academic, 31 Mar.
2017, academic.oup.com/slr/article/39/3/244/3096173.
9. Ramesh, Randeep. “One in 10 Suicides Linked to Chronic Illness, Study Finds.”
The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 22 Aug. 2011,
www.theguardian.com/society/2011/aug/23/suicide-chronic-illness-study.
10.
11. They will not be seen as people who are waiting to die but as human beings
making one final active choice in their lives.