Euthanasia has become a burning social issue in a growing number of countries, with a general societal trend towards greater liberalisation. Is this necessarily a welcome development, though?
Euthanasia comes from the Greek word “eu” which means good, and “thanatos” which means death. It is the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her benefit. Wherever it is permitted, it is for one main reason: to stop suffering and pain.
Euthanasia is a form of murder, but shall we legalize euthanasia in our society? This question has been a dilemma since the beginning of medicine and medical ethics, but until now this issue remains controversial. In some countries like the Netherlands and in the State of Oregon in the U.S.A, euthanasia is legal and accepted. But on the other hand, all countries in Asia as well as institutions like the British Medical Association and Royal College of Nurses are against the legalization of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide.
There are two kinds of euthanasia, passive and active euthanasia. Passive euthanasia is a deliberate withdrawing of medical treatment that causes a patient’s death, while active euthanasia is a direct way to cause a patient’s death through giving a high dosage of painkillers and sleeping pills. But whether passive or active, euthanasia has the same purpose – terminating a human’s life and denying them the right to live longer. This automatically makes it a crime in most jurisdictions.
In Ancient Greece, , euthanasia was approved by society, and by philosophers such as Aristotle. People could voluntarily refuse the continuation of medical treatment, or they could just decide to remove or stop the main necessities of life such as foods, water and medicine. But some Christian believers condemned the practice. In Plato’s Phaedo, when Socrates drinks hemlock, a poison, he retains his dignity in death through this act, an action immortalized in the modern pro-euthanasia organization, the Hemlock Society. However, Pythagoras for example expressly prohibited the premature end to any embodied soul, thus in his eyes euthanasia was something of a religious crime.
But should we consider legalizing euthanasia? Is there a right to die? And what would be the effect of legalization be on our society?
Religious people state that nobody has the right to take somebody’s life but God. No humans should be allowed to play the role of the creator and so legalizing euthanasia is a way of usurping God’s role. On the other hand, euthanasia proponents will find this reasoning absurd. One convincing argument in favor of euthanasia is that we should not subject another human being to unnecessary mental and physical suffering. Moreover, many arguments arose before and are still arising at the present time about the legalization of euthanasia. Some people believe that since there is an option to live, there must be an option to die and that further, euthanasia should be legalized precisely because that option of dying can prevent suffering.
As a Christian, it is very difficult for me to accept this kind of way letting go. At the same time, it is very painful to see somebody that is in agony and suffering. After all, we all value life. Euthanasia evidently disrupts the normal pattern of life. Thinking for instance of the crass abuses of pro-euthanasia arguments by societies such as Nazi Germany, it is easy to see how legalization of euthanasia can lead to a more violent and unjust society.
There is a common saying that in every beginning there is always an ending. I do believe in the great existence of life and that this is the most precious gift to us
, and that therefore we must value life even to the very last breath we take.Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlene Lacandazo works for a London translation agency called Rosetta Translation. Its specializations include Dutch translation and interpreting services.
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