Euthanasia 2 Essay

Submitted By Dylan-Stoves
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Should voluntary Euthanasia be legal?
Voluntary euthanasia has been an on going controversial topic for many years. Euthanasia by definition means mercy killing or assisted death, in earlier years it was simply known as “good death”. I believe this is solely a choice and human right to decide for ones self. Euthanasia is a general topic in terms that there are many forms of euthanization.
The most commonly practiced type of Euthanasia is non-voluntary. This is the act of euthanizing an individual who has had brain damage, or been in a coma, or otherwise cannot express or make the decisions for themselves. This is usually left to the decision of ones immediate family. Another form of euthanasia is passive, which is letting a person die by withholding life-sustaining treatment in order to produce a quicker death. Lastly and the most controversial is voluntary euthanasia. These are the instances in which a clearly competent individual makes a voluntary and enduring request to be assisted in death.
I think that voluntary euthanasia should be legal because it can help a terminally ill patient pass on comfortably instead of living in agonizing pain. For example if your dog were sick and dying but miserable and incapable of movement you wouldn’t ask him if he wants to die. You would put him down because it’s the humane thing to do. Not to say comparing a dog’s life to human’s significance. However, the concept remains the same. What if a family member was severely ill and begging for an end of suffering? Would you keep them alive living each day in pain? " The greatest human freedom is to live, and die, according to one's own desires and beliefs. The most common desire among those with a terminal illness is to die with some measure of dignity.”
The argument can be made that the person can refuse treatment, which would be passive euthanasia. This is true although this can bring temporary relief. The individual may still experience pain and there is never an accurate time of when they may pass. I believe it should be up to the person to choose if they want to continue to live with pain or end there life in the comfort of being with family. "In the event a person is definitely going to die and he is either in great pain or has virtually become a vegetable, and prolonging his existence is only going to cause difficulties and suffering for others, the termination of
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