Imagine, that you are in the final stages of terminal Multiple Sclerosis. You are dying slowly. You know death is coming soon and there is no way to avoid it. Death is not what you are afraid of. You are afraid of dying by choking on your own saliva while you are conscious; you have no doubt this will happen. You know you will die a lingering and excruciating death. That is your fear, that is your every thought, every minute, every day. That is suffering, that is torture.
In cases such as this, should euthanasia be an option? Is euthanasia sometimes a humane act or is it always wrong? Throughout this essay, there will be proof to why euthanasia should become legal in Canada. With this there will be examples of real people and how how Canada’s euthanasia laws burdened their life in some of the worst ways possible. Furthermore Canada’s laws will be directly related to that of the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights.
These are only a few of the many ideas supporting the legalization of Euthanasia in Canada.
We would never let our pets suffer a painful and lingering death. We not only have the right but also have the moral obligation to euthanize our beloved pets to relieve them from excruciating suffering and pain. Why are we not morally obligated to provide the same option for ourselves and our loved ones who subjected to intolerable suffering and who have no quality of life?
Now, in no way is an animals life as important as a humans, but this is an example of the moral obligation a caretaker is obliged to fulfill. Does the caretaker of a child have the same obligations? Does the parent, or guardian, have the right to decide the death of the child? After all the parent(s) are legally responsible for their child so should they not have the responsibility to prevent their child from extreme suffering? Furthermore, should this also apply to someone if they wish to take their own life to prevent extreme suffering?
Around the world there was recognised the need for an explicit set of Human rights; rules that everyone should and generally does live by. Consequently there are various sets of human rights that. The United Nations set of Human Rights is known as the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights. Canada’s set of Human Rights is known as Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Europe’s is known as “European Convention on Human Rights”. Interestingly, everyone of these addresses the prohibition of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 5 of Universal Declaration Of Human Rights states:
“No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
Section 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states:
“Everyone has the right not to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.”
Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights states:
“ No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
Everyone of these rights recognises that humans have the right not to be subjected to excessive suffering; even as punishment for a serious CRIME. Now if some innocent person is dying slowly of an extremely painful disease, is this not cruel, inhuman or degrading suffering? If we cannot allow cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment for the most heinous of crimes, how can we allow cruel, inhuman or degrading suffering to occur for an innocent person. Are we not being completely uncompassionate to allow these people to undergo excessive suffering?
Another moral value that is accepted worldwide is that humans have the right to dignity. Article 1 of the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights states “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” This means that everyone has the right to a quality of being worthy of honor or respect. A person who is slowly dying of terminal Multiple Sclerosis has no dignity as they are approaching death.
