Imagine a loved one has a terminal illness and has been given less than six months to live. They are in immense pain and are in a hospice, just waiting to die. Your loved one feels absolutely awful, and wants to die peacefully instead of being constantly drugged up, unable to walk or even eat on their own. However, their request must be denied, because voluntary euthanasia is illegal and is considered to be assisted suicide, and when a doctor does decide to end a patient’s suffering, they serve a jail sentence, like the case of Dr. Jack Kevorkian who was a man who performed mercy killings upon his patients upon their request.
It’s sad when one realizes that animals have more rights than human beings when it comes to the process of dying. This past April, my dog Hank was getting quite sick and weak, and was diagnosed with a heart murmur. The vet said that the best and most humane thing to do would be to gently put him to sleep to end his suffering. Though my family and I were devastated that it had to come to this, we realized that it he was such a sweet and amazing animal who did not deserve to live in such pain. With this in mind, why must it only be applied to animals? Do humans not deserve to die comfortably and removed from the misery and dreariness of the dying process?
As human beings, we deserve the right to die with dignity. Studies and tests performed on people seeking voluntary euthanasia have proven that they are not mentally ill or depressed; they merely want their suffering to end.
I agree completely with what you are saying. I do not understand why euthanasia is illegal and yet abortion is not. When a person is ready to go I agree it is the humane thing to honor that request. A child does not get that choice. We can also say the same for the death penalty. A person can be injected to end their life for a horrible crime committed, the alternative being life in prison. Where is the penalty in that? Yet a person who has not committed a crime, who lives in agonizing pain, has no rights to end their suffering. Is suicide any different than murder? How can one be ok and the other such a sin? Before their were hospitals people died naturally when it was their time. Technology is merely prolonging that experience. So we are playing God. The system of life is out of control, in fact we crave the control so much that we decide who lives and who doesn't.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very good topic to post about because people have very strong opinions about euthanasia. It is a tough topic but the emotional appeal in the first paragraph really made me understand why people would be for euthanasia. If the person is suffering, why shouldn't they be allowed to do what they want? Who wants to live a life of pain and sometimes to drag it on is even worse. I think the decision should be completely up to the person. It doesn't have to be such a bad thing. If someone has cancer and is suffer, they need to reflect on their options. I know when my grandmother was sick, she chose to go off chemo because she was happy with the life she lived and didn't see the point in losing herself just to lie in bed for the next few years. Good argument!
ReplyDeleteChloe Goodwin