Euthanasia

Osvaldo Estrada
 
Euthanasia, also mercy killing, is the practice of ending a life so as to release an individual from an incurable disease or intolerable suffering. Euthanasia is a merciful means to and end of long-term suffering. Euthanasia is a relatively new dilemma for the United States and has gained a bad reputation from negative media hype surrounding assisted suicides. Euthanasia has apurpose and should be evaluated as humanely filling a void created by our sometimes inhumane modern society. 
     Some people think that euthanasia is not acceptable in our society because of a variety of reasons. Many who oppose of euthanasia fear that if it were to be legalized then many people would die needlessly and murders in so- called "mercy killings" would run rampant. Others believethat since we are the property of God then we should wait until He is ready to receive us. Many churches and religious groups oppose euthanasia stating that the sixth commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill" also extends to euthanasia. Many medical doctors also oppose euthanasia. They say that assisted suicide "violates one's will to survive" and that it violates our dignity. They believe that one of ournatural human goals is to survive and if we practice euthanasia, then that goal is destroyed.
     The proeuthanasia, or "right to die," movement has received considerable encouragement by the passage of laws in 40 states by 1990, which allow legally competent individuals to make "living wills." These wills empower and instruct doctors to withhold life-support systems if the individuals becometerminally ill . In our society, suicide is always traumatic for families and friends. If there is no alternative to relieve the suffering of terminal patients, then the more humane option to suicide is euthanasia. 
     Euthanasia is also a very good choice for senior citizens because they often suffer much before they finally can die. Sufferring is a terrible thing and we have a clear duty tocomfort those in need and to ease their sufferring when we can. Elderly people are also prone to painful diseases and medical problems. Mercy killing can end their pain in a non-traumatic way for their families'. 
     There are many types of euthanasia. The most common type is voluntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is euthanasia that is preformed at the will of the patient. Involuntaryeuthanasia is the other type of euthanasia. That is when the patient does not want euthanasia, but it is administered. There are also different ways to administer euthanasia. One is direct euthanasia, which is deliberately inducing death in order to terminate hopeless suffering. Then there is indirect euthanasia which is indirectly causing death with the use of drugs to relieve pain.
  Debate continuesover the issue of euthanasia long after the court decision concerning Dr. Kevorkian.  Kevorkian has been aquitted of murder in his assisted suicide cases and the court has created precedent for the legalization of selecting death.  Euthanasia does take place and is selected voluntarily by patients who are in great pain due to an incurable illness like cancer.  Usually, the decision is made to pullthe plugs of machines which prolong life or to end treatment.  Because patients select to die, their deaths end suffering, and there is no intention to cause harm, physician assisted euthanasia cannot be considered murder. 
  Murder can be defined as an act of violence which is perpetrated against a victim.  For example, a man stuffed into a car after being shot five times is a murder victim. The individual dies at a time which is forced by the killer who has intent to harm him or her.  For instance, when the Boston strangler killed the women, he first terrorized them.  Frequently murder is painfuland the person who is dying has not voluntarily decided to participate in his or her death.  By its nature, murder is death by violence at a time of the killer's rather than nature's...