Eutanasia

Alejandro Ortiz

Lynn Gilden

2 December 2008

Euthanasia

What is the meaning of euthanasia? The word euthanasia comes from the Greek “eu”, good health, and “thanatos”, death. Its meaning is the practice of ending the life of terminally ill patients by lethal doses injection or by suspending the treatment.(“The Straits Times”) Euthanasia, or physician assisted suicide, is an issue inthe actual world because there is a majority of people against it trying to keep it illegal. Some people think that is bad because is practically killing a human being, which is unethical and inhuman. However it is also unethical to keep a person alive when he is suffering from a terminal illness and knowing that he is going to die within a certain time. Everyone against euthanasia do not know howmuch a terminally ill patient suffers, if the person agrees to suicide it is because the situation in which he encounters it is too painful to keep living. There is no way in which a person would like to suicide, unless he has mental or emotional problems. Because of the fact that the terminally ill people have to receive long and painful treatments to keep them living for a while, they should havethe opportunity from choosing euthanasia or stay alive.

People who are against euthanasia state that is in unethical that a doctor, who’s purpose in life is to help people not to kill them, helps a person to die. However, if the patient is asking a doctor to practice euthanasia with him is for a reason not just because coincidence or madness. Euthanasia exists when a terminally illpatient asks the physician to prescribe him lethal drugs to end with his life. Although if the patient is not able to take that decision, the family members have to decide whether to help him end with that pain or to keep him alive. One of the reasons that euthanasia should be legal is because there are people with some diseases that cannot be cured and it causes them too much pain. Another is becausethere are lots of families that can pay for certain treatments, medicines, and attention from hospitals to keep the ill person living for a while; therefore, they should have the option to choose for a different destiny. Depression is among the terminally ill people causes them to make bad choices. It is better that terminally ill people get help from physicians to suicide than doing it bythemselves. If the terminally ill patient suicides, then family will fall into a depression. Though if euthanasia is allowed, the family member will be aware of the decision the patient took and they will agree to what is best for him. There are so many examples from people who are in a terminally ill state that rather suicide illegally than staying alive suffering. A newspaper published an article abouta person who was terminally ill by cancer. Family members and the patient tell how the patient’s life changed when doctors told him that he had 4 months of life. The stress and pain he felt was so strong that he tried to end up with his life by taking pills. However, the person failed the suicide attempt. Thru this story everyone can notice the pain in which that person was going thru every day,the treatments that he was taking were very painful and not only the pain he felt but the stress it causes the patient. They start to feel uncomfortable because they feel different around others. It must be hard to be alive knowing that someday you will die and that all the treatments you pay for and the time you dedicated to the illness were not sufficient . According to an article related toeuthanasia,

Depression in cancer patients with an estimated life expectancy of less than 3 months is associated with a higher likelihood to request for euthanasia. The question of whether depressed mood can adequately be treated in this terminally ill population, and if so, whether it would lower the incidence of requests for euthanasia needs further investigation. (Van der Lee)

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