Euthanasia, the line between life and death

Páginas: 6 (1480 palabras) Publicado: 3 de mayo de 2011
"The fundamental question about euthanasia: Whether it is a libertarian movement for human freedom and the right of choice, or an aggressive drive to exterminate the weak, the old, and the different, this question can now be answered. It is both.”- Richard Fenigsen, Dutch cardiologist. Euthanasia is one of the most controversial topics now a day which mainly debate the line on freedom of choiceand the right to die. Euthanasia often involves important moral facts about human and legal rights which debate on very complicated point of views but, ¿what’s behind all these? Most people don’t realize the consequences on the legalization of euthanasia nor the feelings patients go through when considering euthanasia. The main subtopics to discuss are: The consequences on the legalization ofeuthanasia and the reasons why euthanasia is considered. The purpose for this paper is to persuade the people to consider euthanasia at the last option possible by showing the consequences it can cause and proving that the reasons to do euthanasia can be avoided
Nowadays, the legalization of euthanasia has been more discussed than ever. Each year more countries accept this practice making othercountries to reconsider its legalization. Countries like Oregon, Washington, Montana, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg make part of this already accepted controversial legalization, but are it ok to legalize it? According to Rita L. Marker and Kathi Hamlon, writers of “Euthanasia and Assistance suicide: Frequently asked questions”, there are several consequences if its legalized. Firstly ifeuthanasia gets legalized it would not only be for people who are terminally ill but also for the ones that still have a chance but because of the influence of the euthanasia practice any life threatening illness would be considered as terminal. Secondly, if euthanasia gets legalized it will become non-voluntary. If the choice of euthanasia is considered as good as a decision to receive care, manypeople will feel guilty with for not choosing death. Making the patient emotionally and physically pressured to choose euthanasia. And thirdly if euthanasia get legalized it would demonstrate a rejections of the importance and value of human life been so that “With euthanasia no one's life is being saved - life is only taken.”(Marker,Hamlon). Euthanasia has been rejected on almost all societies,including non religious ones for thousands of years. It’s odd to assume that 50 year old euthanasia supporters are wiser than decades of accumulated wisdom against the killing of innocent people.
There are many arguments against the legalization of euthanasia; Nicholas Beale and Prof. Stuart Horner, writers of the article “Non religious arguments against voluntary euthanasia” discuss and share someimportant arguments against it. The first one talks about the consequence of social pressure on vulnerable people, saying that if euthanasia get legalized the pressure for taking “death” as an alternative treatment will increase leading to cause stress and suffering. The second one talks about how discrimination can increase. “The victims would predominantly be the most disadvantaged members ofsociety: the old, poor, disabled, infirm and unemployed.” (Beale, Horner) saying that if euthanasia is legalized the most common victims of it would be the most disadvantaged members of society. And finally the third one talks about the lost of trust between doctors and patients. “Anyone would be terrified of going to hospital and being euthanized against their will” (Beale, Horner). With thelegalizations of euthanasia, even if the patience authorize or not the act, the doctor do the ultimate act.
All four authors, Marker-Hamlon and Beale- Horner are against euthanasia and give strong arguments about why euthanasia shouldn’t be legalized. Marker and Hamlon use arguments about how the word “terminal” can get used in any situation and the value of human rights while Beale and Horner use...
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