FREE ESSAY ON EUTHENASIA

EUTHENASIA

Euthanasia
Immoral or Human Right?
Recent debates over active euthanasia, killing a terminally ill patient, in Holland, has
risen the question whether euthanasia is immoral or a simple human right. Doctors seem to
have no doubt. They made an oath.
The definition of Euthanasia depends on whether it is active or passive. Active
Euthanasia i only allowed in Holland, and it means that the doctor takes direct measures
to put a patient to sleep, whereas passive Euthanasia only involves stopping pill
consumption, or stopping treatment. In England, only passive Euthanasia is allowed.
Euthanasia touches some of the deepest feelings in human beings. It is the power over
life and death, and responsibilities no one wishes to take, have to be taken. This, of
cause, leads to the ultimatum, that it is the patients own choice. But can we allow some
one to take their own lives? Doesn't this mean that everyone else around the patient have
failed, that more could have been done? From the patients point of view, a lot of
arguments talk in favor of euthanasia. For one, no body wants to be a burden. If a person
has had a car accident which paralyses him from neck and down, and is doomed to sit in a
wheelchair for the rest of his life, he knows that he will be 100% dependant on the ones
that care for him, his lived ones, forever. It can also be mentioned that the life
quality of a terminally ill patient, gets reduced a lot. Never being able to walk again,
never being able to talk to your children again, never being able to go shopping,
swimming, playing, driving etc. must be terrible for anyone. The whole situation only
gets worse, if the patient himself, can see that his condition is worsening, and only
time keeps his thoughts clear. A third very important point, is pain. If people see a
deer, which had been hit by a car, and is in terrible pain, they will kill it, out of
pitty. Why shouldn't the same be allowed with humans, if pain reaches a level, where it
is unbearable? For these people, who do not have the choice of active euthanasia,
self-starvation is the only choice.
The doctors view on euthanasia, seems to be overall different. First of all, they have
taken their wove, always to assist patients in prolonging their lives, and Euthanasia
completely contradicts this. Their approach is Where there is life, there is hope, so
even a person, who has 20 tubes stuck in them, feeding them, breathing for them, there is
still life, and who knows? Maybe the future will bring the cure? 
Euthanasia does mean Good death, but there can still be no conclusion to a question,
whether Euthanasia should be accepted or not. Psychologists, philosophers, doctors and
everybody else, will consider this question for all time. My opinion is, that anyone who
is terminally ill, should have the choice, but to all rules there are exceptions, and to
something as serious as this, there shouldn't be.