There are many different ways to interpret euthanasia – it can be a source of release for people alone and dying a slow, agonizing death and it can be a way to commit murder onto those who may have chosen death but may have ultimately wanted to live it through their pain for their family and friends. Through history people have had this sort of argument, not only about death, but about the quality of life and whether people have the right to take it for granted. In this part of the coursework, I am here to present to you the conflicting thoughts of people all over the world from different walks of life.
Some of the reasons why people believe that euthanasia is wrong are that, for one, is that it is against nature and God’s will to take your life for the reason that you control your own life because ultimately you do not since God is the one that created you and you house the holy spirit which was placed inside you after the death of Jesus Christ. Another reason is because it can weaken the respect a person has on life by allowing them to destroy it because they think they cannot take the pain even though it can ultimately make you stronger and included positive events to occur in a person’s life, even though it may be shorter than one intends. Good palliative care can result in euthanasia being unnecessary for people who once wanted to be assisted in dying because it may bring a person out of their depressive state of mind and result in their thoughts on their life being clearer and far more optimistic than they once were. One of the more significant reasons why Christians and Non-Christians believe that euthanasia can never be justified is because it gives medics and relatives too much authority over another person’s life that is not theirs to control. Many people see this as wrong since only the person who lives their life can truly decide what happens to them, but by allowing others to overrule another’s decision because of medical belief may result in voluntary active euthanasia slipping into an involuntary active euthanasia, which is illegal in the UK.
However, the opposing view is that euthanasia can be justified to people – many think that it is only right that places like the UK make euthanasia legal in some cases because passive euthanasia is already practised by many people in the world. They also see it as an act of love that is connected to the Golden Rule, ‘Do unto others as you would have done unto you’ – they see it as only right to allow people their own choices in life if it meant that they can have the same done for them by others. It all comes down to self-determination – people see that they have the right to rule their own lives thanks to the laws, God and personal beliefs, but when it comes down to death people always seem to argue over what they think is right for you and what you personally know is right for you. It gives people the chance to escape the unbearable pain they feel constantly because of terminal illness and there is no chance of survival that would be worth living for (i.e. vegetative state) then shouldn’t people have the right to go into the next life without having to wait through all the physical and emotional pain that they would have to put not only themselves but the people they care about? Is it fair that people who can commit suicide can but the people who are usually in more pain than those who kill themselves cannot?
I believe that it is only right for those who see it fit that they die should die, and only if there is nearly no chance of survival for the person. Life is just too precious to throw away because someone cannot take a few moments of pain everyday and give up too easily. The reasons we are placed on this planet may be unclear during our lives, but the thing is we are here – living and breathing with one another – and it is a gift that we cannot take for granted.