Euthanasia

I patienly waited, like my opponent asked. Forfeting wouldn't be fun or fair, so I waited. I wish my opponent best of luck. Depression: Throughout this entire debate my highlighted that depression cause you to be irrational and contemplate suicide, yet the medical community beg to differ says there are benefits to suicide. Charles Darwin, along Einstein and Edison, is one the the most influential scientist of all time. He concluded depression has a secret purpose and our medical interventions are making a bad situation even worse. Like a fever that helps the immune system fight off infection increased body temperature sends white blood cells into overdrive depression might be an unpleasant yet adaptive response to affliction. Maybe Darwin was right. This would a person more attentive and less likely to look at euthanasia for a solution. Researchers have discovered that depression is as common as the common cold. If depression really made people think irrational then we would have a much higher suicide epidemic. Depression makes a person think and rule out euthanasia as an option. Instead of going to extremes people with depression would talk to their doctor and not give euthanasia a thought as a solution. They would take anti depressants, meaning we can't include them in the pool of suicide since people with depression think more rational than the average person. [1] Saving lives: I did more research and turns out my opponent missed important details. There was in fact, like he said, 6000 donors last year, those are donors who are still alive not people who are willing to donate after they die. According to organdonor.gov, "Currently, more than 100 million people in the U.S. are signed up to be a donor sign up and join them". That is more than 33% or 1/3 Americans. [2]Just as an example, let's look at the 300 number from Oregon my opponent argued agaisnt me. Since, 1/3 Americans are organ donors that leaves 100 people organ donors from Oregon. Since 1 donor saves 8 lives, that is 800 lives saved from only 100 people who chose euthanasia. This in fact does benefit society. That 300 number is only from Oregon, think about people from other states who need organs. If a person does chose to with euthanasia, those people would save lives and leave a legacy with them, instead of being statistics who died from terminal illnesses. Cost: My opponent is being very one dimensional and not hollistic by only using the 300 number. Think about the people from other states. We are facing the worst economic collapse since The Great Depression. This puts many people at risk of losing their health insurance. This leaves ill patient with huge medical bills that put more stress on them. Some who don't have insurance use government programs such as, Medicare and Medicaid. Who pays for this? Us the taxpayers. Why would I want my tax dollars going into people who will eventually die with suffering, when that money could be going to savable patients that would contribute to society. Of all 50 states many people are not only making their families go bankrupt, they're also pushing the US into bankruptcy. All wasteful spending must be reduced, denying euthanasia is a wasteful cost. Pain: My opponent says that suicide is a sign of weakness. Forcing someone to suffer is better. So, I guess someone taking pain killers is also a sign of weakness. I think not. There is no medication that can make all pain go away. Sure, medication can take away physical pain. That leaves many patients still suffering from psychological and emotional distress. Knowing that there is a possibility you could die, possibly soon, puts tremdous anxiety on the already ill, which can make the disease they are fighting much worse. CON, also says that Cancer and AIDS is only a small sample size. Tjis is terribly illogical since 12 million Americans suffer from Cancer, that's 4% of American. [3]Also, It is estimated that more than one million people are living with HIV in the USA and that more than half a million have died after developing AIDS.[4] That does not seem like a small sample size when it reaches millions. Of course, these aren't the only terminal illnesses. I would like to know where the cure is. This "research" has not led to much progess Right: In the end, it is just a person choice to commit suicide. A person's life belongs only to them, and no other person has the right to force their own ideals that life must be lived. Rather, only the individual involved can make such decision, and whatever decision they make should be respected. Freedom, is fundemental in America. It is the right we all are guaranteed. Suicide is the most basic right of all. If freedom is self-ownership ownership over one's own life and body then the right to end that life is the most basic of all. If others can force you to live, you do not own yourself and belong to them. My opponent didn't deny whether or not banning euthanasia is agaisnt freedom of religion. As long as no one else is hurt we should follow our own fate. What if someone's religion says suicide is mandatory. Sure, many religions condemn suicide(Christiantiy, Islam, Judaism). Though many religions condone suicide(Confucianism, Shintoism, Jainism). [5] By saying researching on sick patients my opponent is implying that a person with a terminal illness should be forced to be tested on. That seems to deny more rights and more freedom. Overall, unfortunately if people want to kill themselves they will do it. In anyway, no matter how horrific. The government can't stop them. The only thing euthanasia is, a calm, safe, painless, compassionate way to end someone's life with digninity and freedom. Sources: [1] http://www.nytimes.com... [2] http://www.organdonor.gov... [3] http://m.cancer.org... [4] http://www.avert.org... [5] http://en.m.wikipedia.org... This was a really fun debate. Very stimulating. Finally, I would just like to thank my opponent for accepting this debate and discussing in an orderly fashion. Good luck to my opponent and the voters. Thank you. :)