Euthanasia

Fundamentally, euthanasia deals with human beings, so my argument will be based on the inherent dignity of the human person. Deliberately killing an innocent person is morally wrong, even when done with the best of intentions. Indeed, people often choose euthanasia for themselves or their loved ones with the best of intentions, but the intention does not change the act. Many people argue that euthanasia is the last recourse when the family does not have enough money to pay for medical treatment. However, this view reduces a person to his medical condition. It does not respect his dignity or the value he puts into the world simply by being alive. The cost of medical treatment is certainly a problem in some cases, but killing the person should not be the solution. We as a community need to find a solution that respects human dignity and does not involve the deliberate death of an innocent person. Another strong argument in favor of euthanasia says that it ends human suffering, giving the person a dignified death. While this is a compelling argument- we all want people to have a dignified and peaceful end- it also neglects the view of the whole person. If we see ourselves or others only as an illness or suffering we fail to see all the goodness, beauty and dignity of every person. Suffering does not diminish our dignity. Every human being is more than just his physical health. We cannot reduce him to his physical condition to make a judgement about his worth. If we make the decision to end our own lives to end the pain we forget that there is more to life than pain. By our example we can build virtue and strong character, but we can also witness to others. I personally have a friend whose father suffered from a very painful cancer with a taxing treatment. His strength in the face of suffering and the sacrifices he made for his family did far more for his family and others than ending his life ever could have. He truly died with dignity because he made the most of his time and did not let his suffering define or limit him. There is value in all our suffering, just as there is value in every life. This does not give us the right to end our lives. Now, if a person wants to die, what right do we have to deny him? for one thing, even if he asks for it, euthanasia is still the deliberate killing of an innocent person, which is always wrong. In addition, the United States Constitution protects the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". It does not protect the right to death. Some people could argue that the right to death could be an extension of the right to life (we have autonomy and should be able to choose our end) or that it falls under the pursuit of happiness. If the act does not harm society how can we claim the right to prohibit the person's free choice? To begin with, I would like to assert that the act does harm society. A good case study is the Netherlands. Since legalizing physician assisted suicide, their numbers of euthanasia cases each year have risen dramatically, which would be expected. But it doesn't stop there. An average of three elderly people per day are subjected to involuntary or nonvoluntary euthanasia in the Netherlands (http://www.patientsrightscouncil.org...). This means that their doctors killed them without their consent or knowledge. While this might seem like an extreme example, it is the effect of the devaluation of human life that accompanies euthanasia. Another negative effect on society is the loss of any life. Society as a whole suffers when any of its members die, but especially when they die because of an attitude of indifference or disrespect toward life, which sometimes accompanies the choice for euthanasia. The choice to end one"s life also affects family. It is difficult to watch a loved one suffer, but knowing that you helped end their life might be more difficult still. The best way to love someone is to support him through his suffering. People may want to end their suffering for the sake of their families, either to end their financial or emotional burdens. I understand that there is a tremendous pressure to make these decisions and that the vast majority of them are made out of love. Here we have to examine what love is and how we can live it out with a suffering family member. Is death truly what is best for the person? I would argue that we can love them best by giving them a good life rather than a good death. When we love someone we want what is best for them, so the question is whether committing suicide (or physician assisted suicide) is what is best for the person. Taking an innocent life, including your own, is a grave evil. From this point we can conclude that killing yourself, which is an evil act, is not what is best for the person. In addition, most people who attempt suicide (as opposed to euthanasia) are seeking an end to their problems more than actual death. Often ending their lives seems like the only or the best way to end their problems. Studies done by the American Journal of Psychiatry have shown that only 3% of patients who attempted suicide and received treatment committed suicide within the 5 years following treatment. This is strong evidence that death is not the best solution to life's problems, nor the solution that most people really want. If we make euthanasia legal we are providing an easy means to end any pain people are experiencing without encouraging them to seek a solution to their problems. Since the beginning of recorded history, human beings have feared death. People have had traditions for millennia that are meant to ease the passing from this life. Ancient Greeks placed coins on the eyes of the dead to allow them passage into the underworld. Egyptian royalty were mummified and buried with wealth to ensure a safe afterlife where they would be happy and well provided for. The Japanese emperor Qin Shi Huang Di was buried with thousands of terracotta warriors to accompany him in the afterlife. We have always had traditions to make the idea of death easier to bear. We have rituals and beliefs, and all this is because we have a natural fear of death. This fear speaks to an innate human understanding that life is good and death is unnatural. This is not to say that I believe we should fear death. My point is that we should not urge people from life. Our innate response to death as something undesirable should tell us that life is beautiful and should be valued. I don"t support prolonging people"s suffering. We do not have to provide extraordinary care, but we cannot deliberately kill anyone. It is moral to let a person die, but not to kill him. Medicine is meant to heal, not to kill. It is actually dehumanizing to end our lives early. It gives people the "choice" to decide when they die rather than encouraging them to make good choices with how they live. Autonomy means living by our choices, not dying by them. Literally defined, it means "independence or freedom, as of the will or one's actions". The irony here is that if we freely choose to die we are no longer free and no longer making choices. I am not insensitive to the fact that many people know others who have committed suicide or physician-assisted-suicide. I certainly don't mean to disrespect or insult anybody. I know that euthanasia is a personal and sensitive topic, but it is one that must be addressed. I am opposed to euthanasia out of respect for every human person.