Euthanasia essay

The problem of euthanasia is a highly debatable topic for discussion. This procedure has existed since the ancient times. Even hundreds of years ago, euthanasia provoked numerous debates among not only medical practitioners, but also lawyers and psychologists. In recent years, more and more doctors are willing to commit euthanasia if a patient asks for death him/herself. How should this procedure be treated? Should it be regarded as being amoral and risky from the ethical point of view? These questions cannot be answered unambiguously. Initially, euthanasia was intended for eliminating handicapped individuals. Euthanasia was used to kill deficient new-born babies, mentally ill individuals, handicapped and the elderly. However, in later years such a tendency started to be considered a crime against humanity as it violated the basic human rights.

Euthanasia is also known as “easy death” as it is meant to liberate incurable individuals from sufferings associated with the disease. Speaking about the arguments in favor of this procedure, it should be noted that its supporters emphasize the following. First of all, every individual has freedom to choose whether they want to move on or get free from sufferings by means of euthanasia. The supporters of euthanasia indicate that it is not right to make a person suffer. This means that if a person decides to leave the world, it should be perceived as his/her own conscious decision. Everyone should have a right for death.

Furthermore, it is considered that if an individual’s disease is incurable, it is better to undergo euthanasia than live a life full of pain and suffering. Moreover, the relatives of an individual will be free from an obligation of taking care of their sick relative. It is so because it is always painful to see other people suffering, especially in case the diseased person is a relative. However, euthanasia can be carried out only under strict supervision. Despite the fact that many people perceive it simply as a legalized murder, it is not so. In fact, the supporters of euthanasia claim that it is rather a well-thought decision of a diseased individual.

As for the arguments against euthanasia, it needs to be mentioned that this procedure is often considered an anti-religious and amoral action due to the fact that nobody is claimed to have a right to deprive anyone of life. Thus, if euthanasia becomes legal, it will contradict the humanistic ideas concerning the value of life. According to the followers of Christianity, life is given to a person by God, so that no one except God has a right to bring it to an end. Human life is considered invaluable, while euthanasia is intended for depriving a person of this treasure, which is wrong.

What is more, legalization of this procedure might lead to certain negative consequences. For instance, it may result in illegal actions on behalf of medical practitioners. In this case, it should be perceived as a conscious murder that is sometimes committed for getting profit, rather then helping people in need. It is considered that medical workers might use euthanasia to kill individuals who have no family or relatives. Furthermore, the diseased individuals often choose euthanasia in the state of affection in case they are incurably ill, even though sometimes the diagnosis is simply a mistake of doctors. It should be noted that every person wants to keep on living until the very end, and most people who give consent to euthanasia often change their mind, but there are cases when it is too late to change the situation. Besides, euthanasia is severely criticized by Christianity as it is claimed to be an unambiguous violation of Christian values. The issue of euthanasia remains controversial being still vividly discussed by medical workers, sociologists and psychologists. It remains one of the most actively debated topics in the field of medicine.