Hot Button Essay1

The Moral Dilemmas of EuthanasiaKimberly GarrettThe Adult LearnerFebruary 17, 2015

People who are terminally ill may find their life severely damaged and their loved ones go through an equal amount of mental agony. We face many choices in our daily lives, but often the right choices are not the easiest ones. We think about our choices, their alternatives, our feelings, our beliefs and priorities. It is often difficult to determine whether our decisions are right or wrong. Euthanasia is one such act that is a cause of global moral dilemma. It is an act of painlessly putting a person suffering from an incurable disease which is severely painful, to an end. What I personally feel about this act is this that euthanasia is not a wrong thing to act upon. If a person is terminally sick and has no chances of survival, he/she may be relieved of the prolonged pain through euthanasia. I see no wrong doing in this act at all. People often say someone has to decide what nature and God used to decide for us. I am against this notion because I feel that the situation is completely different and it is better to relieve a person off tremendous sufferings and pain rather than prolonging it, even though it may be the toughest decision to make. It is still banned in many parts of the world since it is considered to be a suicide of done by the patient and murder if the doctor suggests it. It is nothing but an act of mercy by ending the life of the suffering person.it will be morally acceptable before discussing further let us know the various types of euthanasia: Voluntary active- it is when the patient wants to end his life voluntarily, by injecting them with a lethal drug. Voluntary passive- when a patient wants to end their life, but dies naturally. Non-voluntary active- when a patient is unable to make the decision for him and so a loved one makes it for the patient. Non- voluntary passive- again here the patient is unable to decide, so a family person decides for the course of action.However there are associations, doctors, scholars and public individuals who claim that Euthanasia is a sin and a culpable homicide. It is an act of killing and murder and is against the natural course of life and death. Let us look at 5 such issues against it:1. Christianity against euthanasia: it is a common belief that all life is given by God and he solely has the right to end a life. One should respect the time of both life and death processes. No human being has the right to take that decision of any person, even if a person wants to die, it is all Gods decision (Bbc.co.uk, 2015). Death is a spiritual process and euthanasia disrupts that process. Even if a person is in a vegetable like state he has some intrinsic value thus he should live till his time comes. It would be wrong to treat a persons life as worthless and we should value a handicapped person with the same dignity as an abled man (Bbc.co.uk, 2015). The Roman Catholic view believes that Euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God.2. Germain Grisez and Joseph M. Boyle, Jr., authors of Life and Death with Liberty and Justice (University of Notre Dame Press, 1979, pp. 149-170) are against the idea of voluntary active euthanasia: patients may choose to go euthanasia due to altruistic motives so as to not feel like a burden for their family (All.org, 2015). The family of the patient may find it morally violating and may include self-interests. Sometimes people who are very sick are confused about their situation and not rational about their choices (All.org, 2015). Sometimes the doctors may also talk about the full prognosis of patients condition to protect the legal requirements for granting euthanasia by the patient.3. Euthanasia: We can live without it- Dr. Kevin Fitzpatrick, anti-euthanasia advocate says that disabled people and elderly people are being targeted as the section of society who are unwanted and their children are being forced to believe that euthanasia is a better way(Dr. Kevin Fitzpatrick, 2015) . 4. Non-Religious Arguments against 'Voluntary Euthanasia' by Nicholas Beale and Prof Stuart Horner They argue that legalizing this act is diminishing the basis of law and human morality. Safeguards are not often foolproof. It may be routinely practiced once legalized. There may be huge social pressure on vulnerable people to volunteer for the act (Starcourse.org, 2015) .5. Ethical Rights...because it's right to be ethical by David Swanton- he says that there are various aspects of this ethical dilemma. There may be abuse of euthanasia legislation and there is a common notion due to this practice that patients are a burden to their loved ones. There is also a website named Nurses Opposed to Euthanasia- this website is aimed at those groups who protect and safeguard patients to prevent them from killing themselves or giving this right to their families and doctor. Groups help and support patients, their relatives and the nurses working under the patient who might choose euthanasia. 3 ways in which this can be achieved are: education, counseling and political and professional lobbying. This group is opposed to the act of euthanasia is unacceptable no matter how bad the situation is (Spuc.org.uk, 2015). Even though there are a plenty of arguments against euthanasia and some of them are valid, I would accept it but it still does not affect my initial feeling about this act. I believe that every person has a right to live with dignity and respect. If a person is severely ill and cannot even move a muscle and unable to perform the most basic functions of life, then it is frustrating for the patient. Not only the patient suffers but also the family and loved ones of the sufferer do. Nobody wants their loved ones to die and never in a voluntary way, but some decisions are just the way life is, it is better to make the pain of the sufferer to go away rather than prolonging it. My views on this is this is strong as I also have seen people pass away from terminal sickness and they chose voluntary euthanasia, it was a tough time and a very difficult choice but eventually we understood that our loved one was undergoing tremendous pain and could not even move a muscle nor eat a grain of food. It is a heart wrenching sight and without prolonging this pain, our loved one was relieved out of this misery. Even though there are many against this even now and is highly illegal in many countries, but I feel that it is utter selfishness to let a person go into a state of extreme pain rather than letting him go, it shows disrespect for life. I also strongly believe that situations are different and complicated but no death is good. My position on this topic is very much the same that I am for euthanasia and believe that it is no moral homicide or a killing, opting for it.

ReferencesAll.org,. (2015).Education > Euthanasia > Arguments Against Euthanasia | ALL.org. Retrieved 17 February 2015, from http://www.all.org/nav/index/heading/OQ/cat/NDA/id/NzM0OQ/Bbc.co.uk,. (2015).BBC - Religions - Christianity: Euthanasia. Retrieved 17 February 2015, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/christianethics/euthanasia_1.shtmlDr. Kevin Fitzpatrick, S. (2015).Euthanasia: We can live without it... - CNN.com.CNN. Retrieved 17 February 2015, from http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/27/opinion/opinion-anti-euthanasia-kevin-fitzpatrick/Spuc.org.uk,. (2015).Nurses Opposed to Euthanasia. Retrieved 17 February 2015, from https://www.spuc.org.uk/about/noe/noeStarcourse.org,. (2015).Non-religious arguments against Euthanasia. Retrieved 17 February 2015, from http://www.starcourse.org/euthanasia.htmSwanton, D. (2015).Ethical Rights - A Refutation of Arguments against Euthanasia.Ethicalrights.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015, from http://www.ethicalrights.com/submissions/euthanasia/93-a-refutation-of-arguments-against-euthanasia.html