Why I Am Pro Euthanasia: the Rebuttal of the Arguments Against

In Merriam-Webster dictionary, euthanasia is defined as “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (such as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.” I am personally for the process of euthanasia, if a person wants to end their life, I think they should be able to. They are the one’s who are suffering, so why should they continue to go through pain? I will present my points pro euthanasia in this essay.

Pro Euthanasia: argumentative points

Friedrich Nietzsche said, “one should die proudly when it is no longer possible to live proudly.” According to Gallup survey on May 31, 2018, “72% of those living in the U.S. said euthanasia should be legal.” On dignity in dying.org, there are personal stories of those that explain why they are pro-euthanasia. Heather McQueen says, “after I watched my mother suffer a cruel and inhumane death from terminal cancer, I decided I would do everything I can to change the law.” Heather’s mother was “diagnosed with a rare anal cancer. The treatment she received gave her mother third degree burns which made laying down painful. She was so sore sitting down that she ate standing up. In the last year of her mother’s life a tumor was found blocking her stomach. This left her unable to digest food and there weren’t any treatment options left.” Imagine being unable to live a full life, walk, do daily task, or be in unbearable pain would you want to live like that? Would you want your loved one to live like that? We have the right to choose freely how we should live, we should in certain circumstances choose how and when we should die.

In Psychology Today, Jessica Pierce ends the article with questions that I don’t think most people consider. “Should we be more open to euthanasia in the human realm? Should we, on the other hand, be a little more circumspect in how easily we apply euthanasia to our animal companions?” A human can verbally express the pain they are experiencing an animal can’t, but we can show more compassion for them when they are suffering. An argument against euthanasia is that doctors sign a Hippocratic oath to do no harm. And ending someone’s life before their time is seen as doing harm for most doctor’s morally, ethically and legally. I feel that if a patient is suffering and not living a full life the doctor is already doing harm by allowing it to continue. In Medical News Today, Christian Nordqvist says “As the world has changed since the time of Hippocrates, some feel that the original oath is outdated. In some countries, an updated version is used”.

Many also believe that if it were to be legalized, there is a possibility of the law being taken advantage of. The fear is that patients suffering with depression or other difficult disorders are more likely to make poor decisions and choose death instead of finding a treatment plan. I must agree this has to be the best argument I’ve seen for euthanasia. But why would you make euthanasia that accessible. This is where the world has gone wrong with guns, alcohol, and medical marijuana. They made it too easy for anyone to be able to have access to it. They should make strict laws for it and along with therapy grant the person a certain amount of time to think about this choice.

Conclusion

I think euthanasia should be legalized to give patients that are suffering and wish to end it a painless way out. The right to live is given to everyone; therefore, I believe everyone should have the right to die on their own terms. It is a matter of one’s right of freedom and this right should be made available.