Euthanasia should and must be allowed in all countries. It is essential for a moral and well adjusted society. Why? I am, of course, talking about voluntary Euthanasia. If a person wants to die, it is their choice to be killed or not. NOT the governments, NOT the religions, NOT their family and friends. Theirs. Denying the right to death is directly against the right to life that so many of us preach day in day out. Euthanasia is compassionate and merciful, giving dignity and a release from pain for the patients. If the patient lucidly converys their approval there is no problem with Euthanasia. If the lucidly convey their disapproval, don't do it. If they can't lucidly convey anything, then a doctor should decide, and should only provide assisted suicide in extreme cases. What is the argument against voluntary Euthanasia? I can't see it.
Fire Legion;3382925Euthanasia should and must be allowed in all countries. It is essential for a moral and well adjusted society. Why? I am, of course, talking about voluntary Euthanasia. If a person wants to die, it is their choice to be killed or not. NOT the governments, NOT the religions, NOT their family and friends. Theirs. Denying the right to death is directly against the right to life that so many of us preach day in day out. Euthanasia is compassionate and merciful, giving dignity and a release from pain for the patients. If the patient lucidly converys their approval there is no problem with Euthanasia. If the lucidly convey their disapproval, don't do it. If they can't lucidly convey anything, then a doctor should decide, and should only provide assisted suicide in extreme cases. What is the argument against voluntary Euthanasia? I can't see it.
Very touchy subject that I don't really have a stance on yet. But I will say this. I wouldn't do it. By which I mean ask for Euthanasia, or perform it. I would never kill someone who isn't threatening me. Even if they begged me.
Pulling someone off life support is entirely different though, as you aren't killing them, merely letting them die. I wouldn't want to be on life support unless I would actually be healed afterwards.
I guess if a situation is hopeless, he can simply be left alone and die naturally. However, I don't think its a good idea to encourage euthanasia. In some countries that have legalized it, the person's next of kin can make the decision - which is a very bad idea. The heirs may decide to "speed his passing" so they can get at his fat bank account sooner. And also, when in great pain a person's rational thought processes melt away very quickly (I know this from experience, and I'm sure many other people have) - so may make a bad decision. When feeling horrible, it is natural for a human being to take the easy way out - death. But that is signing away any chance he may have had for survival. So in the end, neither the person or his relatives are reliable decision makers... so who should make the decision? His doctor? Do we really want to encourage doctors to decide whether or not to kill the patient? The government? Do we really want some bureau deciding if an (innocent) person lives or dies? Very complex question, which, quiet frankly, should be left alone for now.
The argument against is mostly religious. It's Gods decision whether you should die or not. If God wants you to die he'll take you, otherwise your here to do something he wants done. Suicide is considered a mortal sin because you aren't alive to ask forgiveness. So your in the eyes of the church damned to flames of hell.
Im a deist so I don't think there is anything wrong with euthanasia. If I'm on my death bed and I want to save my family from having to watch me wither away and having to pay the hospital all that money for dragging my life out I want to have the choice. I want to be able to OD on sleeping pills and drift off. Thats my decision and i think in the right situation it's a good one.
The argument against is mostly religious. It's Gods decision whether you should die or not. If God wants you to die he'll take you. Suicide is considered a mortal sin because you aren't alive to ask forgiveness. So your in the eyes of the church damned to flames of hell.
Mine is based on practicality. If I'm in a coma, I don't want some greedy, sticky-handed children of mine deciding whether or not to have me murdered.
I could have a thousand men, ten thousand guns, a billion dollars... and none of that would save me from some fool kid who says "We're doing this for his own good".
IMO, the ill person needs to give oral and written consent in the presence of a judge for euthanasia to be given. If not, it must be assumed that the person wants to live as long as possible. I don't want to see people get "put of their misery" if they did not want to. That is the same as muder in my eyes.
If you don't what a person wants, do the obvious, nothing.
Having experienced watching my Aunt who raised me die of Lung cancer and a unoperable brain tumor yes Euthenasia should be allowed.
What we have to take into account is not only the right to life but the quality of life. The current medical ethic is to keep the person alive if possible, even using artificial methods, for as long as possible.
But what about a right to life. If a person has inoperable tumors or cancer or is paralyzed from the neck down do they really have any quality of life?
If a person goes into a coma and isnt expected to come out of it and has a will saying unplug me should we?
The only person who has a right to answer that is the person suffering. No doctors, no nurses, no family memebr has the right to overrule the person who is suffering.
Some people will fight til they cant fight anymore and I respect that. But someone who is terminally ill or is paralyzed who has made it clear they do not want to exist anymore should be allowed to end their own life.
There's also the question of the slippery slope. We've seen other movements that started with good intentions spiral out of control. Now that we're dealing with human life, we definitely want to consider the possibilities of that.
Machiavelli's Apprentice;3382962Mine is based on practicality. If I'm in a coma, I don't want some greedy, sticky-handed children of mine deciding whether or not to have me murdered.
I could have a thousand men, ten thousand guns, a billion dollars... and none of that would save me from some fool kid who says "We're doing this for his own good".
I think there is a difference between euthanasia and do not resuscitate orders. I think one is you making a conscious decision to end your life and the other is making a stipulation that they can't use extraordinary measures to keep you alive. Like say if you were old and they wanted to put you on life support. If you had DNR orders they couldn't. They would just let you pass. Euthanasia would be having the right to say i don't want to live anymore and just committing suicide.
The argument against is mostly religious. It's Gods decision whether you should die or not. If God wants you to die he'll take you, otherwise your here to do something he wants done. Suicide is considered a mortal sin because you aren't alive to ask forgiveness. So your in the eyes of the church damned to flames of hell.
Someone said something smart during the Schiavo debacle (you know, the girl who was fully conscious even though she was in a vegetative state with most of her brain shut down and who felt extreme pain as she died even though her cerebral cortex was shot to Hell:rolleyes:): "Pull the plug. If God wants her to live, he'll perform a miracle and she'll get well. Otherwise, it's her time to go".
And, of course, there's the absurdity of it: If the superstitious are really right about their Paradise, I'd rather go there than to be a "vegetable" for all eternity, without being able to perceive anything. I'd rather be in the Land of Milk and Honey than in a hospital bed with eternal pain that'll never get any better. Sounds more like Hell to me.
IMO, the ill person needs to give oral and written consent in the presence of a judge for euthanasia to be given. If not, it must be assumed that the person wants to live as long as possible. I don't want to see people get "put of their misery" if they did not want to. That is the same as muder in my eyes.
Are you including those who are in comas they'll never wake up from? Such as Terri Schiavo?
What about babies who can't decide as they have no way to understand their situation? We can't exactly have them live in a Hell of pain and bedsores and suffering for years in the unlikely case that they'll grow to get old enough to give consent, can we? Even if we know they'll never get better and that the rest of their life will be pain?