Euthanasia, in lay man’s term “mercy killing” is the act of “bringing about the death of a hopelessly ill and suffering person in a relatively quick and painless way for reasons of mercy” (American Medical Association) which stimulates much debate on whether this medical practice is ethical or unethical. It raises the question of whether we have the right to kill a person or not despite our reasons for doing so. Although euthanasia is legally dependent on the consent of the patient or his family, as well as the way it is administered, the very nature of euthanasia brings about the sensitive subjects of suicide and murder.
Christian religions are against euthanasia, in reference to one of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not kill. Killing is wrong in the eyes of God and man, and to come up with a decision to do this is not easy. For the parties involved, its all about learning to let go when it is impossible to hold on. Many emotions are involved when deciding to do euthanasia, as well as practical factors. Fortunately, my family was never in a situation where we need to decide if we should, as they would say, “pull the plug,” (removal of artificial life support) but when that time comes, I will allow for euthanasia.
The death of someone you love is painful, but seeing someone you love continue to feel the consequences of an uncurable sickness until she dies is doubly painful not only on the family but moreso on the patient who physically and emotionally feels the effects of the disease. Sometimes, for the patient and for the family, death is the best option. It is a decision whether to die in pain or just die. Using utilititarianism, a normative ethical theory, which was discussed by John Stuart Mill in his book On Liberty, euthanasia is justifiable, despite the moral dilemma it arouses.
In utilitarianism, any action that increases the overall good is right, including acts that are morally questionable (Rosen, 1990). The general idea of utilitarianism in the practice of euthanasia, is keeping the best interests of the family and the patient. In the event that the patient is kept alive only by life support, the best action to take to is to execute euthanasia as this will lessen the physical, emotional and financial burden of the family. A utilitarian approach on euthanasia does not imply that less value is given on the life of a person when weighing the importance of things, but to reflect on what “increases the overall good.
” Practically speaking the cost of medical attention is not cheap. What we pay for hospital bills and medical treatments is hard-earned. We know that the case is hopeless, so why would we waste more money before we finally accept that it all comes down to death in the end? There is no difference in grieving now from grieving later and we can spend that saved money in more useful ways like college education so that those that who will continue to live on will have a foundation to live a better life.
In a utilitarian point of view, we did what was for the best. Whether euthanasia is ethical or unethical will forever remain a debate as people have different moral standards that they believe, and in the end, what trully matters is that we did what we believe in our heart to be right.
Works Cited
American Medical Association. (1992). Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. Rosen, B. (1990). Ethics Companion. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.