Euthanasia which is physician assisted suicide, is a right which a suffering or terminally ill patient possesses, and which should be granted on request. According to McDougall et. al. (2007), it refers to consensual or non-consensual assistance in dying through a painless manner. It is a controversial subject of debate and is offered to patients or other people who are in pain and have very little or no chance of survival. There are two categories of euthanasia; euthanasia by consent and by means.
Euthanasia by consent involves either voluntary euthanasia where the patient gives consent, or involuntary euthanasia where the decision to perform euthanasia is given by another person, since the patient is incapable of doing so. Euthanasia by means involves either passive, active or non-active forms of euthanasia. Active euthanasia involves administering of a lethal drug in order to lead to death of a patient (Weisstub et. al. , 2001). Non-active euthanasia involves withdrawing life support in order to result in the death of a patient.
Passive euthanasia on the other hand involves withdrawing treatment, or use of medication to relieve pain, for instance morphine, with the knowledge that it can lead to the death of the patient. Arguments in favor of euthanasia. Choice. According to Weisstub et. al. , (2001), some proponents of euthanasia argues that in free markets and liberal democracies, a person is presented with a freedom to choose what he or she wants. In line with this, a person should have the choice over his or her life, and should be responsible in making the decision on whether to terminate it or not.
A person, who gives the consent to end his or her life, has the right to make this decision and it should be respected. Quality of life. The most important aspect of life is its quality. A person who is suffering and is in pain loses this aspect, and people who have not undergone this experience may not comprehend the experience (Fremgen, 2004). Apart from the physical pain, there is emotional pain which involves loss of independence, and performance of basic bodily functions such as going to the bathroom.
All these functions have to be performed by other people, and it hurts the patient emotionally due to loss of dignity. It is therefore difficult for patients who have undergone these experiences to fully recover, which necessitates use of euthanasia to relieve this pain. Human resources and economic costs. There are two aspects to this argument; the cost to the relatives of the patient, and society in general. In relation to costs to relatives, scarcity in hospital staff and medical resources makes health care very expensive.
A person who spends a very long time in hospital, especially in the Intensive Care Unit and has little chance of survival, ends up hurting the next-of-kin in the event he or she passes on, leaving huge medical bills which are difficult to settle. Performing euthanasia will provide the much needed closure and free the family of unnecessary expenses which may negatively affect their financial position (Rae, 2000). In relation to society, the challenges which face the medical field due to scarcity of resources, present a new dilemma to society.
This is the decision between treating patients who have very little chance of surviving, and saving hospital space for those who have very high chances of recovery, if provided with access to medical resources (Cohen and Wellman, 2005). In line with this, it is better to perform euthanasia in order to provide patients who have a chance to recover, with the medical resources which will ensure they survive. Some people actually see this as a means of ensuring that there is justice in the society.
Good death. Different societies, religions and people have diverse perceptions on the ‘best way’ to die. In ancient Rome, Cicero an orator was of the view that in order to respect public order and natural law, one had to depart from earth with tranquility and dignity. Although there are many views on what constitutes a ‘good death’, many people agree that it should be as painless as possible. A slow and painful death is frowned upon by may people (Callahan, 2000).
In view of this, euthanasia is an acceptable way of preventing a slow and painful death of patients, and ensuring that they die with dignity. Reduction of botched suicides. In absence of euthanasia, sometimes patients either attempt suicide or seek the help of other individuals in committing suicide. In some cases, the suicides are not successful and they result in further suffering of the patient, since they find themselves in situations which are worse off than they were. This is due to physical or emotional trauma which they experience and they may not get over it during their lifetime.
In order to avoid these situations, euthanasia should be made available to such patients. Summary and conclusion. It has been seen that there are several circumstances which warrant the use of euthanasia. The major argument is that a person should have a right to make the decision on whether to terminate his or her own life. This will enable them to reduce suffering and die a dignified death. However, it is important to regulate the laws which cover euthanasia in order to prevent people from abusing them.
This is very important since people can easily commit murder under the guise of euthanasia.
References.
Callahan, D. (2000). The Troubled Dream of Life: In Search of a Peaceful Death. Washington: Georgetown University Press. Cohen, A. I. , Wellman, C. H. (2005). Contemporary Debates in Applied Ethics. London: Blackwell Publishing. Fremgen, B. F. (2004). Medical Law and Ethics. Washington: Pearson/Prentice Hall. McDougall, J. F. , Gorman, M. , Roberts, C. S. (2007). Euthanasia: A Reference Handbook. California: ABC-CLIO