Across the world, many debates will probably never end. Politics and religion are always two hotbeds of discussion and fighting, and from these two comes a more specific argument: should human euthanasia be legalized?
The most common form of euthanasia discussed is assisted suicide. MedTerms defines assisted suicide as, “the deliberate hastening of death by a terminally ill patient with assistance from a doctor, family member, or another individual.” In other words, this means a doctor, family member, or friend ending the life of another, at his or her request, because he or she is suffering from a painful and fatal illness that cannot be cured or treated. Many patients opt to speed up the process of death for certain reasons, usually to end the pain or inevitability of death.
One of the most famous accounts of assisted suicide is the case of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Kevorkian, known as “Dr. Death,” was reportedly obsessed with death and the process of dying. He created a machine, known as the Thanatron, that helped assist ill patients in dying. A PBS article states that Kevorkian believed his machine was, “dignified, humane and painless…” The machine uses an IV drip. The drip is, at first, a painless solution that has no effect on the patient. When the patient presses a button, a sleeping drug is introduced through the IV. After 60 seconds, the patient is under the drug when potassium chloride is introduced by a timer-controlled system. The drug stops the heart, causing the patient to die while asleep. An Ask.com biography states, “Supporters argue that — idiosyncrasies aside — Kevorkian is a hero who helped more than 130 terminally ill people end their own lives with dignity. Critics say he is a weirdo who exploited sick and disabled people for his own morbid experiments. Either way, he gets credit for bringing the issue forward into public debate.”
Many groups oppose legalizing assisted suicide on moral or religious grounds. It’s very hard to discuss assisted suicide in regards to any religious groups, as members of any religion don’t necessarily follow the exact thoughts of the representative whole. It’s like saying that every American always agrees with everything their elected officials decide. The following information comes from NewAdvent.org and regards the Catholic view on suicide, assisted or otherwise: “The authoritative Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraphs 2280-2283) makes the following points about suicide…Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.” Many other groups also have negative feelings towards any attempt at life. According to the BBC, followers of Hinduism believe that assisted suicide will damage the karma of all involved parties and it breaches Ahimsa, or “doing no harm.”
BBC also mentions that “some Hindus say that by helping to end a painful life a person is performing a good deed and so fulfilling their moral obligations.”
Many advocacy groups span both sides of the argument.
Groups like Not Dead Yet claim to fight against “non-voluntary euthanasia,” such as the Terri Schaivo case. (In this instance, the argument was this: who has the right to decide the fate of a young woman whose life depended on several life-sustaining machines. Since she was unable to choose for herself, her parents and husband fought against each other for rights to her body and, in reality, the right to choose life or death.) Some would argue that this is not actually a case of assisted suicide, since Schaivo would ultimately die without assistance from an inorganic source, but the argument does go back to the center of the matter: who gets to decide on who lives or dies? This is, rather than a case of assisted suicide, a case of the lack of assisted life, which takes things up another step completely. The group has a good point, but sadly, their somewhat extremist views and put downs towards doctors and medical staff often invalidate the points they try to make. Many other, more reputable disability groups are also opposed to assisted suicide. The NDC (National Council on Disability), stated in a memorandum, “Current evidence indicates clearly that the interests of the few people who would benefit from legalizing physician-assisted suicide are heavily outweighed by the probability that any law, procedures, and standards that can be imposed to regulate physician-assisted suicide will be misapplied to unnecessarily end the lives of people with disabilities . . . .” It is an understandable fear of many disability groups that the wishes of some may be misrepresented to benefit others over the victim, and the victim may be killed even if this isn’t his or her wish.
One group that advocates assisted suicide choice is Exit International, founded by Dr. Phillip Nitschke. Exit provides counseling for people who are considering their options. The group based in Australia, but helps people all over the world find information about laws in their areas. The program promotes those who question their futures in creating an end of life plan. Workshops are held for those people who are age 50 or older and are terminally ill. According to the site, the group’s long term goal is ethical law reform.
A point is made that legalizing euthanasia will give stronger credence to the death penalty in the United States. An argument can be made as to say that euthanasia in general devalues human life. This devaluation is a slippery slope, so if one point becomes valid, another will and so on until the death penalty is widely acceptable.
Euthanasia is an argument bigger than politics. It’s not just a matter of life or death, but also a matter of who chooses if we live or die. Is a man entitled to control his own body? Should it be legal to end your own life, and if yes, what are the terms? Should any man be able to choose death, or only the incurable man? Are we living under laws imposed by ancient and outdated standards, or are we simply living under moral guidelines that are there to help us? There is only one person that can truly find answers to any of these questions, and that person is the individual.
MedicineNet-Medterms
New Advent: Catholic Suicide Entry
BBC-Hinduism
Not Dead Yet
National Council on Disability
Exit International
Ask-Kevorkian Biography
PBS-Kevorkian Machine
