This essay is supposed to be an argumentative essay.
Because a patient's life can be more unpleasant than death, they should have a right to choose to live or die.
Carrie Bryant
English 102-26326
Adam Korman
Feb. 8th, 2022
Carrie Bryant
English 102-26326
Adam Korman
Feb. 8th, 2022
Because a patient's life can be more unpleasant than death, they should have a right to choose to live or die.
Should we ever have a legal right to choose death? "Euthanasia came out as a nineteenth-century solution to the desperate agony of the dying patient." (Lavi). The original meaning of euthanasia was, "easeful death." The original religious meaning was, "grace of God". In Greece, it means good death. It also has been called the medical hastening of death. Euthanasia or assisted suicide is a practice in which a doctor prescribes a lethal amount of medication to help someone who has chosen to die. Most commonly this is for the terminally ill that want to end the pain and be able to be of some help to someone with organ donation. (Lavi 2009). A patient's life can be more unpleasant than death, they should have a right to be able to choose to live or die. Euthanasia is not a commonplace practice and is the last recourse for those that have shown interest. There are many instances where this situation could come into play. The most obvious, is those already dying of a terminal illness. Others include those with no quality of life because of their medical issues, senior citizens that feel like a burden, or the mentally ill that feel that life is no longer worth living. What about criminals? Should they have a right to die if they so choose? There are several different types of euthanasia or ways to do it. Passive, which is withholding treatment is usually allowed worldwide. Active is when something is introduced to cause death involuntarily. Consent from guardian and physician-assisted are where the physician prescribes but the patient takes care of completing it. "The majority of those that ask for euthanization are depressed individuals." (Us News). In 2020 the study of sixteen patients with psychiatric conditions that had requested euthanasia was interesting. They told of the same reasons that people choose to commit suicide, feeling emotionally destroyed, having suffered many disappointments & stumbling blocks, and lifelong oppression. Ironically, similar answers are given from those that are suicidal. Could this be the new "suicide"? The patients felt that euthanasia was more dignified and responsible than suicide. (Verhofstadt).
Following are some examples of a patient's life being more unpleasant than death. I read a story of a woman that didn't live in one of the countries that allowed euthanasia. She decided early on that she never wanted to grow old because she didn't want to be remembered like that. She waited longer than she had planned, she didn't go until she was 71, but she did it. Another story involving an 85-year-old woman from Belgium, Simona De Moor, that felt that the only thing she had to live for was her daughter. When her daughter died during routine surgery, she decided in 5 minutes that she wanted to have euthanasia done. She had already lost her husband to colon cancer. Three months later it came to fruition. Belgium has liberal euthanasia laws. The hardest part for the reporter that was there for the euthanasia was realizing that she was in perfect health but felt that she had nothing to live for. (Eddie) Recently there was a 60-year-old man from Columbia that didn't have a terminal illness but was legally battling for euthanasia. He suffered from end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, better known as COPD and his quality of life was very low. He made it public so that others in his situation could take advantage of it as he did. (Us News)
Some fear that this is leading to the slippery slope of euthanasia and assisted suicide. They say that if advocates continue to push the envelope and it becomes legal, as in the man from Columbia, it won't be long before anyone who requests it could do so without reason. Also, it could lead to more nonvoluntary euthanasia. People are even going so far to say that in time people with incurable and debilitating illnesses would be gone from our society. I don't believe this to be true. It isn't for everyone; I just think people deserve a choice. Patients need to be well educated as to all of the choices. Just because the doctor tells you that your disease is terminal, doesn't mean that you will stop living. In a lot of cases, there is more that can be done to control the symptoms and still be happy with continuing to live. First most it is considered for those in a vegetative state or coma. It is also important that those that can't afford to pay can continue their care and not feel like they are a financial burden on their families. I think there should be a long process before someone gets approved for euthanasia. We must consider those that are planning on committing suicide anyway, maybe this could be a chance for them to be rehabilitated. There should probably be a requirement to meet with a counselor and a time limit that they have to wait. Law requirements differ from country to country.
In India it is considered illegal to commit suicide or euthanasia involuntary euthanasia is not legal in almost all countries. In the United States, it is legal in Montana, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and a county in New Mexico. Some of the other countries have different restrictions. "Luxembourg, Canada, Australia, and Colombia allow euthanasia for adults who are in unbearable suffering and who will die from their condition." (The Week). Belgium has no age restrictions, in Switzerland, there are no restrictions unless someone stands to gain an inheritance after the death. In the Netherlands, you can be sick, even if it's not terminal. In Australia, the patient has to request it 3 times before they will consider it. In France it is illegal but the patient or guardian can request that they are highly sedated. Patients will travel to the countries where it is legal if they wish to have the procedure. Medically assisted death is for competent persons suffering from a terminal illness, overly burdensome existence, who believe that life is no longer worth living, but who are incapable of ending their own lives.
We need to make sure that what patients want is for the right reasons. It has been found that suicide I dealation and inadequate palliative care, have led to some patients' hasty decisions. Some people go as far as to think that this process is like mercy killing, assisted suicide, decriminalized medical procedure, or privileged murder. Frequently patients that are terminal are depressed, feel that they are a burden to their caregivers, fear losing control or having their human dignity violated, and dislike being dependent. Under these circumstances, a patient's life can be more unpleasant than death. The passing of new laws for euthanasia shows growing approval. There was a study done in Iran on what physicians believe on the subject. 56.8% of the physicians believed that euthanasia is ethically unacceptable and 43.2% believed that it was ethically acceptable. (Banović).
"What is at stake in the modern way of dying is not human progress, but rather a fundamental change in the way we experience life in the face of death" (Lavi). He also feels that it has come to be more about laws than what is best for the patient. Medically assisted death is for competent persons suffering from a terminal illness, overly burdensome existence, who believe that life is no longer worth living, but who are incapable of ending their own lives. I think that everyone should have the right to die, the right to refuse care, not be forced to have to live a life filled with pain and dreading having to wake up another day.
I was surprised to hear that in the Netherlands they have been working on a coffin-shaped 3-D printed capsule that will cause death with the push of a button by the patient. If things go as planned, it will start being used in Switzerland by this year. They are given an ingestible liquid barbiturate that puts them into a deep coma. Then death occurs by hypoxia, oxygen deprivation in 5-10 minutes proceeding that. It has been researched to make sure that the patient will have no discomfort. When the patient closes the capsule, they are asked a few questions and then can press the button inside when they are ready. The capsule can be towed anywhere so it can be used in multiple places. In Switzerland, more than 1300 people have used the current euthanasia (Newsweek).
Shai Lavi traces the history of euthanasia in the United States to show how changing attitudes toward death reflect new and troubling ways of experiencing pain, hope, and freedom. (Lavi). The passing of new laws for euthanasia shows growing approval. Now, we should know the pros and cons of euthanasia and be better prepared to make or help a loved one to make a decision, if necessary. From what we have learned, if patients are adamant about being euthanized, they can find a way by going to a country or state where it is legal. Who are we to say how long someone must continue to suffer? Personally, I would want to be euthanized if I was having to be taken care of. I would feel like I was affecting my loved one's quality of life, and spending unnecessary amounts of money on care, and to what gain? The question is, do we owe it to society to ensure "a good death" or is it unethical and should it be prohibited by the law? (Jackson)
Works CitedHolt Educational Consultant - / 14,835 
4783 The discussion presented is truly supportive of the right to Euthanasia. It delivers clear supporting reasons based on the writer's knowledge and observation. However, it does not create a compelling argument to support the side of the writer due. An argumentative essay works best when the writer clearly debates both sides of the issue, delving on reasons why the opposing side does not represent the correct knowledge to disallow or remove the right of the patient to Euthanasia. The focus of an argumentative essay is to win the argument by disproving the other side. Presenting their reasons and then, using the opposing argument to show the lack of applicability or errors in understanding of the reason presented. This essay, though compelling to read, only focuses on the given question, without considering the opposing arguments attached to it. Therefore, the argument becomes thin in convincing power. It does not respond to the possible opposing questions that could arise from the reasons provided. So it is not a true argumentative presentation.
