Euthanasia

2 Pages 503 Words

United States Supreme Courts are debating on a moral issue known as euthanasia. Euthanasia is most commonly known as assisted suicide. In Greek the word euthanasia means “a good, pleasant death.” Euthanasia should become legal in this country.
The main reason for euthanasia is to reduce the pain and suffering of terminally ill patients. At the time a patient is diagnosed with a disease they are able to refuse treatment. The patient then receives medicine to reduce the pain and suffering. Anti-euthanasiasts lobby that euthanasia is murder and that physician assisting with the suicide should be punished, however; pro-euthanasiasts want to give terminally ill patients the right to chose and not punish the physician that assisted in the suicide (“Euthanasia… 2)
The patients' right is another reason for legalizing euthanasia. Once a patient is informed that they have stopped responding to treatment, they should be allowed to cancel and refuse them. “People should be empowered to have control over their own bodies.” If a person does not live in Columbia, Netherlands, Japan, or in the state of Oregon, the only option that is legal is to remain alive (“Euthanasia…, 2). The choice to remain alive should not be made by religious groups, medical associations, or even groups who are scared that society will kill disabled people against their will, but it should be the patients. No one should have to live with a terminal illness or intractable pain, when they do not want too. Although there are little cases in which terminal illness and intractable pain exists, it still should be the patients decision not the doctors or the jury members. Suicide is legal according to the constitution, but patients that are terminally ill, disabled mentally or physically, or in a hospital setting might not be able to perform suicide themselves. Because the patients’ illness will not allow them to commit suicide, they are being discriminated agai...