The word "euthanasia" derives from the Greek "eu" meaning "good or well" and "Thanatos" meaning "death." Therefore, euthanasia can be defined as, "good death" (Medicine Net). In more proper terms, euthanasia, which is also known as physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is, “the practice of providing a competent patient with a prescription for medication for the patient to use with the primary intention of ending his or her life” (Ganzini). In reality, there is nothing good about death. Every year about a million people are diagnosed with a terminal illness, and half the amount sadly lose the fight against it. Yes, terminal illnesses are unfair, however, allowing a person to suffer to the extent of wanting to end their lives is heartbreaking. PAS is unethical and traumatizing. It should be illegal because it weakens society’s respect for the sanctity of life, opens doors for possible misuse towards vulnerable groups, and forces an immense amount of pressure towards the physicians we ask to take part in it.
The idea that everyone has the right to all life ironically disrespects the value of life itself and goes against the will of God. Many religious people, more specifically Christians and Catholics, would argue that if one were to kill themselves or have another do so, it denies God and the right that he has to choose the length of, and the way one's life ends. Since God is the giver of life, he is believed to be the only one that has the right to take it away. Also, the act of euthanasia goes against the Roman Catholic church’s absolute and unchanging commandment, “thou shalt not kill.” For example, in Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II states that “Euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person” (Paul). PAS will lead many to lose respect for the sacred gift of life. People should not end their lives just because it seems like the most effective way of putting an end to their suffering. By doing so, it is disrespectful to a human’s self-worth. Everyone deserves to live out his or her time on Earth painlessly and peacefully. All human beings are valuable regardless of age, sex, race, religion, or health status.
Legalizing euthanasia calls for regulation or a process that decides who is allowed to die. How do you regulate death? How do you decide who deserves to die? Allowing it could begin the process of permitting involuntary euthanasia. Meaning, it can be misused and targeted towards groups like the elderly or mentally and physically handicapped. Disability rights activist and fighter against osteogenesis imperfecta, Stella Young expresses that, “The killing of a disabled person is not ‘compassion’. It is not ‘euthanasia’. It is murder” (Young). For example, author Michael Burleigh of Death and Deliverance explains throughout his book that, “the medical profession in Germany, at their own initiative, practiced euthanasia from 1939 to 1941. During that time they killed an estimated 70,000 to 200,000 German citizens because they were living “lives unworthy of life” and were thus “useless eaters” and a financial drain on the German economy” (Burleigh). Although this was years ago, what is to stop this violence and so-called murder from spreading? Euthanasia opens the doors for malpractice. With that, what will happen to the blind? The deaf? The disabled? There is no way to regulate who deserves to die. Soon physicians will offer the option of PAS instead of thoroughly assessing a patient and giving proper treatment. Although it allows for more money and hospital beds to be saved for those who need medical care and have a higher chance of living; killing off terminally ill patients due to lack money and hospital beds is insensitive, immoral, and wrong.
Imagine having the power to end one's life with just the flick of a pen. Since physicians spend their time and energy formulating the best treatment for all their patients, the emotional trauma they are forced to face when agreeing to PAS is upsetting. In most cases, euthanasia goes against what many physicians would like to do with their practice. For example, Dr. Ronald W. Pies claims that PAS goes against the Hippocratic Oath, an oath when in its original form, requires new physicians to swear to uphold specific ethical standards. He says, “The Oath clearly states: 'I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect.'…” (Pies). Some solutions to end PAS are good palliative care and terminal sedation. When terminally ill patients receive excellent end-of-life care, it is rare that they request for PAS. Dr.F. Peabody Also, those who are in severe pain can ask for terminal sedation. Terminal sedation is the process of when the patient is given small doses of painkillers to help ease the dying process. Therefore, instead of resulting in a problematic and uncomfortable death it is peaceful and painless.
Thanks to miraculous advances in medicine, millions of people today are able to live with diseases that have been deadly in previous eras of human history like, diabetes and kidney or heart failure. These improvements would not be possible with the legalization of euthanasia. If euthanasia were legalized years ago, the advancements that have educated, informed, and prevented all of these life threatening diseases would not exist and the development of medicine would not be near what it is today. Although some would argue that the progress in today’s medicine is prolonging suffering and the process of death, Director of Ethics at Fletcher Allen Health Care, Dr. Robert D. Orr says otherwise. He explains that, “…the medical profession as a whole, and pain specialists in particular, have an obligation to use all available means to relieve pain. That obligation includes continued research to develop new drugs and new means to accomplish this goal” (Orr). If PAS were an option in past medicine, many physicians could, and would have suggest it to their patients instead of proper treatment.
Euthanasia should remain illegal due to the morals it goes against, and the emotional trauma it has on everyone involved. As a community, we have a responsibility, the responsibility to care for each other's lives and to understand that life is sacred. It is crucial that doctors do not, under any circumstances, allow anyone to euthanize themselves. It is wrong to destroy anybody’s life, especially the vulnerable or innocent. When patients are nearing the end of their life and express fears of losing control or signs of depression, supportive counseling and help should be called for not assistance in committing suicide. Those who request PAS are forced or convinced that ending their lives is for the better. Since death is a scary and painful process, no one is ever ready for it, even if they genuinely believe they are.