There are over seven million people in hospitals in the United States alone (Statista). The advanced technology today has allowed many of those in the medical industry to tinker, revive, and extend a patient’s life; these practices have saved tens of thousands of people, who are suffering from diseases. With this power, comes many controversies on whether or not some practices should be continued. The process of “dying peacefully” results from a lethal injection that immediately kills the patient without suffering; popularly known as euthanasia, mercy killing, assisted suicide, or the rights to die (Wolf). “Euthanasia is the passive form (orthanasia) as acceptance of the will of God has been accepted by the Roman Catholic Church which has defined it as inaction or omission which by itself on through its intention causes death” (Diaconescu 476). The term euthanasia, originates from the Greek terms “eu”, meaning good, and “thanatos”, meaning death (Wise 9). Euthanasia is believed to have been present for centuries and to have been used by mankind from several generations before the twenty-first-century breed (Diaconescu 476). The option for euthanasia is beneficial for patients to avoid unnecessary suffering, financial and social crisises.
The oldest movement to legalize euthanasia was in 1835, where members of a founded group in England demanded the allowance of mercy killing (Diaconescu 476). Assisted suicide was thought to be used frequently by the Germans in early 1933-1945; Germans would experiment with medical chemicals with numerous thousands of mentally ill patients (Diaconescu 476). The practice of euthanasia was brought into focus in 1976 (Diaconescu 476). Swiss Academy, in 1777, allowed a patient’s medication to be removed and allow nature to kill them; however, Pope Pius XII argues that euthanasia may be performed if a patient’s health is not improving at the slightest (Diaconescu 476). “Euthanasia was defended by famous personalities such as: Voltaire, Th. More, Fr. Bacon, D. Hurne, B. Shaw, B. Russel, Nobel, and nowadays by a great number of Nobel laureates” (Diaconescu 477). Columbia was the first American country to allow the practice of mercy killing in 1997 (Diaconescu 476). A well-known physician who used the method of mercy killing was Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who owned a suicide machine to perform his victim’s passings (Marzili 11). Dr. Kevokian’s suicide machine performed by injecting or inhaling chemicals into the body of the patient to stop the heart; Janet Adkins, Marjorie Wantz, and Sherry Miller were victims of Kevordian’s machine (Marzili 11). Dr. Kevordian was sentenced to prison after a total of one hundred thirty counts of murder with his suicide machine on March 6th of 1999 (Diaconescu 476). A more recent study made by James Eglinton, from the University of Edinburgh, wrote “Herald” from a Newspaper that mentioned David Goodall, an Australian man, who was one hundred four before he chose to take a lethal injection to end his life; he was not terminally ill but thought it was his time to leave the world (Gale Global Issues). Today, many laws prohibit the act of orthanasia and physicians who are accused of performing the practice can be brought into questioning (Diaconescu 476).
The right to not suffer unnecessarily is one of the most frequent claim brought up to defend the pro of assisted suicide. Patients frequently refuse medical treatments because of religious beliefs; regardless of whether chosen to not be cared for or be stripped away from medical machines and life support, allowing the disease to kill victims naturally is legal in most countries (Diaconescu 478,481). A vast amount of the population believe that helping take another’s life is disguised homicide and should be treated like murder. However, physicians who perform mercy killing initiates the task out of forgiveness and kindness, without asking or currency or materials in return (Diaconescu 478). “Supporters of euthanasia believe that severely ill or dying patients should have the right to respect that their life be ended. A frequently given example is of people suffering from a terminal illness for which there is no known cure. In the early stages of such an illness, people may have a relatively high quality of life. As the illness progresses, however, they may fear the suffering, dependency on others, and loses of control that their situation might bring” (Wise 33).” Though the advancements today have reached a height where most diseases can be easily resolved by taking a manmade medicine, some diseases have yet to be found, have no known cure, and may result in unwanted events. “In the resolution 779/1975 it is demonstrated that the purpose of medical practice is not exclusively intended to extend life, but also to recognize the patients right(s) to not suffer unnecessarily” (Diaconescu 476). The necessity to place the patient’s opinion and choice above the crucial state they are in, is never considered during these debates and should influence how others view this topic.
Reputation and money have become major influences on the world today. Hospitals are naturally expensive because of the costly gear used, plenty of employees, and substances used to recover the patient. Hospital care costs in 2018 was $1,193 billion, while the output gross for hospitals is $943 billion. An estimated $35,400 was charged to a patient for a stay at the hospital in 2014 (Statista). These high prices could easily put a family into poverty and damage their living. Allowing the choice of euthanasia can decrease these prices and allow the patient to die peacefully. Medical treatments are determined by examining the victim’s wounds, the procedure cannot be performed without the patient’s consent, many people see no difference between euthanasia and the regular operations; both forms of medical practice require consent and are done by physicians (Wise 38). The practice of assisted suicide has become more popular and surveyed to be growing in agreement. Surveys were taken from the year 1996 to 2015 on how citizens viewed euthanasia. In 1996, 52% voted pro euthanasia, 42% voted con euthanasia, and 6% without an answer (Wise 42). The surveys taken after 1996 increased the percentage of people pro euthanasia with 2003 being the least amount of unopinionated surveyors at 2% (Wise 42). Results from 2015 had the highest positive results with 68% pro euthanasia, 38% against euthanasia, and 4% unanswered (Wise 42).
Being alive and living are different, living is the act of not being dead while being alive means to be able to roam around and experience life. In the case where the victim is unresponsive because they are unconscious and the brain is still active but does not have or has little control to the rest of the body, doctors will continue the treatment that could allow the patient to continue “living” for years (Wise 41). Many people who are against mercy killing have the argument that lethal injections are an unnatural method of passing; however, because of the growth in the medicine and treatment, the artificial medicine taken when sick has made it impossible to live “naturally” (Wise 37). Without these medical improvements much of the population would not live past 20 (Wise 37). The living and being alive hold two different ways of being in this world.
Euthanasia has become more known and supported over time. Euthanasia allows the patient to pass away tranquilly and has a positive stance in popularity and finiance. Living is the act of breathing and having the center of the nervous system still be active. The option for assisted suicide allows victims to harmoniously move forward and remove pain from the victim. Mercy killing has benefitted many families by knowing they or their relative(s) have been peacefully brought down by choice.