Euthanasia 14 Essay, Research Paper

Euthanasia

Should a patient who has lost all powers of reasoning and

who lives like a vegetable, totally hopeless and helpless, a

terminal case who only wants to die, be forced to live? The number of people who are asking this question increases each day. Although the official position of the medical profession is to maintain life indefinitely, regardless of the condition of the patient, euthanasia should be the choice of the patient or the patients family if the patient is unable to make the decision.

We are living in an age of medical miracles. Medicine has made so much dramatic progress that lifesaving techniques that were thought to be impossible a generation ago are now possible. Ill patients throughout the world are kept alive by the use of defibrillators, respirators, pacemakers and other similar equipment. A study done by the American Encephalographic Society concluded that when an EEG reading is “flat line,” the person is officially dead. What this actually means is that while there may not be any brain activity, other vital organs can work by means of certain equipment. Now heart and lung machines can augment the duration of life. Some say that life is precious, but if a full filled life isn t within the grasp of the person living it, than it can t be precious.

I believe that Euthanasia should be legalized because it should be an option of the patient who is dying. People say that there should be the option to live, but I think that there should also be the option to die. Many also think that the person should stay alive because it is God s will when they should die. Why not put them out of their misery if the pain that one goes through is excruciating and death would relieve them of their pain?

Many states have laws that explain the condition of when a person is deceased. States believe that they should authorize the death of an individual when it is not really their decision to make. I believe that there should be a choice of death or life. I am not saying who should make the decision, all I am saying is that Euthanasia should be legalized. Think of it this way, if someone dear to you had died, you would instinctively think that the person should live. Well, how do you think that the person felt before they died? Maybe that person was in extreme pain and it was a relief to finally die. If death can relieve the suffering of someone you love than wouldn t it make more sense to let them die than to prolong the suffering? Although the organs may still work with the help of machines, what is the difference between death and a vegetable when the vegetable can t even live their life and both the deceased and the vegetable have no use of the brain.

If a person isn t able to grasp life and live it for what they can because they are in too much pain due to an illness or are in a vegetable state, than we shouldn t make them suffer anymore. Euthanasia is a person s right to choose. No one should be able to prohibit a person from making that choice.