Euthanasia 3 Essay, Research Paper

Imagine a room with a bed surrounded by machines and on it a person lies in a coma or in a vegetative state. Everyone who picture this scene in his or her mind can believe that administrating a fatal drug or simply removing life support equipment will be the best way to put an end to this person pain and suffering. A word that best describes this type of solution is called Euthanasia. In a poll cited in a 1991 issue of USA Today eighty percent of Americans think sometimes there are circumstances when a patient should be allowed to die, compared to only fifteen percent think doctors and nurses should always do everything possible to save a person’s life. It also showed that eight in ten adults approve of state laws that allow medical care for the terminally ill to be removed or withheld, if that is what the patient wishes whereas only thirteen percent disapproved of the laws. Also, seventy percent think the family should be allowed to make the decision about treatment on behalf of the patient, while another five percent think this is suitable only in some cases. Euthanasia is divided in two types: active and passive. Active Euthanasia occurs when someone causes the death of another person through an intended action. Some examples are administering a fatal drug to a dying person or injecting an air bubble into the blood stream. For the Passive Euthanasia, the case is described as helping someone to die by doing nothing. It happens by removing life support equipment by stopping medical procedures or medications or by stopping food and water and allowing the person to dehydrate or starve to death. A patient in a terminal stage sometimes might never recover or remain in a vegetative stage for the rest of his or her life, so he or she consider Euthanasia as the best option. Euthanasia should only be performed in patients without recovery or with painful death since it causes pain to the patient and his or her relatives, it goes against the doctor s moral and ethical code, and it goes against the law.

The first reason in favor of Euthanasia is that it causes pain to the patient and his or her family. An example of this is the case of a little girl. She was born with severe brain, kidney, spinal and intestinal damage. She was also deaf and blind, and when she opened her eyes, they rolled back until the whites showed. In addition, at the moment of her birth her heart was shocked into beating by cardiac paddles and this had to be done several times through the courses of her short life. Moreover, she needed a respirator to breath and a feeding tube to pour food into her stomach because she was incapable of digesting anything. For several months, she was tested to find a reason that could explain her condition without having any answer. Then, the doctors proposed her parents to do a tracheotomy and gastrostomy to make nursing care easier. But, they refused to give their permission to the surgery because they though she had suffered enough. Also, the request her child to be taken off the respirator and allow to die. In this case, there was no a minimal hope of recovery in spite of all the advances of the medicine, so the decision of letting her die was just a way of continuing with the course her short life should follow.

Another reason that just about everyone who favors euthanasia agrees with is that a person has the right to a death with dignity. People should be allowed to control their own deaths. Why should a patient be forced to live if they think their present standard of life has degenerated to the point of meaningless, when doctors can not help anymore, and perhaps the pain has become unbearable? At this point, if the person is on their mind, they should have the choice to continue their life or to peacefully die, even if they need assistance in doing it.

I believe that the doctor and the family should be allowed to decide if the patient has reached the point of only getting worse and in considerable pain. In any of these situations a doctor should be at least an advisor, they are the ones with the medical knowledge, and know the present condition of the patient and the alternatives. The doctor and the family should choose Euthanasia to stop the patients suffering and pain if there is no hope or recovery. The patient s autonomy when he or she can make a self-decision to stop the pain. Finally, the integrity of the health cares professional by providing to the patient and relatives all suggestions and the best choices to end the suffering and pain.

In conclusion, Euthanasia should only be performed in cases where the patient can not recover because it causes pain to the patient and his or her family. In addition, the only way to please everyone is to leave the rules in the hands of the individual. Also, if they are physically unable to make the decision, in the hands of their family. People should have the right to live and the right to choose how they will die, if indeed they are terminally ill or unable to have any function in life.