Personal Look at Euthanasia

Recent debates over active euthanasia, "killing" a terminally

ill patient, in Holland, has risen the question whether euthanasia is

immoral or a simple human right. Doctors seem to have no doubt. They

made an oath. The definition of Euthanasia depends on whether it is

active or passive. Active Euthanasia is only allowed in Holland, and

it means that the doctor takes direct measures to put a patient to

sleep, whereas passive Euthanasia only involves stopping pill

consumption, or stopping treatment. In England, only passive

Euthanasia is allowed.

Euthanasia touches some of the deepest feelings in human

beings. It is the power over life and death, and responsibilities no

one wishes to take, have to be taken. This, of cause, leads to the

ultimatum, that it is the patients own choice. But can we allow some

one to take their own lives? Doesn't this mean that everyone else

around the patient have failed, that more could have been done? From

the patients point of view, a lot of arguments talk in favor of

euthanasia. For one, no body wants to be a burden. If a person has had

a car accident which paralyses him from neck and down, and is doomed

to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he knows that he will

be 100% dependant on the ones that care for him, his lived ones,

forever. It can also be mentioned that the life quality of a

terminally ill patient, gets reduced a lot. Never being able to walk

again, never being able to talk to your children again, never being

able to go shopping, swimming, playing, driving etc. must be terrible

for anyone. The whole situation only gets worse, if the patient

himself, can see that his condition is worsening, and only time keeps

his thoughts clear. A third very important point, is pain. If people

see a deer, which had been hit by a car, and is in terrible pain, they

will kill it, out of pitty. Why shouldn't the same be allowed with

humans, if pain reaches a level, where it is unbearable? For these

people, who do not have the choice of active euthanasia,

self-starvation is the only choice.

The doctors view on euthanasia, seems to be overall different.

First of all, they have taken their wove, always to assist patients

in prolonging their lives, and Euthanasia completely contradicts this.

Their approach is "Where there is life, there is hope", so even a

person, who has 20 tubes stuck in them, feeding them, breathing for

them, there is still life, and who knows? Maybe the future will bring

the cure?

Euthanasia does mean "Good death", but there can still be no

conclusion to a question, whether Euthanasia should be accepted or

not. Psychologists, philosophers, doctors and everybody else, will

consider this question for all time. My opinion is, that anyone who is

terminally ill, should have the choice, but to all rules there are

exceptions, and to something as serious as this, there shouldn't be.