Mercy Killing to Human Beings

張貼日期：Jun 21, 2013 3:41:57 AM

Chelsea Chen

Mercy killing is the killing of an individual who is incurable and who is in great pain by medical measures. The victim is generally terminally ill and wants to end his/her life. In Taiwan, mercy killing is not legalized for it might cause some cases of cheating money, murdering, or immoral acting. But I agree mercy killing to human beings who are terminally ill for retaining the dignity of the patients, saving the medical resources, and reducing the burden of family.

With euthanasia, patients can end their intolerably suffering life with dignity, but it must be done with the consent of the patients. There may be cases of swindling out of the patients’ life insurance and coveting for wealth. But in most cases people do not want to see their loved ones suffer in pain. Thus, it is important to ask the consent from the patient when he or she has consciousness.

Another reason why I agree on mercy killing is it can save some medical resources, which can help more people who need them absolutely. Our nation wastes more medical resources than other countries. If we can give one more alternative to those patients who are terminally ill, it might save the lives of more patients. Some people might think mercy killing is murder. But the resources saved from treating the incurable patients may help those patients who can be cured if receiving adequate treatment.

High medical expenses cause economic stress of the families with incurable patients. For example, Wang Xiao-Min who became a vegetable for thirty-seven years is a famous case in Taiwan. Because of the expensive medical costs, her family ran out of money, and her two sisters discontinued schooling. Some people might think that it is not moral to discontinue Wang’s life, but how about her family? Her parents took great care of her and then they both were sick. So, mercy killing might alleviate the stress of medical costs.

In conclusion, although some people cannot accept mercy killing, I think it has some benefits. Mercy killing of terminally ill patients could be a relief for them and their family, and it can yield the precious medical resources to other people in need.