The Legalization of Euthanasia

張貼日期：Jun 25, 2010 1:24:40 PM

The Legalization of Euthanasia

Tanya Chien

     In recent years, there are a lot of arguments about legalizing euthanasia. Most people think that euthanasia shouldn’t be legalized, so there are only a few countries that have legalized euthanasia. A lot of people disagree with the legalization of euthanasia because they think it is not a natural way to die. I agree to this viewpoint but I still think euthanasia should be legalized. There are some reasons for my agreement of euthanasia.

     Euthanasia, which is also called mercy killing, means purposely killing a person who suffers from a disease can never be cured in order to stop the suffering of the patient. Euthanasia is used for the patients who can’t be cured and who can’t be kept alive by the machines. These patients can’t recover and need to be assisted with machines and medicines to stay alive.

     The pain that the patients suffer from is really a torture. When the patient has no chance to recover from a disease, all the things that the patient can do is nothing but wait to die, which is an enormous suffering to both the patients and their family. The patients are afflicted with not only the pain of body but also the pain of spirit. The patients don’t know when the end of life is, which this would increases the torment of the patient torture.

     The cost of the medication is very expensive. The patients need to live in the hospital, need the doctor and the nurse to take care of them, and need medical cure. For example, a hospital room may cost two thousands and five hundred dollars per day, the doctor’s treatment may cost more than one thousand per day, and nursing may cost one thousand per day. The cost for treating a patient of serious disease can be unbearably high.

     Most people think that supporting legalizing euthanasia means to support the doctor’s helping the patients to suicide. They think a doctor is meant to keep people alive. That’s right. But, I think it is true only under the condition that the patients have chances to recover. If not, I think the doctor should help the patients to die peacefully. It is because reducing the patients’ pain is one of the things that a doctor should do.

     The reasons for legalizing euthanasia are reasonable. And I think euthanasia is a merciful and considerate way for the patients to die without pain. The more countries legalize euthanasia, the more patients don’t have to suffer from the painful torture. Instead of keeping the patients alive with pain, we should make laws to allow the doctors to assist the patients to die peacefully and in a dignified way.