argumentative

EUTHANASIA 3

Euthanasia

Olawoyin Ibitoye

Chamberlain University PHIL347

Professor Oakes

09/05/2021

Topic: Euthanasia

Recently, the number of cases highlighting the need to change laws and legislation about euthanasia has increased rapidly, increasing the need to study euthanasia. Euthanasia refers to the process of terminating a person’s life to relieve them from pain or end their suffering. Perceptions towards euthanasia have changed despite the existing controversy about the moral perspective of the entire process. The rationale behind euthanasia topic is to understand the ethical issues surrounding euthanasia. Euthanasia presents the ethical problem of whether or not people have the right to choose when and how to end their lives. The main issue is that euthanasia is unethical and should be prohibited because it is against the sanctity of life, violates autonomy and human rights, demeans the role of palliative care, and undermines the doctor-patient relationship.

Firstly, euthanasia contradicts the sanctity of life. Human life is sacred, and nothing or no one has the right to take it other than the giver of life (Hurn and Badman-King, 2019). Life is considered a gift from God, and He alone has the power to end it through natural death. As such, human life should be respected and preserved. The sanctity of life in every human being is recognized by allowing terminally ill patients to die a natural death. Suffering is part of human life, and using euthanasia to relieve patients from suffering deprives them of the human dignity and sanctity of life.

Secondly, euthanasia is unethical because it abuses personal autonomy and human rights. Every person has the freedom to choose whatever is best for them, including accepting suffering and pain. Involuntary euthanasia deprives patients of the freedom to decide when and how to end their life (Balynska, Blahuta, and Sereda, 2019). Human beings have an inherent right to life as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Terminating a person’s life without their consent denies them the right to live and die naturally.

Thirdly, euthanasia is unethical because it undermines the doctor-patient relationship. The primary role of a physician is to help and save patients from pain. Administering drugs to terminate patients’ lives undermines the medical professions' role and portrays doctors as murderers (Yorova and Khakberdiyeva, 2021). Patients built trust and confidence in care providers’ role of relieving them from pain. The use of euthanasia breaks patients’ trust in the care providers’ ability to take care of terminally ill patients.

Euthanasia is indeed a controversial topic mainly due to the ethical dilemma surrounding end-of-life decisions. Both society and the government have the sole responsibility of protecting human life. Human reason justifies that terminating a person’s life is unethical because it is against the sanctity of life and violates human rights.

References

Balynska, O. M., Blahuta, R. I., & Sereda, V. V. (2019). Euthanasia or palliative care: legal principles of the implementation in the context of the realization of human rights to life (Scopus).

Hurn, S., & Badman‐King, A. (2019). Care as an alternative to euthanasia? Reconceptualizing veterinary palliative and end‐of‐life care. Medical anthropology quarterly, 33(1), 138-155.

Yorova, S. K., & Khakberdiyeva, V. J. K. (2021). DOCTOR AND PATIENT. Scientific progress, 2(1), 1478-1480.