It is widely believed that there are only two options open to patients with terminal illness: either they die slowly in an endlessly suffering or they receive euthanasia. Image a dignified old man who is suffering from an irremediable disease has asked for an euthanasia but it isn’t allowed at where you live. In cases like these where you begin to wonder why euthanasia has yet to be legalized in the majority of the world. Shouldn’t everyone have the right to a dignified death or should terminally ill patients be left to suffer? And yet, assisted suicide remains legal in only few countries on the world. Is this right to deprive others of a personal right of choice? In order to end the physical suffering of terminally ill patients, leave families of terminally ill patients in better financial situations, euthanasia should be legalized.
Now when we think about the physical pain someone with terminal disease experiences on a daily basis, it just seems inhumane not giving them a choice of death over a life of suffering. It’s simple when someone is endlessly suffering, unable to move, feed themselves, and even breathe on their own that they should be entitled to euthanasia. After all, why should someone who’s terminally ill, who has been living permanently in a hospital also have to watch their families suffering along beside them? For the ill patient watching family and friends suffering along with them only makes the ordeal even harder to bear. Yet the aspect of both physical and mental suffering is not enough to legalize euthanasia.
Although at first the financial well-being of the family of a terminally ill patient may not seem like a legitimate reason to legalize euthanasia, it is in fact another pro. Based on a quick research the average cost per day of keeping someone in the Intensive Care Unit alive is $10,000. For most of the families this can lead to great amounts of debt. Despite the initial reaction that money should not be taken into consideration for a human life, the truth of the matter is that in our world today this has become a reality. Life support extends the lives of those who without machines would have died naturally so isn’t it better to perhaps donate that money to a foundation to make a better contribution to the society rather than keeping a terminally ill patient alive on a machine? The patient would never want all of this money spent on them if there truly was no hope.
Lastly, shouldn’t the right to a dignified death be given to everyone; why not, when it’s someone’s freedom of choice? Just like we have the freedom to eat, to learn, to choose a religion, the same should go for death. Its going against nature of keeping people alive who technically shouldn’t be? The least you can give someone who has already experienced so much pain and suffering is a dignified way to leave the world and euthanasia can give them exactly what they wanted. It’s the patient’s choice, just like we respect others’ decisions in life, when it comes to death the same applies.
Euthanasia can help to end the pain and suffering of those who are terminally ill. The legalization of euthanasia can put the terminally ill individual’s family in a more stable financial situation. And most importantly, the choice of euthanasia is a personal one, No one should impose their views on the terminally ill patient’s decision. We all seem to forget that this is not our life that we’re talking about, but a life of someone else who is both mentally and physically suffering. Put yourself on a position of a terminally ill individual, just for a minute, and think, would you like a choice to end the pain? If you think yes, even if for only a second, then support the idea of euthanasia being legalized.
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