Death and Euthanasia
Conclusion Practice
Right to die…or right to kill?
1. Introduction
Eight years ago, when odd-job labourer Lim Kian Huat, then 46, smothered his 49-year-old sister to death with a pillow, he was sentenced to jail for a year. She had been suffering from colon cancer for years and had begged him to end her life. In Singapore, a person caught for attempted suicide can be jailed for up to a year. Assisting a suicide is a serious crime and carries severe penalties, including a mandatory jail term. Sometimes, a doctor would perform a death-causing act, usually a lethal injection, after determining that the patient indeed intends to end his life. This is known as euthanasia. It is still not legal in many countries although calls for legalising euthanasia have been growing louder in recent years.
This article discusses the case for euthanasia, presenting economic considerations and the individual’s right to choose as key reasons. It then outlines the arguments that opposers to euthanasia put up. While it is tougher to make a compelling case, they contend that legalizing euthanasia destroys respect for human life and the mystery of life and death. They also point out that allowing euthanasia usually leads to the slippery slope of abuse and threatens the morals of future generations. The conclusion weighs the merits of both camps and makes a reasoned judgement on the issue of whether society should allow euthanasia.
2. Arguments For Euthanasia
1. Economic Considerations
As medical costs soar and the large baby boomer generation ages, putting pressure on already-strained health-care and welfare systems worldwide, governments have been forced to ask if it makes economic sense to allow euthanasia. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in October pointed out that allowing legal euthanasia for terminally ill patients could cut American health-care costs by US$627 million (S$940 million) per year. Recent extraordinary medical advances are
Right to die…or right to kill?
1. Introduction
Eight years ago, when odd-job labourer Lim Kian Huat, then 46, smothered his 49-year-old sister to death with a pillow, he was sentenced to jail for a year. She had been suffering from colon cancer for years and had begged him to end her life. In Singapore, a person caught for attempted suicide can be jailed for up to a year. Assisting a suicide is a serious crime and carries severe penalties, including a mandatory jail term. Sometimes, a doctor would perform a death-causing act, usually a lethal injection, after determining that the patient indeed intends to end his life. This is known as euthanasia. It is still not legal in many countries although calls for legalising euthanasia have been growing louder in recent years.
This article discusses the case for euthanasia, presenting economic considerations and the individual’s right to choose as key reasons. It then outlines the arguments that opposers to euthanasia put up. While it is tougher to make a compelling case, they contend that legalizing euthanasia destroys respect for human life and the mystery of life and death. They also point out that allowing euthanasia usually leads to the slippery slope of abuse and threatens the morals of future generations. The conclusion weighs the merits of both camps and makes a reasoned judgement on the issue of whether society should allow euthanasia.
2. Arguments For Euthanasia
1. Economic Considerations
As medical costs soar and the large baby boomer generation ages, putting pressure on already-strained health-care and welfare systems worldwide, governments have been forced to ask if it makes economic sense to allow euthanasia. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in October pointed out that allowing legal euthanasia for terminally ill patients could cut American health-care costs by US$627 million (S$940 million) per year. Recent extraordinary medical advances are