Ethical Arguments Against Active Euthanasia

If you were terminally ill would you want to end your life? Euthanasia comes from a Greek meaning ‘pleasant death’ this is the act of deliberately ending a person’s life to relieve suffering. Euthanasia can be classified in different ways. Active Euthanasia is when a person deliberately ends someone’s life, for example by injecting them with a large dose of medication such as barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution. Passive euthanasia is where a person causes death withholding or with drawing treatment for instance antibiotics or chemotherapy. Both Active Euthanasia and passive are illegal under the English Law. Euthanasia can be regarded as manslaughter or murder which is punishable and can have a maximum penalty up to a life imprisonment.
An ethical argument that is supported by a lot of people is that human beings should have freedom of choice, which includes the right to control their own body and life. Nevertheless they should be able to choose when and how they die. The concept ‘quality of life’ is important towards this argument it suggests that a life should only continue as long as a person feels their life is worth living. Author Terry Pratchett who was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s, became a campaigner for assisted dying. “ I would like to die peacefully with Thomas Tallis on my iPod before the disease takes me over and I hope that will not be for quite some time to come, because if I knew that I could die at any time I wanted, then suddenly every day would be as precious as a million pounds. If I knew that I could die, I would live. My life, my death, my choice.” By allowing people to choose how they die this guarantees they’ll live what remaining life they have to the fullest and most of all free from pain. Supporters of euthanasia believe that allowing people to ‘die with dignity’ is a kinder way than forcing them to continue their lives unhappy with