The Constitutionality Of Euthanasia

What is euthanasia? The simplest definition of euthanasia is just a painless death (Euthanasia). The word is most commonly used with when speaking about an animal that is suffering, “Oh what happened to your dog?” “He was unbearably ill so we had him euthanized.” However, euthanasia does not always apply to animals; it can be used in regard to any organism, including human beings. When humans put down animals there is never the question of why we should do it. The animal is most likely suffering and has very little to live for, and the decision to euthanize an animal is a much easier decision to make by virtue of it not being a human. But what if it were a human life? What if a fully autonomous individual wished for a painless release
Such a law would be closely modeled after the laws in Oregon which sets out a specific outline for who can apply for euthanasia. This outline states that the individual must make three requests to die (two verbal and one written), be terminally ill with no more than six months to live, certified by two doctors that it is a serious request, checked to make sure that they aren’t mentally incompetent or depressed, informed of possible alternatives, and finally made to wait fifteen days to think it over (Euthanasia – Oregon’s Euthanasia Law). When a patient has finally gone through all of that the doctor then prescribes a deadly dose of barbiturates which the patient is allowed to pick up at their leisure and have the freedom of deciding whether or not to take it (A New Fight to Legalize Euthanasia). Such a law would limit any abuse as there is currently little to no abuse in Oregon already (Top 10 Pros and Cons). Even with a small amount of abuse the population of Netherland continues to support their euthanasia laws (Zurich Rejects ban on Suicide Tourism). However, even with strong Constitutional support and the experience of both a state and a country there is currently no push for a euthanization law in Congress, even though studies show that over 80% of adult American citizens support euthanasia (A New Fight to Legalize
As cold and callous as that may sound euthanasia is a much cheaper, and much more pleasant, alternative to other treatments. The drugs required to euthanize an individual cost between $35 and $45 (Mathews) whereas the first six months of treatment for cancer range from $2,568 to $24,204 depending on the cancer type and severity (Costs of cancer Treatments). The cost for someone with leukemia is even greater, paying up to $150,000 for the first round of chemotherapy (Benzene and Leukemia). Those aren’t one time costs either, cancer treatments and treatments for other terminal illnesses can last for months or years and can rack up hospital bills in the range of hundreds of thousands to millions of