Friday, 29 November 2024

Embracing Euthanasia

Death is scary but after taking time to think about it, it may be the only thing that saves families from sinking into an abyss of poverty while paying for treatment of one of their own or in the case of the ailing, preventing a painful transition when it is clear nothing can be done to cure them. So, should such cases justify assisted suicide in the name of a dignified ending? I think so. 

Euthanasia is essentially assited suicide in efforts to relieve suffering. It is one of the most debated topics whenever it is brought up. 
Morally, I think making choices about yourself should be done in consideration of how your loved ones will cope, how those you are responsible for will cope, etc. although there's general autonomy when it comes to making decisions on one's body.

However, in cases such as suffering from untreatable ailments that could bring financial problems to loved ones when treatment goes on or there is increased suffering to the patient, it would seem prudent and ethical to allow assisted suicide, wouldn't it? 

In the name of sanctity of life, some would disagree.

The biggested critics of assisted suicide are religious leaders, particularly those in African setting and mainstream religions such as Christianity and Islam; in efforts to stand by the values of their religions which consider life as a sacred or euthanasia as forbidden. 

To an extent, I do not disagree.

In countries like Belgium where euthanesia is legal with a very liberal scope that includes psychiatric cases and children, euthanesia has seen some abuse and is marred with controversies. I remember a few years back, where an individual in Belgium requested to be assisted to die just because his sex change operations failed. That to me was one of the most profoundly ridiculous reason one could front in order to be euthanized.

I have high value for human life and I believe it shouldn't be taken just because one is stressed or feels like dying. I advocate for euthanasia to lessen suffering of people who have terminal illness consequently saving their families from unnecessarily high medical bills.

In this regard, I believe euthanasia ought to be legalized where it is not, to be regulated by authorities and must be conducted by a medical professional after assessment of a patient and circumstances he/she is in.
The gist here is ending unbearable suffering by offering/allowing the choice to end life. 

2 comments:

  1. Like you, I place a high value on human life. Is life merely surviving or subsisting while waiting for it to slowly slip away? I don't believe that fits with sacred nature of human life. Ultimately I believe it is a personal decision that people should probably come to before this situation arises, but in the end, if death is a certainty, why make those last moments with our loved ones be about suffering and anguish rather than celebrating a life lived.

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    1. Indeed. It is a personal decision. People should have it as an option, only in the circumstances I explained.

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