Abstract
Euthanasia is an issue that is debated by the government, to see if there should be a change in the law to legalize the practice of euthanasia on patients. The terminally ill suffer a lot of pain due to their disease, but medication doesn’t always manage their suffering, so they face ending their life or continuing to survive the illness. Those who want euthanasia face the laws that don’t allow them to take their life or healthcare providers that don’t believe it’s ethical to take their patients life. Other patients struggle financially with the medical bills for their treatment and medication that comes along with their illness. People feel that the terminally ill shouldn’t have the choice on ending their life since healthcare providers are basically going to commit murder; well others think that patients should end their life because they shouldn’t be forced to live if they don’t want to. Not only do they face ethical issues by taking their life, but religion also comes into play with their decision. Those who are really religious and believe that life is sacred, and try not to have the government pass the bill on euthanasia being legalized. Some citizens and health professionals think there should be an improvement in the healthcare system, so less terminally ill patients’ will perform euthanasia. No matter what there will be different views and opinions on one’s decision of euthanasia.
Community Problem
For many years euthanasia has been an ongoing issue that many people have argued about. The terminally ill patients undergo pain due to their illness, but face the decision of taking their life or to continue on with living. These patients deal with health expenses, pain, religious and moral issues, and society questioning and arguing about their choice. A number of patients have tried seeking the path of ending their life, but their countries law forbids them from committing physician assisted suicide (PAS), otherwise known as euthanasia. Other terminally ill patients decide not to take their life hoping that there will be a cure for their illness or new medication that will be able to control the suffering that they’re going through. The government is always bringing up the issue of euthanasia, and many always try to change the current law of euthanasia, well others oppose the change in law.
Some people feel that euthanasia should be legalized, because the terminally ill shouldn’t be force to continue on with living if the pain they’re going through is unbearable. People who are for euthanasia also believe that the terminally ill should have the sole right to their life, so if they no longer can handle the pain they have the right to perform euthanasia. “The elderly is usually a group that has lower income and is more bound to suffer medical conditions, which require a lot of money” (Chan & Lien, 2010). If the ill’s pain is ongoing the health expense will be so costly, since they are trying to control their suffering with medication and other treatment, but if they don’t have the money how do others expect them to manage the pain of the illness. The United States even has people living a longer life compared to the generations back then and, “An aging nation means that these terrible diseases will become more common, and protecting the right to die with dignity, more urgent” (Dincin, 2010).
Those who oppose euthanasia feel that the terminally ill should honor the life that was given to them, and should have no right to take away their own life. Healthcare professionals’ feel that they are not following their true work ethics, by helping a patient take their life. The doctors and nurses believe that the relationship between them and their patient will be affected by the legalization of euthanasia. People who are against euthanasia being legalized believe that if voluntary euthanasia were to be legalized that it would soon lead to non-voluntary or involuntary euthanasia. Like Grayling said, “murder might lurk under the cloak of kindness” (Chaloner & Sanders, 2007). If the euthanasia bill is also passed the opponents consider the possibility that the terminally ill that don’t want euthanasia, will fear that health care professionals will pressure them to have euthanasia performed on them.
Healthcare providers’ beliefs are that the patients’ suffering doesn’t lead them to euthanasia, but the health care system. They believe that the health care system is a reason why the terminally ill patients want euthanasia. They feel that the healthcare system needs to be improved and needs to provide better care to their patients, so they won’t chose the option of ending their life. But other information provides that “terminally ill patients seeking physician-assisted death are receiving high-quality palliative care… hospice programs are regarded as an important societal mechanism to assure that physician-assisted death is practiced responsibly” (Campbell & Cox, 2010). Doctors who oppose euthanasia on their patients believe the “legalization of PAS might change the way in which society views sick and dying people. They may become seen as an inconvenience, and lethal prescription may become viewed as a solution to the challenges and particularly the cost of caring for the vulnerable” (Jeffrey, 2009).
The small percentage of doctors and nurses that believe in euthanasia, feel that it’s their duty to end their patients pain, if that’s the request they’ve made to them. They feel that they shouldn’t have the patient’s pain continuing if there is nothing they can do, and “medically assisted death is a last resort, only when nothing further can be done to relieve suffering” (Young, 2007). Not only do the patients suffer physically, but there illness affects them in many other ways. “Medical theory, research and practice show us that some terminally ill people experience severe emotional suffering in addition to the physical. Yet there are plenty of cases where people are kept alive against their will, sometimes dragging out their pain, simply in order to extend life” (Cooper,
2007).
Oregon is one of the few states in the United States that has legalized the practice of physician assisted suicide, by passing the Oregon Death with Dignity Act in 1994. The Oregon Death with Dignity Act only allows people with a diagnosed terminal illness to take their life. Many speculated that the legalization will cause many deaths, but the Oregon Center for Health Statistics showed, “hastening of death in Oregon remains uncommon. In 2008 30,973 people died in Oregon; only 60 of them died from PAS” (Lachman, 2010). Other Oregon citizens feared that many complications will occur and nothing good will come out of the law, but as Quill stated “significant improvement in palliative care training for physicians, the communication of patient wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment, pain management, increased rates of referral to hospice programs, and increased percentage of deaths according at home” (Lachman, 2010). The only other states in the United States that have legalized euthanasia are Washington which passed there bill in 2009 and Montana legalized the practice in December 2009.
The issue on euthanasia has affected many people who have a terminal illness. They either fear the government rejecting their request for euthanasia or doctors taking advantage of the legalization of euthanasia by taking their life without their consent. It’s important that others know the suffering behind the debate of a person requesting to end their life. Not only is the government an obstacle, churches, organizations, healthcare professionals, and others. By euthanasia being legalized the benefits are that the suffering no longer have to endure the pain and won’t have any financial worries. If euthanasia were to be legalized doctors might abuse the right to help a patient end their life, but if the practice wasn’t legalized many will face endless pain.
References
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Young, R. (2007). Medically assisted death. Cambridge, United Kingdom: CAMBRIDGE
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[Chantal Sebire before and after her illness] [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2008/03/20/1205602530473.html
