Should Euthanasia be legalized?

The definition of Euthanasia as given by the Oxford English Dictionary is: "the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable disease or in an irreversible coma". It comes from the Greek, literally translating as "a good death". Euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands and in the state of Oregon in the U.S.A. Euthanasia is when someone decides to end their lives voluntarily. They may have a terminal illness and think that their life is no longer worth living. The act of Euthanasia is illegal in Australia and any person who assists in it can be charged with assisting or abetting. In any case, it's either die now and not live to see a few more days of your life and have a painless death, or die later, see a few more days of a hospital wall, then die painfully. Which would you choose? Euthanasia should be legalized because individuals have a right to die (a personal decision, and no one should interrupt), euthanasia stops family financial burden.

Individuals have a right to die when life becomes excruciating or undignified. Those who are in the late stages of a terminal disease have a horrific future ahead of them: the gradual decline of their body, the failure of their organs and the need for artificial support. In some cases, the illness will slowly destroy their minds, the essence of themselves; even if this is not the case, the huge amounts of medication required to ‘control' their pain will often leave them in a delirious and incapable state. Faced with this, it is surely more humane that those people be allowed to choose the manner of their own end, and die with dignity. Chantal Sebire, a 52- year-old Dijon schoolteacher, suffering from a rare disease that has left her disfigured by facial tumors, said in 2008 to Time magazine: "I no longer accept this enduring pain, and this protruding eye that nothing can be done about. I want to go out celebrating, surrounded by my children, friends, and doctors before I'm put to sleep definitively at dawn." From the Time article, "Making a Case for Euthanasia", Mar. 15, 2008, "Sebire and her backers retort that preventing her from getting medical assistance to end her life swiftly and painlessly ensures months or years of additional torment from pain. Her death will come, they say, after a long coma that will reduce her to being nothing but an inanimate burden on her family." Forcing a person to stay on life support in excruciating pain is cruel French President Nicholas Sarkozy said in a 2007 campaign speech. Euthanasia can be appropriate when a person is no longer themselves. The most sacred element of a person is their identity as individual and a soul. Once this is lost, much of the sanctity and fulfilment in life is lost. While this is not a full justification for euthanasia, it is a silent factor.

Secondly, for those who are terminally ill, they do not want to be an emotional and financial burden to their relatives, therefore without their existence, they would be lightening their family’s burdens. Initially it may be unfair to their families but in the long run, their decision to give up on life would help their families greatly. Their families would then not be burdened by the hefty medical bills and the emotional strain of care giving. People have faced financial problem to pay through their nose for expensive medication fee, especially when a person has diagnosed as a terminally ill patient. Due to the high cost of treatment, the charges are not affordable many people especially those paupers. So is that worth for them to own arrears just to pay for their incurable diseases? People should have the right, with certain restrictions, to end their lives in the best way possible to stop suffering an endless pain. Society should have compassion and respect to the patient's decision whose life becomes unbearable. According to Wesley J. Smith, "drugs used in assisted suicide cost only about $40, but that it could take up $40,000 to treat a patient". What all matters are that the money spent cannot ensure that the patient will totally recover. Furthermore, practicing will bring peace to the patients who have been in miserable pain and striving hard to restore health but have no more hope but sufferings. In addition, legalized of will also relief to the associated people.

Finally, the essence of human existence is to be able to live a dignified life. When some law forces one to continue living in intense pain and humiliation, there is something wrong with our society. Therefore euthanasia should be legalised. All individuals should have the legal right to a humane death that is one without undue pain, suffering or indignity. Euthanasia is compassionate, merciful and humane. Legalisation of euthanasia would give people without hope of recovery the option and the right to a dignified death, a ‘good death’, a death that is within their rights.