It is unbearable not only for the terminally ill patients, but also for the friends and family of the patient. Would you stand and watch while your mother or father writhes in pain, when their single wish is to be rested, and not consider it an injustice?
I didn’t think so.
Some people could argue that euthanasia is part of a slippery slope, and could lead to involuntary euthanasia, where the patient does not have a say on whether their life is to be ended.
I however believe that with proper guidelines in place, this should not be a problem. Since euthanasia and assisted suicide take place anyway, isn’t it better to legalise them so that they will be practised carefully? Statistics suggest that over 30,000 people in the U.K last year put an end to their life illegally because of incurable suffering. Would you like to be one of those people? Because of current law, these people could not have had a doctor to do this for them painlessly, but probably had to undergo further suffering to finally be put at ease.
We live in a democratic country. We should be able to make our own decisions as to if we wish to endure the torment of a disease with no cure, or if we prefer to end our life in peace, being able to say goodbye to our friends and family. For them to have the piece of mind to know that you did not suffer unnecessarily. 60% of people, who took part in a nationwide survey, agreed that it should be our decision whether we live or die which further proves that our government is irrational.
When someone is suffering extreme pain from an injury or a terrible disease, do we deny him or her the drugs and medication to make them more comfortable?
Of course not! Therefore I see no reason to deny suffering and dying people the comfort of death. It is barbaric to make people suffer if they wish not to!
The issue may be raised of what happened to the people in comas or a vegative state, where the body and mind are inactive, but the heart still beats. To that I say that the patient is to be given every chance of recovery. In my opinion it is not up to the family to decide the fate of a relative, and should be the choice of the individual. If the person is unable to make a decision, they should be kept alive and cared for as much as possible.
Something needs to be done urgently to prevent more people needlessly suffering. The government need to open their eyes, and realise that the law must be changed. I believe that the right to die is as sacred as the right to live and it is unethical to think otherwise.
