It is cheaper if a patient with an incurable illness dies quickly so that they don't need expensive care and drugs any longer. This would mean that the money saved could be spent on patients who could return to good health. Also euthanasia saves the patient's family and friends having to watch them die a slow and agonising death. It is said that the health and happiness you have in your lifetime is more important than the length of your life and that people should not have to keep on living if they feel they have nothing to live for. Lastly a persuasive argument is that euthanasia makes the passing away of the patient painless, restful and quick.
When drawing conclusions we must also look at the points made for the people who are against euthanasia. Many who oppose euthanasia in the UK see it as a religious debate about the 'sanctity of life'. Those who oppose euthanasia argue that mistakes may happen, that it is unnecessary as the pain can be overcome with pain killing drugs and that hospices provide for all the needs of a dying patient. Another strong argument anti euthanasia is that the patient may be unable to make a rational decision whether to end their life at that point in time or not and that they could be easily persuaded to, for the wrong reasons. They also feel that it is unfair on the doctors or nurses having to terminate a fatally ill patient's life when their main intention is to keep people alive. The conclusive point is that they think Euthanasia or assisted suicide is no better than murder.
Regardless of their viewpoint on the sanctity of life, many argue that the acceptance of any form of euthanasia could lead us down the 'slippery slope' to involuntary euthanasia, the ending of life without permission. The Nazis before and during World War 11 killed thousands of people with physical and mental disabilities. These were called 'mercy killings'.
In the 1970's around 69% of people were for euthanasia being legalised. Nowadays that number has increased by approximately 10%. Euthanasia supporters believe that people with terminal illnesses should be able to hasten their death with the help of their doctor. Only 10% of people in the UK disagree completely with assisted suicide being legalised. This leaves eleven percent unsure. These figures are from interviews carried out with two thousand randomly selected people above the age of fifteen.
Currently euthanasia is illegal. The Government and British Medical Society are strongly averse to legalising euthanasia, especially active euthanasia. This is when doctors give the patient a drug to take away the pain whilst knowing that the drug will also kill his/ her patient. The normal sentence for anyone who helps another to commit suicide is fourteen years in prison. People are very rarely prosecuted for such offences since procedures are not always clear. In some European countries, states of the USA and Australia, Euthanasia is legal. Sometimes it is done with a lethal injection. In Australia they use the so called 'Death Machine.'
Euthanasia has many favourable and unfavourable points. It can terminate pain in the fatally ill but also it can be classed to be no better than murder. We have to make up our own minds on whether we agree or disagree with Euthanasia/ assisted suicide. In my opinion, Euthanasia is acceptable in some cases but only if it has been decided and agreed on by doctors along with the patient and close relatives. I also think that if euthanasia was to be legalised it might start to be used in the wrong way. People might start to kill off elderly people because they cost the Government too much and people may be fed up of caring for them. I think if it was legalised it should only be allowed in hospitals with the Professionals and that the fourteen-year imprisonment should still be enforced for cases out with the hospitals, where you can't be sure if it was euthanasia or murder.
Should a dying person experience pain and suffering in their last days? (The Vatican thinks that this suffering has a special place in God's saving plan.) Or should life end, whenever possible, in a calm, peaceful and dignified manner, if necessary through euthanasia? There are no easy answers to these questions and the debate will continue for many years to come.
