Does Euthanasia Have A Place In A Civilised Society, Or Is It Simply Legalised Murder?

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Fasal Akbar

Does Euthanasia Have A Place In

A Civilised Society, Or Is It

Simply Legalised Murder?

Euthanasia beyond any doubt does not have a place in our civilised society. It is undoubtedly murder and people who are severely disabled or terminally ill should unquestionably still die naturally.

Euthanasia is the act of causing somebody to die gently and without pain. there are two types of euthanasia. One is active euthanasia which involves a lethal injection given to someone who is severely disabled or terminally ill. The other is passive euthanasia which involves doctors to withdraw all treatment to their patients.

To begin with many people decide to end their lives when they are told they have a life threatening disease. This will lead to them assuming there life will turn into misery but most people fail to realise that doctors can make wrong diagnosis. An incident like this has occurred at St Joseph’s Hospice. A statement for this incident said “Last year fourteen patients were admitted to St Joseph’s Hospice having been diagnosed as suffering from advanced cancer - they were found to have no cancer or the cancer was in such an early stage that it was amenable to treatment.”. Also a study published in the British Medical journal, Dr Andrews revealed that 17 out of 40 patients said to be in PVS had been misdiagnosed. Also people have been known to recover from cancer and PVS after considerable periods and some terminally ill patients make miraculous recoveries. Allowing euthanasia would risk killing people who could otherwise have had years more to live. There are also medicines today that are being improved and new ones being discovered. These medicines will be able to treat people with fatal diseases and who could say that if euthanasia is given to patient, a week later there is a cure for the disease that person had.

Euthanasia by all means should remain illegal because doctors may leave the profession as they might not feel comfortable in participating in any form of euthanasia and they have taken an oath at the start of their medical career to do everything in their ability to keep their patients alive but euthanasia being legalised will break that promise. Also euthanasia may prevent the future generation of doctors in joining the profession. This could be a major problem for the NHS and other medical services as they are already short of staff. Many critics of euthanasia will agree with this ...

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I am convinced that if euthanasia is legalised it will prevent patients travelling to the hospitals. There is conclusive evidence for this statement as Dr Peggy Norris, a GP of Liverpool, has claimed that in Holland were euthanasia is practised, some elderly people have to be counselled before they go into hospitals because they are frightened they will be “put down”. This makes it clear that euthanasia will affect many people.

Another reason that euthanasia should most definitely not be legalised is because allowing such practice will immediately open up great dangers of abuse by doctors and relatives similar to the case of Dr Harold Shipmen who killed numerous of patients by giving patients injections which included methadone. Euthanasia will lead to many incidents similar to Dr Harold Shipmen’s.

Another point which must be taken into consideration, is that euthanasia represents suicide. There is no difference between euthanasia and suicide and most religions are strongly against suicide. Take Islam for example, the Quar’an says “Every human being belongs to God, the creator of life, and no-one may end it or ask another to take it.”

Euthanasia unquestionably should remain illegal because if humans have the right whether to live or die, what will be the difference between euthanasia and changing the genetics of a newly born baby. Surely legalising one law will lead to other laws being legalised, which will lead to chaos.

I am certain that euthanasia will trigger off many accidents made by doctors who might participate in any form of euthanasia. An example is that all treatment might be withdrawn from a wrong patient, which will cause mayhem between the family of the patient and the hospital where the incident occurred.

Finally, patients may be given euthanasia if the family of the patient can not cope with the grief and problems caused by the patient. This without doubt is murder.

Euthanasia is a controversial, debatable and thought-provoking issue. Euthanasia without a shadow of doubt should remain illegal and people who are suffering in agony should fight until they die naturally. With the highly effective painkillers now available there is never any need for the terminally ill to suffer any pain. Use of painkillers, not euthanasia, is the answer to terminal illness. Disability and illness should most definitely not be the answer for euthanasia. If euthanasia is legalised : How would you decide whether to give a patient euthanasia or not? However much a patient is suffering, it is the role of a physician that all doctors have to swear to cure diseases and restore patients to health, not to kill them. Doctors should not be forced to compromise their professional oath or be put under pressure on deciding whether to give a patient euthanasia or not. Power will be misplaced and accidents will occur. If euthanasia is legalised, only in the future would we realise what an appalling, abysmal and outrageous decision we made.

Euthanasia will lead to major disputes in our civilised society.