Euthanasia -Humane or insane?

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Euthanasia

Humane or insane?

In ward seven of the Royal Hospital in Belfast, a woman called Betsy, is lying ill on an impersonal mass produced hospital bed. She is terminally ill. She’s dying of bowel cancer. Her limited future is bleak. Everyday there is a new ache a new pain. As time goes on her senses will gradually fail one by one. Her memory will be the first to go. Soon she will not be able to recognise even her closest family. Her visitors will be just like any other doctor or nurse who calls on her occasionally. Before things got so bad, Betsy was an outgoing lady who was eighty seven years young, who had lived her life to the full before this disease gripped her life. She was married for 60 years, to her loving and caring husband Brian. They had 4 children together James, John, Colin and Stephanie. Each child grew up in a warm caring environment that Betsy and Brian created for them, and they had provided an excellent example for them on how to live their own lives. Betsy had many friends and her hobbies included golf, bingo and knitting. In the last eight months unfortunately Betsy’s health has deteriorated. Her family have watched in anguish as they slowly see their mother’s quality of life steadily decline in front of their own eyes, powerless to stop it. Since this cancer has gripped her life Betsy has been bed ridden, during that time Betsy could see what the effect of her condition was having on her family, they were emotionally and physically drained. Through weeks of consideration and debate Betsy had decided that she wished to die with grace and dignity and own her own terms. First she spoke to Brian about the idea, although he didn’t want her to die he could see it was best all round. Her and Brian announced the news to their family, initially shocked and distraught they pleaded with her to changed her mind but with Betsy’s usual charismatic charm she convinced them that it was in her and her families best interest.

Her husband with a tear in his eye bravely spoke to the hospital authorities but nothing can or will be done as it is against the law. Euthanasia or mercy killing as it is also known is being considered by millions of people in Betsy’s situation today. Euthanasia is currently illegal in the UK but should it be? After all isn’t humane to let someone die? Voluntary euthanasia is the assisted suicide of someone who wishes that there life would end. It is against the law in the UK, and those people who are arrested and charged could face up to fourteen years in Prison. Passive euthanasia is the taking or withholding of treatment even if the person will die. However doctors cannot directly help the person die e.g. lethal injection.

The term ‘Euthanasia’ comes from the Greek word for ‘easy death’. It is the one of the most public policy issues being debated about today. Formally called ‘mercy killing’, euthanasia is the act of purposely making or helping someone die, instead of allowing nature to take its course. Basically euthanasia means killing in the name of compassion.

Euthanasia, at the moment is illegal throughout the world apart from in the State of Oregon in the USA and Belgium, where there is a law specifically allowing doctors to prescribe lethal drugs for the purpose of euthanasia. In the Belgium it is practised widely, but it is essential that a clergyman is present.
I believe that everyone has the right to choose how they live and die. Everyone deserves respect, freedom and the power to control their own destiny. Not everybody will have an easy death. Some terminal pain cannot be controlled, even with the best of care and the strongest of drugs. Other distressing symptoms, which come with diseases, such as sickness, no mobility, incontinence, breathlessness and fever cannot always be relieved. Pain is not always the issue - quality of life is too.
Most people want to die with dignity, but some people may spend the last moments of their life, in a way, which to them, is undignified. Having the right to control over their own life and death helps people keep human dignity in the face of their suffering.
People should not be left lingering in pain. They should not have to suffer when death is inevitable. People do have the right to commit suicide, although it is a tragic and individual act. However euthanasia is not suicide. It is not a private act, you have the support of family and friends. Euthanasia is about letting a person assist another’s death to save them from long painful deaths.
Many people argue, however, that a person who is terminally ill may make a miraculous recovery - it has happened in the past. Euthanasia should be only needed for those whose pain is not relived with any form of care or whose bodily disintegration is beyond bearing.
For those who are suffering in agony a pro-longed life is unthinkable for people with a condition which, leaves the brain alert but eventually shuts down all bodily functions and skills of communicating. How can people be expected to live like this? For people like this I believe that their close family should have the choice and the trust to let them live a prolonged life or to end their life and let them die with dignity. If people could make the decision themselves then I believe that the option of euthanasia should be open to them. Some people might also want euthanasia because the drugs they require to ease the pain are very expensive and are not available on the NHS, so rather than see their assets diminish, they would rather slip away. For others the problems might lie much deeper, years of suffering have left them down and out, they are feeling depressed and see euthanasia as there only option but it is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

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However euthanasia has its opposition, people believe that no one has the right to play God. Christians believe that we are made in the image of God and therefore human life is God’s gift to us and is uniquely precious - we are not the owners of life, but it’s minders’, we belong to God because he made us. Many religions follow this principle, so do not believe in suicide and assisted dying. People who do not agree with voluntary euthanasia often refer to the 1967 Abortion Act. They argue that the numbers of abortions, which now take place every year shows that the safeguards set out in the Abortion act, have been ignored. They argue that this example should be taken as a warning of what could happen if helping people who are terminally ill to die is made legal. Another argument that is put forward against euthanasia is that it could make young and old people alike to become used to the idea of killing someone, they are afraid that it could desensitise they younger generation and make them believe that murder is an ordinary day to day thing. They believe this would remove the principle that man should not kill that is drummed into us today. However the idea that we should not kill is somewhat contradictory, not that I’m one to challenge an age old teaching or God himself but killing in a war or self defence is justified and accepted by most religions and by most if not all democratic societies. Although I do believe that euthanasia should be legalised, I can see the point that is being made by those who don’t approve of it, however if a law is made which allows a person to help someone die, there would be safeguards in place to make sure that the law wouldn’t be abused.

In the UK today there is no law that deals with euthanasia. Usually those people who are up for trial for helping someone to die face the charge of murder or under the law on suicide, depending on the circumstances. Those who are convicted of helping another person to die could face up to life in prison (for murder), or fourteen years (assisting a suicide). This is the law but in reality the system operates a little differently. Usually those people who are convicted of murder or assisting a suicide usually are given light sentences which often don’t involve prison sentences. I believe that this is because the courts are sympathetic and sometimes approve to the defendants cause and see the position they were put in often taken their side. The public opinion of the law on euthanasia or the lack there of, is overwhelmingly in favour of legalising voluntary euthanasia. In 1997, out of nearly three thousand people who took part in a sun newspaper telephone opinion poll, an amazing 97% said terminally ill people should have the right to die with dignity. There have been numerous survey’s which have been conducted through the years, in 1993 for example a poll showed that sex, age, religion or economic class made little difference to peoples views on the subject and surprisingly the majority from ALL religions were in favour of voluntary euthanasia. It is not just the public who can have a say in this matter, the very people who may have to carry out any of these lethal injections must be given a say. In 1996 the results of a survey of over seven hundred and fifty GPs and hospital doctors showed that doctors were divided over legalising voluntary euthanasia, 46% of doctors supported a change in the law to allow them to carry out the request of a terminally ill patient for voluntary euthanasia. This survey shows that doctor’s opinions are almost split 50/50 over the matter. In fact twenty two doctors from the survey actually confessed to having broken the law and helped someone die. Euthanasia may be illegal but it definitely hits a nerve within public.

Someone who decides to choose to go down the euthanasia path should realise that they are not like a goldfish, when one dies you can’t go down to the pet store and buy another one, that person will have been loved, cared for and admired by other people. What I’m trying to say that euthanasia is a permanent process it is irreversible and what’s to say that within one to two years there wouldn’t be a medical break through in the particular area they are suffering from or that there might be a new drug, which might ease the pain and make daily life worth living? It’s not impossible and with highly sophisticated technologies, advances are being made everyday in the medical field. Or low and behold the numerous prayers that are said could be headed and the disease goes away. These arguments however do not convince everyone, those who are sitting on their beds waiting for these miracles and medical breakthroughs see no light at the end of the tunnel, they have given up long ago when they woke up with hope everyday but to no avail. Pain is not the only issue for these unfortunate souls, what an individual thinks of their quality of life is often far more important, many people do not want to spend the last days of their life in away which, to them is undignified. Annie Lindsell, a campaigner for legalising assisted dying, said before she died of Motor Neurone Disease in 1997,

“The hospice movement consistently maintains that in most cases it manages the pain of terminally ill patients. What they cannot control, however is the loss of personal dignity and that is very difficult criterion that no patient can comment on”. In the medical world, there are divisions on euthanasia, some are totally for, yet others are totally against the idea. In November 1997, two hundred GPs responded to a survey carried out by Pulse magazine. The survey revealed that 47% of GPs had given treatment to ease a patient’s death 49% said that they had been in a position where they were easing a patients death. Whereas 49% said that they had been in a position where they felt that easing a patients death, other than with the intention of relieving symptoms only was the right thing to do. This as you can see is a positive result, but to those opposed to any change in the law regarding euthanasia it might be argued that this is below half the number surveyed which means that the majority of doctors would not wish to help someone who was ill. In spite of overwhelming religious opposition and the fact that it is against the law, euthanasia is carried out today in the U.K. A report published in 1994 in the British Medical journal showed that 32% of doctors survey had agreed to a patients request to be given treatment to help them die quicker. It is also worth noting that a larger portion 46% said they would consider giving treatment to help someone die more quickly if it were legal to do so. The idea that a doctor would help a patient to die is contradictory to their Hippocratic Oath, which states “I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect”. But to counter this argument one might say that the doctors Hippocratic Oath is not entirely bullet proof as it also promises “not to give a woman a pessary to produce abortion” yet today abortions are carried out throughout the world. Some people who were lying critically ill on beds today, who did not ask someone help them die and have been the better for it as medical advances have came along and they can live out their lives as best they can.

In today’s society men and woman alike have the power to choose whether they take control of their life and death or let the heavens decide. That is why euthanasia is just an option that is open to those who wish to pursue it. It is not suggested or enforced onto them in any way. Assisted dying should just be one of the options open at the end of life.

With euthanasia, there is a swelling amount of doctors who would like it legalised.
People may agree or disagree, but who can really know what they feel about the issue, until they are actually in that situation? At the moment, I believe that if I was faced with the fact that a terminally ill relative who was in a great deal of pain wanted to die, I would go along with what they wanted. I would not want to see them suffer, but this is only what I think now. I have never been in such a situation, and hope I never will, but if I was maybe I would hold a different view. Although, if a dog or cat is suffering, the vet is called upon and the animal is put to sleep. The owner is upset over the loss but they feel that they have done the right thing, by putting the pet out its misery.
I do not think we can look at human life in the same way however, as humans’ are treated better than animals and have more respect. But what is better, letting someone suffer a prolonged and very painful life, or allowing him or her to die with dignity, in peace and without pain? In an article I read that a young girls grandmother had died of bowel cancer. She took three weeks to die- three full weeks of the most appalling agony. In fact she was crying out for most of that time for the doctors to end her torment. In the end she was screaming in pain, no medical cure or painkiller could be found to ease her pain. In the end is it too much to ask for the right for her to die peacefully? Why cant these hardworking, loving and harmless people have the right to choose to die? I say yes, I do not believe they should be humiliated in front of their families as a nurse empties their bedpan in full view of the entire ward. Don’t you?

This issue needs a lot of thought. Many people agree with voluntary euthanasia, many disagree but there is also a large amount of people undecided on the matter. Maybe in a couple of weeks radical steps with have been taken by the government to legalise euthanasia, at least then Betsy’s life will not have been in vein, but maybe by then it will have been too late, and her loving husband Brian might have had to take things into is his own hands. The time will come when the Government and medical services will have to open their eyes to euthanasia, and there will be a lot of debate on the subject. Until then the euthanasia debate will continue to linger, just like a terminal disease.

By Aidan Mc Guckin