Euthanasia - views for and against.

Authors Avatar by bethjeff167 (student)
There are many differing views on the subject on euthanasia. Some are in support of it, some are opposed to it and others remain unsure. Those in favour of euthanasia have various principles found supporting their views. Firstly euthanasia may be favoured because it gives control back to the patient. If euthanasia is an option, a patient has control over when and how they die. It also means that a terminal patient does not have to suffer unnecessarily and prolong the inevitable.  Surveys have found that more than half of medical practitioners in Britain are in support of euthanasia. Many claim that if a patient has no quality of life and plainly expresses themselves or via the next of kin that they would like euthanasia it should be on offer to them - everyone has the right to die.  As well as medical practitioners, members of the public are found in support as well. In the same survey, 82% of the public asked said that they support euthanasia for the terminally ill or for those on life support. This is probably because they are able to see that if they or a member of their family was terminally ill or on life support they wouldn’t want any unnecessary suffering to take place.    
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   Some people are against euthanasia. Members of the public and medical practitioners are found with views against euthanasia. There are many reasons why people are against euthanasia. Firstly it can be viewed as unethical. Some view it simply as murder rather than its actual definition of ‘peaceful death’. Others say that the taking of life should not be allowed as it goes against what is morally acceptable. It is also against the Hippocratic Oath which states that a doctor should ‘do everything possible to preserve and restore life and not to take it’. Euthanasia would go against this as it ...

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