Why Euthanasia is Wrong – Health Essay

Why Euthanasia is Wrong – Health Essay
You are on your way home from school and suddenly a car swerves out of control and slams into the side of your car, leaving you paralyzed. So now what? There are only two things that are certain in this life. Everyone

is born and everyone will die. Death could strike anyone at any time. You need to be aware of your options so that if and when you are left to deal with the choices of death you can have your mind made up ahead of time.

There are two types of euthanasia, passive and active. The first type of euthanasia is known as passive euthanasia this doesn’t involve killing a patient, it is the type that lets the patient die in a natural, yet peaceful, manner. This allows the patient to refuse services, such as life support, so they don’t have to be vegetables. Active euthanasia is where the physician assists in the patients suicide or death, by giving too much of a painkiller such as morphine. This is the type of euthanasia that I would like to persuade you against legalizing in the U.S. (www.euthanasia.com).

The physicians we all seek medical help and advice from are there for those reasons, not to harm or kill the trusting patients, as a doctor who performs active euthanasia usually does. Premeditated murder is illegal. Euthanasia is premeditated murder. Therefore, euthanasia is as illegal as premeditated murder.
Today in the United States alone, one in four nurses openly admits to performing some form of euthanasia. In my personal opinion it is very sad when a society has become so greedy that it would place a price on life. When any society chooses to place a price on life, they choose to start pricing a person’s worth in this world. Who should be the one to say how much another person is worth? I know that many people in a terminally ill situation would choose suicide as a way to run away from their problems and if euthanasia were to become legal, then the number one cause of death would shortly become suicide. (www.internationaltaskforce.org).

The first case of active euthanasia was that of Adolph Hitler. In 1930 the Nazis gained control of German Politics. Adolph Hitler wanted to create a society above all the other societies of the world, in what he called, “The Perfect Race.” He then proceeded with the extermination of Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and people with mental or physical impairments. Today in some cases parents want their children who have disabilities to be killed by euthanasia so that they don’t have to grow up in this “cruel world.” If that is the case then we should have let Adolph Hitler keep his control in Germany in the 1930s. Time hasn’t changed, society has.
In the 1990s, people are saying “You can do it, don’t give up,” and “Live your dreams to the fullest.” By making euthanasia legal people will give hope up all too early on ever reaching their goals or dreams, they would rather give up on life when it becomes very difficult to live in which with a little effort their dreams could be made a reality.

There have been many cases where patients have been diagnosed as terminally ill and have lived. The most famous case is Karen Ann Quinlian. Karen was 22 years old when she fell into a coma after using the bad combination of alcohol and tranquilizers. Her parents went before the courts and convinced them to take Karen off life support. Although Karen never regained consciousness, she lived nine years after being taken off life support. This case is important because in 1975 this was the first case ever that allowed the removal of life support opening the doors for the controversy of euthanasia. It is also an argument against euthanasia because of the fact that she was diagnosed and was said to die immediately if taken off life support however, she did not.

Suicide isn’t illegal, but aiding or assisting someone in suicide is no matter what the reasons are. To aid someone in suicide is like murder in most countries. In some cases one can use euthanasia as a cover up for a murder.

What about malformed babies, mentally handicapped, or the incurable insane? Should they have the right to use euthanasia? If legalized, would euthanasia be totally voluntary? The malformed babies and the mentally retarded cannot make that voluntary decision, and therefore are not allowed to use euthanasia. This causes unequal opportunities.

In an address to National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on October 27′, 1992, Dr. Kevorkian stated that “Every disease that shortens life is terminal.” Doctors like Jack Kevorkian are letting money alter their concepts of their good judgment. Doctors are helping anybody who wants to die to do so as long as the doctor is paid well enough for the services. Doctors are here to heal, not kill.

Three percent of deaths in the Netherlands are directly caused by doctors. These statistics cannot be trusted. Euthanasia is recorded less accurately, less efficiently, and less often than it is actually occurring. Three percent in the U.S. would is equal to about 64,860 killings by doctors, Even though this is only 3% it is still a drastic amount of people killed by doctor assisted suicide. This amounts to more deaths by euthanasia than in drug or alcohol related motor accidents combined. (www.euthanasia.com)
As you can see, active euthanasia is not the solution to dying. It is unethical and illegal. I believe the reasons against euthanasia far outweigh those for it. The possibility of losing a loved one is a terrible trade off for euthanasia. Never consider active euthanasia as a possibility.