Can You Kill Me Now or Later? (Euthanasia)

Name: anonymili

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Product:	Euthanasia
Date:	07/03/06 (236 review reads)
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Advantages: Maybe it should be legal because we might want it for ourselves one day?

Disadvantages: It's illegal and it's considered by many to be tantamount to murder

What is the definition of euthanasia?

One definition of euthanasia: "means the humane destruction of an animal accomplished by a method that produces rapid unconsciousness and subsequent death without evidence of pain or distress, or a method that utilizes anaesthesia produced by an agent that causes painless loss of consciousness and subsequent death."

Or even "to kill someone/something painlessly. Usually used in reference to acts taken upon terminally ill individuals. An act whose purpose is to end the suffering of an individual by a painless death."

But also "The action of killing an individual for reasons considered to be merciful. The Nazi euthanasia program was designed to kill people who were considered undesirable because of physical or mental conditions. The myth of Aryan racial purity included eliminating individuals considered inferior."

Did you get all that? Which one do you believe is the closest to the truth of what euthanasia actually is?

I'm reserving judgement on it as this is a very emotive and difficult subject to tackle, but I'm going to try anyway. I, personally, do not think I could take another person's life to "help them along the way". But until and unless you're in a situation when a loved one is begging you to help them meet their maker, you cannot begin to know how you would react. We can all very easily say: "No way would I ever consider killing someone!" For after all, helping someone take their own life is tantamount to killing them or is it?

My maternal grandfather died in the early 90s at the age of 84 in India of cancer. He'd suffered for 2 years and was nursed by my maternal aunt and uncle and a part-time nurse over there, paid for by my parents who live here in the UK. My mum told me of how he suffered with so much pain and how unbearable her sister found it to watch his health deteriorate each day. He was a proud man and up until he became terminally ill at the age of 82 he used to walk 5 miles a day, play the violin, paint beautiful portraits, repair watches and read a wide variety of books. Now for someone that active and alive, to become physically dependant on others and to not be able to do things for yourself, can you imagine how would they be feeling? Like they want it all to be over? Do you think you'd feel happy living through unbearable pain every day when the doctors have told you there's nothing else they can do for you?

Personally speaking, if I was at the stage where I could not do anything for myself and be aware that nothing could be done to improve my health I probably would want to be put out of my misery. I say "probably" as, at the age of 38, I can't imagine how I might feel if/when I get to that part of my life, be it in my 60s, 70s, 80s, or however long I live. It would be so painful to think of parting from my loved ones but to also consider being a burden to them for any great length of time would also be so unbearable that I would want to spare them the worry and emotional pain of seeing them seeing me suffer, if that makes sense.

One of the arguments presented against euthanasia have could be that a patient might not be in their right mind when they ask someone to help them take their life. They might be suffering from such immense pain at that precise time when they ask for that fatal assistance and only a short while later, they might change their mind and if you've already helped them to die, how can they possibly change their mind? If you're a relative and stand to gain something by that person's death, there's always the argument that you wanted to gain financially…

Whatever the arguments for and against it, euthanasia is still illegal. You can be tried for murder or manslaughter if you help someone take their own life. Would you be able to live with yourself it you did it? Would you want someone to help you if your life was in such a condition?

I quote from a BBC UK news article: "deliberate euthanasia would normally leave anyone assisting liable for murder, though liability can be reduced to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility". So think about it very carefully if someone asks you to assist them in taking their life.

I know I haven't actually stated whether or not I agree with euthanasia but I'm going to have to sit on the fence for this one.

You can look up lots of research and information on euthanasia at euthanasia.com

Summary: I'm sitting on the fence with this one