Essay On Passive Euthanasia

An innumerable amount of individuals believe that life is a beautiful, extraordinary, and overall amazing gift. So, why would a human being choose to have this remarkable gift taken away from him or her? The answer to this question is quite simple. All over the world people are in such immense pain and suffering, that their last wish is for their lives to be taken away in a peaceful approach. The solution to a painless death is euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, commonly referred to as PAS. Active euthanasia is the process of inducing death upon a human being in a harmless, painless, and gentle way by an injection. Passive euthanasia is the removal of life-support or stopping treatments that may keep the patient alive for longer (Gale). Both forms of Euthanasia are done only with the consent of the patient who wishes to bring their life to an end. Death is the last chance of peace for many people, and euthanasia makes this possible.

As any controversial subject does, euthanasia has many non-supporters. Although euthanasia has supporters, the process is only legal in five states: California, Oregon,

Vermont, Washington, and Montana (Euthanasia). A multitude of people who are against PAS state that the procedure is not moral and that the patient themself should not be allowed to decide when his or her life comes to an end. However, these patients believe that the future that lies ahead of them is full of pain and suffering. For ages, people have felt that their futures were filled with despair. An example of this resides in Claude McKay's poem, ¨America.¨ In the poem, the speaker says, ¨Darkly I gaze into the days ahead, / And see her might and granite wonders there / Beneath the touch of Time's unerring hand, / Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand (Lines 11-14). Through this poem, the reader is able to see that the speaker feels like the future holds no hope. Likewise, many dying patients feel this exact same way. A grave number of patients have the idea that they are slowly dying, like a rose slowly wilting. An abundant number of non-supporters also argue that PAS could be ruled as legalized murder and would have many legal issues. Additionally, many state that PAS is used as a way for the government to save money, as drugs for assisted suicide cost around thirty-five to forty-five dollars, opposed to the millions used for healthy care annually. Lastly, non-supporters believe that euthanasia is going against God's will, and the choice to die is not the patient's choice (Euthanasia). As a result of the numerous amount of non-supporters, euthanasia is not legal in all locations.
Opposingly, euthanasia has a great number of supporters, including the patients who wish to end their lives with the aid of a certified doctor. A numerous amount of patients feel like they are simply being looked over. For years, it seems like there has always been a minority group whose wishes are not considered. An example of this is in the poem ¨I, Too” written by Langston Hughes. The speaker states, ¨Besides, / They'll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed- / I, too, am America” (lines 15-18). Hughes was talking about people being ashamed for the way they treated blacks, but this relates to the way dying patients are sometimes treated. These words represent the simple fact that dying patients represent America as well and should have the right to voice their opinions and make the choice to live or die. Many supporters state that the rights of patients are being taken away by being denied the right to death. People who are for euthanasia argue that everyone has control over their own lives, and whether they choose to live or die is a right they have as a citizen. Supporters argue that we will all die one day, so why fight against it? In ¨Shine, Perishing Republic¨ by Robinson Jeffers, the speaker voices ¨You making haste, haste on decay: not blameworthy; life is good, be it stubbornly long or suddenly / A mortal splendor: meteors are not needed less than mountains: shine, perishing republic (Lines 5-6). These words make it evident that whether life be extremely long or relatively short, life is still good. Many people believe that if a human is lying on his or her deathbed, being supported only by life-support, they should legally be given the choice to stop or continue life-support. Euthanasia is not and will never be a free for all, unorganized, or immoral process. As all medical procedures have standards, so will euthanasia. PAS will only be permitted on humans eighteen years of age or older, state residency is required, and the patient has to have six months or less until their expected death. Additionally, the patient is allowed to voice two oral requests and one written request to their physician (Euthanasia). Evidently, euthanasia has a vast number of pros.
To sum up, euthanasia is the last chance for many human beings to end their lives in a peaceful way.

Humans who are in a profusion of pain and are lying on their deathbed should be granted the right to end their lives with the aid of a physician. Life is a beautiful gift that should not be taken for granted, but there are cases in which death is a more beautiful process to patients who are suffering, hurting, and miserable than life ever was or will be. Why should a human not get to decide the fate of his or her own life? Why should a human have to waste away in a hospital bed? Why should a human be forced to suffer and hurt when there is an alternative to their pain? A person does not need to be as smart as Einstein to realize the answer is extremely clear. Humans should not be forced to live in such a way and euthanasia makes it possible to end the

pain.