Euthanasia a Controversial Topic

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Euthanasia is a permanent solution to a long term problem. Offering euthanasia to patients who are near death is a controversial topic with a plethora of opinions. Supporters of euthanasia say that it is justified as long as the patient gives permission. Euthanasia is not justifiable due to the ethical and legal issues, the disoriented state of mind of euthanized patients, and religious beliefs that condemn euthanasia. A British physician, Lord Platt of Cambridge, said that a majority of doctors are hesitant to administer the actual euthanization. Another British physician, Lord Brock of London, has made the argument that if euthanasia was legal, the government would have to assume the role of a middleman. He argues that the overseeing of euthanizations by the government could prove to be very expensive. According to Brock, the government would be the ones to select a place for the euthanization, time, and the people who would administer the deadly drug. The cost for euthanizations would prove to be an unnecessary financial burden. He also says that killing patients is not part of the job description of physicians and nurses (“Euthanasia” 229-230). The main function of physicians is to enhance the health of their patients. This belief is reinforced in the Hippocratic Oath that all doctors must swear to. The oath states that “I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment…I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required” (Tyson). Nowhere in this oath does it say or that doctors should take the life of their patients. Many doctors do not want to be making ethical gray area decisions that involve the life of another human being. Administrating euthanasia to a patient is essentially a doctor he... ... middle of paper ... ...ilton). Religious creed like the Bible and the Koran openly condemn suicide and murder. The act of euthanasia involves extinguishing the life force of a person. The Abrahamic religions view this as murder and a direct violation of God’s teachings to his people (Gielen, Branden, Broeckaert 1-17). Euthanasia is given to nearly-dead patients for the purpose of alleviating suffering. Many doctors however, do not want to violate their Hippocratic Oath as well as encroach on their religious beliefs. Often these patients accept euthanasia due to a lack of judgment coming from the pain of the illness and the physiological effects of the medication. Doctors are hesitant towards administrating it due to the combination of religious beliefs and ethical and legal baggage that euthanasia brings along. Hopefully more people will begin to see why euthanasia is not justifiable.

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