Pros And Cons Of Active Euthanasia

The morality of active euthanasia and whether or not it should be legalized is quite a controversial topic within the medical field that has long been debated by many philosophers. Active euthanasia is one of two forms of euthanasia, which is defined as the painless killing of a patient suffering a terminal illness that is considered incurable. Active euthanasia is when one actively brings about the death of a terminally ill patient through a specific act. This is in contrast to passive euthanasia, the other form of euthanasia, in which one merely ‘lets’ a terminally ill patient die by not doing the things necessary to keep the patient alive. I believe active euthanasia is both immoral and should not be legalized.
One of the chief reasons that I believe active euthanasia is immoral is due to my core religious beliefs. As an observant modern orthodox Jew, God plays a large role in determining my moral values. Thus, being that ‘Do not kill’ is one of God’s 10 first

This is the case in the Netherlands, where active euthanasia is legal and many even attempt to avoid going to their doctors for regular checkups out of fear of what may happen to them next. Lastly, another reason I believe active euthanasia should not be legalized is that the option of active euthanasia may indirectly pressure terminally ill people into suicide. For instance, consider the case of an elderly man with Alzheimer’s who is using up much of his children’s income in order to take care of him and keep him alive. Being that active euthanasia is now an option, this elderly man might feel guilty of living on the expense his kids and thus pressured to end his life early in order to relieve his children of all their responsibilities to