Should Euthanasia Be Legalized?

Should people have the right to choose their own death and when they would like to die? This last year I watched my grandmother wither away and battle cancer until the last days of her life. She would tell me of the excruciating pain she was in and how she just wanted it to go away. She did not want to suffer anymore, for she no longer was enjoying her time on eanhi I hoped everyday that somehow her pain would go away.

The palliative care nurses did everything they could for her and kept her well medicated, on morphine and all sons of other pain killers, but none of that seemed to help But what if patients that were terminally ill, like my grandmother, had another option? What if they could be relieved of their suffering on their own terms? For many decades, people all around the world have questioned whether euthanasia should be legalized in the United States Euthanasia is defined as the direct killing of a patient for their own good and/or at the patient‘s request, Voluntary euthanasia is defined as a competent patient expressing the want to die and requesting help by a physician.

My paper will argue that euthanasia should be legalized because health care professionals (HCP) will be respecting patient autonomy and promoting their well-being, abuse and misuse can be prevented and regulated, and it would strengthen society‘s View of caring for the dying My first argument will discuss how physicians are known to be healers of patients, but when a patient can no longer be healed, physicians must change their focus to do what is in the patient‘s best interest.

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One argument against legalizing euthanasia, is that euthanasia will compromise the physician‘s role as a healer. Physicians are known to heal patient of disease or medical conditions they suffer from, not to cause the death of a patient, Physicians will be seen as killers of patients, rather than promotors of life and healing This could weaken society’s trust and respect for physicians, thinking physician may not have their best interest at heart.

This could result in patients not wanting to seek needed care or to follow physicians’ advice, However if euthanasia is legalized patient trust and respect will be enhanced because physicians will be respecting patient autonomy and promoting their well-being. Patient autonomy is the right all competent patients have to make informed decisions about their own medical care. A competent patient is defined as any patient who can understand relevant information, reason about the information given to them, and communicate their wishes or choice. For a physician to perform euthanasia he/she would only do so for the good of a patient or at the patient’s request, thus respecting patient autonomy Patient‘s will have to voluntarily request euthanasia Voluntary means at the request of a competent patient, if a physician were to respect patient autonomy, they would allow patients to decide the length of their own lives.

This could relieve suffering and pain from dying patients, If patients could trust that physicians were going to respect their wishes, patients would develop more trust and respect. I believe families would also see physicians as someone who helped their family member, rather than someone who took their life. Euthanasia promotes well- being because what is in the patient‘s best interest might be best served by death The argument that physicians would no longer be healers, focuses on the physician rather than the patient. Patients who are to receive euthanasia are at a point in their disease process that they can no longer be healed. When healing is no longer possible and symptoms are insufferable. then the physician should no longer focus on healing the patient and rather focus on relieving suffering. An argument can be made that taking of one‘s life could weaken society’s View of HCP commitment to caring for the dying.

It would look like physicians and other HCP are giving up on a dying patient or not wanting to take care of someone that is “just going to die.” On the other hand, HCP would be allowing patients to die because they no longer want to live, not because the HCP does not want to care for them. The same can be said about refusing life-support, physicians would be allowing patients to choose death, Life-support is defined as any treatment needed to sustain one’s life, Refusing life«support is allowing a patient to chose the length of their own life, if that said treatment is the only way a patient cane live, If a patient refuses treatment that will save their life they are choosing to die. The right to die should be a personal choice for patients. We are able to choose all kinds of things in our lives. but when it comes to terminal illness or suffering, you no longer have a choice.

Euthanasia can be an exception to terminal illness, but not everyone with terminal illness has to receive euthanasia. If some severe medical condition is causing intolerable symptoms, euthanasia should be an option for these patients. If euthanasia is legalized it does not mean HCP stopped caring for the dying, but rather gave terminally ill patients the option to make their own decision about death. I believe this would strengthen society’s View of HCP commitment to caring for the dying because they would be respecting the patients wishes. Lastly, people have argued that if euthanasia was legalized there is no way to fully prevent abuse and misuse. Physicians could pressure the use of euthanasia, or even coerce patients, How would we decide between competent patients and incompetent patients? Twenty year ago the state of Oregon legalized physician assisted suicide (PAS). In Oregon, abuse and misuse has yet to be seen Approximately only 1 out of every 270 deaths in 2015 were the result of PAS. Oregon came up with a procedural safeguard to adequately protect against these possibilities, this is known as Oregon‘s Death with Dignity Act.

This act listed 6 different requirements a patient had to meet prior to receiving a prescription for PAS. First a patient has to have a terminal illness. defined as likely death within 6 months or less. Informed consent must be witnessed by two physicians and a voluntary request witnessed by two physicians and two other witnesses. Next came the waiting period, with a minimum of 17 days between the initial request by the patient and the prescription by the physician. The first oral request had to take place 15 days prior to the second oral request and written request, then another two days had to pass before the prescription would be given to the patient. Lastly, if the physician suspected incompetence or mental illness by the patient. he/she must get a full evaluation from a mental health professional before proceeding with PAS. While Oregon uses these laws and regulations for PAS, I think the United State‘s could come up with similar guidelines for euthanasia, These guidelines have prevented abuse and misuse of PAS in Oregon and could do the same for euthanasia. This would allow those patients with terminal illness to die peacefully and with dignity.

All in all, euthanasia should be legalized because terminally ill patients should have the right to die with dignity, I have argued that euthanasia should be an exception for patients with medical conditions that have unbearable symptoms and will result in death, Not allowing a patient to make a choice about their life, fails to respect patient autonomy Any patient that is competent to make their own medical decisions, should have the right to die on their own terms. Patient well-being is also not being promoted if a patient is truly suffering and there is no longer a cure for them. Physicians have an obligation to do what is in the best interest for a patient and sometimes that is ending a patient‘s suffering. It is undeniable that there are risks to legalizing euthanasia and just like any other policy, certain people will take advantage of it, but with strict medical and legal regulations and laws I think we can limit the amount of abuse and misuse. This is a complicated issue in which we have to examine both sides and look at the risks and benefits of each side. In my opinion, euthanasia should be legalized because the benefits far outweigh the risks.