Euthanasia: Ending the Suffering
Euthanasia is the intervention taken by a medical practitioner which has the intention of ending the life of a patient. There are many reasons why it is argued that euthanasia may be administered, but the most popular is to end the suffering of a patient. Euthanasia exists in different forms which include voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary (Fletcher, 9). In the united states, euthanasia is illegal in most states
Types of Euthanasia
Voluntary- it is the case where the patient is aware of the circumstances and freely gives the authority for the procedure to be undertaken. The patient has to be of sound mind.
Non-voluntary- non-voluntary euthanasia happens when the consent of the patient is unavailable. Some of the cases when it happens include when the patient is unconscious or when it is a child.
Involuntary euthanasia- it is the administering of the procedure against the will of the patient. In many cases, it is termed as murder since the recipient has stated clearly that they do not wish to undergo the process.
Views on Euthanasia
There are both proponents and opponents of euthanasia. The proponents have fronted several arguments as to why people should be free to choose on what they want with their lives. The first is that self-determination is a fundamental right, and thus people of sane mind should be let free to decide the course that their lives should take. Further, they state that in many cases the need for the process is due to continued suffering. Therefore, it is beneficial to offer assistance to die rather than watch them as they suffer. Additionally, the legalization of euthanasia is not likely to have any unintended consequences as it has been done in other places without the feared results.
The opposition to euthanasia, on the other hand, argues that it is wrong to administer the process in the pretext of relieving pain since it is not all deaths that are painful. In place of euthanasia, they have stated that the cessation of treatment and application of only pain killers is likely to achieve the same results without taking a life. The opponents have further argued that there are likely negative consequences as a result of legalizing the process. Among the main concerns of the negative consequences include the secret euthanizing of patients even when they have not given express consent. Adolf Hitler, during the second world war, is said to have been active in involuntary euthanasia (Gannon). The opponents of the process have accused the proponents of finishing what was left by Hitler.
Countries Where Euthanasia is Legal
There are several countries where euthanasia is legal. However, there are some that only allow passive euthanasia which is the withdrawal of treatment or life support so that the patient dies naturally. They include the following;-
Belgium- it led in passing the law in 2002 where a patient could make a requested to have assisted suicide. However, there are strict controls to ensure that the process is not abused. The law requires that there be two doctors present when the request is made as well as during the execution of the process. Similarly, it is necessary to have a psychologist in case there is a doubt as to the sanity of the patient. The law states that euthanasia has to be a consultative process where both the patient and the doctor discuss and agree on what is best. Similarly, when there is an agreement on the process, there is the discussion on the means of euthanasia which could be either injection or other forms of medication.
Colombia-
the constitutional court of Colombia ruled in 2010 that it is not criminal to perform euthanasia thus making it legal. However, there are restrictions on the illnesses which would warrant the process.
India-
it is legal to help in passive euthanasia where the doctor may withdraw treatment and life support to allow the patient to die. The patient or their next of kin may request doctors to execute passive euthanasia. However, it is illegal to use any lethal medication to end the life of a patient even when they request it.
Ireland- just like in India, doctors are allowed to withdraw life support and other forms of treatment when it is clear that treatment is not responsive. However, the doctors do not have to make that decision. It only happens at the request of the patient or the next of kin.
Luxembourg- it is legal to use lethal compounds in the process of termination of the life of a terminally ill patient. The process in the country involves the request made by the patient which then goes before a panel of experts for approval. It is also necessary to have the approval of two doctors before the process takes place.
Mexico- it is the other country which partly allows euthanasia. In the country, the relatives of a terminally ill patient may request termination of treatment which will lead to death. However, it is not legal to actively terminate the life of a patient.
Netherlands-
it is one of the countries where euthanasia has been taking place for a long time. However, active euthanasia became legal in 2002 where doctors may assist patients in terminating their lives.
Right to Choose
There are many cases which are justifiable and should have consideration when the patient requests for euthanasia. Although there are cases when care should get extended such as depression patients who harbor suicidal thoughts. However, terminally ill patients should have their wishes met. In fact, advanced care planning is gaining pace where patients write their wish with the assistance of a medical practitioner (Emanuel, Ezekiel J., et al., 84). In some cases, there are patients who express their wish to get euthanized when they reach certain stages of a terminal illness. It is within the law to write down a will, and the contents are legally binding.
The opponents of euthanasia have argued that the process is likely to get abused by doctors. However, the argument seems weak as there are safeguards in the countries where it is legal that ensure the will of the patient is done or the suffering is brought to an end (Emanuel, Ezekiel J., et al., 84). Further, there is the suggestion that when it is certain that the patient may not recover and only continues to suffer, only the life prolonging treatment should be withdrawn. The suggestion is ill-informed as that would mean a lot of pain to the patient who is likely to have developed resistance to painkillers.
Conclusion
The process is not new and has worked towards the permanent elevation of pain among patients. Doctors have been instrumental in assisting the patients in making the decision of using euthanasia where they are sure that cases of recovery are minimal. However, it is necessary to have the right safeguards in place as the country moves towards respecting the choice of people.
Works cited
Emanuel, Ezekiel J., et al. "Attitudes and practices of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the United States, Canada, and Europe." Jama 316.1 (2016): 79-90.
Fletcher, Joseph F. Morals and Medicine: the moral problems of the patient's right to know the truth, contraception, artificial insemination, sterilization, euthanasia. Princeton University Press, 2015.
Gannon, Megan. "Germany to probe Nazi-era medical science." (2017): 13-13.
