Euthanasia Being An Escape From Pain example essay topic

Thomas Jefferson once said, "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government". (Euthanasia). Euthanasia is related to this because it is the destruction of human life, and in today's society, medications can alleviate pain, a request for euthanasia is typically a cry for help, and suicide is typically transient. So therefore, there is no reason why euthanasia should be legalized.

With today's modern technology, euthanasia being an escape from pain is a poor argument for euthanasia advocates. Modern medicines have the ability to control mild to extreme pain. From over the counter drugs such as Aspirin, Tylenol and Advil, to common narcotics such as Morphine, Codeine and Oxycodone. All of these medications, some better than others, work towards the same goal of alleviating pain.

However, if the pain starts at a nerve, the narcotics and other drugs are less effective and a nerve block must be performed. This is when, similar to the dentist, an anaesthetic is injected into the area around the nerve, preventing pain impulses from the nerve being delivered to the brain or spinal cord. The narcotics work in a slightly different way. For example, Codeine alters your perception of pain and reaction to it by acting on your central nervous system.

Morphine "scrambles" pain messages in your spinal cord and brain, and Oxycodone works on your central nervous system by altering your sense of pain and your emotional response to it. People seeking to kill themselves to avoid pain do not need legalized euthanasia, but a doctor better trained in alleviating pain (Choosing). A request for assisted suicide by terminally ill patients is typically a cry for help. Many people who ask for assisted suicide, actually most of them, have clinical depression. In fact, in one study, of the 24 percent of terminally ill patients who requested death, all had clinical depression (Euthanasia). Not only were most depressed, but they feared becoming a burden on their family and healthcare workers (Caring).

Now with these 24 percent in mind, try and imagine your self with a life or death decision that you could not make for yourself, would you want one of those terminally ill, clinically depressed patients to decide for you? Most of you would say no. But if they are not competent enough to make the choice on your behalf, what makes them competent enough to make that same decision for themselves? In a euthanasia case, the state of Alaska said, "The terminally ill are a class of persons who need protection from family, social, and economic pressures, and who are often particularly vulnerable to such pressures because of chronic pain, depression, and the effects of medication". (Euthanasia).

A terminally ill patient is not in any state to make such a crucial decision for themselves. For people who are stopped from committing suicide, a positive life with many changes can lie ahead. In a study off 886 people who were stopped from committing suicide, only 4% went on to kill themselves within the next 5 years. Within the next 35 years, only 11% had gone on to kill themselves (Euthanasia). Relating this to euthanasia, since it is similar to suicide, not legalizing it means about 96 lives saved directly from euthanasia for every 100 requests. 96 people with a chance at a longer and, possibly, much healthier life.

A chance they would not have if euthanasia were legal and doctors had no fear of being persecuted for such an act. One of the most common arguments for Pro-euthanasia advocates is the "Right to Die". People have an interest in making important decisions about their lives and how they want their life to go. These people feel that since dying is a part of life, they should have the right to decide how and when they die. Most of them are concerned about what the last phases of their life will be like, not merely because of suffering, but also the desire to retain as much dignity and control of their lives as they possibly can (Voluntary). The problem with this ideology is that it does not consider the fact that people already have the right to remove or refuse medical treatment.

The "Right to Die" erodes the respect for human life (Caring). They also claim on occasion that legalizing euthanasia does not cause it to become out of control. However, the 1991 Remmelink Report of euthanasia in the Netherlands shows quite the contrary. The report showed that of the 8 681 euthanasia related deaths, 4 941 of them were lethal overdoses of morphine administered without the patient's explicit consent. 1 040 were actively killed by the doctor with out the patients consent. 400 had doctors provide them with means to kill themselves, and only 2300 cases were actually requested by the patient.

More specifically, about 70% of the euthanasia deaths that year were without the patients consent (Euthanasia). If this many people are being killed in one year, in one place, imagine how many would be killed a year if euthanasia was legal everywhere. In conclusion, legalized euthanasia is unnecessary. With today's advancements to modern medicines, terminally ill patients have, euthanasia is not a. With the assistance of current medical advancements, pain can be controlled and is therefore not a valid reason to end ones life. There is no quality of life when the patient is dead.