INTRODUCTION:
Euthanasia is an issue that has and will remain up for debate for many years and will stay there forever. There are many issues that are focused on when debating the topic of euthanasia. A couple of these things that are always involved are the ethical, moral and political questions concerning euthanasia. The decision of euthanasia is the one issue that can affect anyone, no matter what race, religion or social group the person comes from. Euthanasia is an issue that is always going to be controversial for everyone and is an issue that is felt deeply throughout the world. Congress and other governmental bodies have a responsibility to address euthanasia and look at all facts involved.
The first state within the United States to legalize euthanasia, assisted suicide was the state of Oregon. "On November 8, 1994 Oregon became the first state to legalize assisted suicide when voters passed a tightly restricted Death with Dignity Act. But legal appeals kept the law from taking effect" (Detroit Local News). This law seemed to shock many people throughout the United States. If the governments of the countries are unclear on the euthanasia laws, it is unfair in law that the average citizen would be charged with understanding and abiding by the same laws or face criminal charges. The final decision to legalize euthanasia is left up the congress/government that is unable to honestly understand what the patient is going through, how they are disintegrating, and their agony.
The second state to legalize euthanasia/assisted suicide was Washington. Washington had a harder time trying to pass a law legalizing euthanasia/assisted suicide. The state of Washington tried to pass a euthanasia law three times before the law was finally passed in 2008. As of 1997, there was a law that forbidden assisted suicide. It declared that assisted a suicide was a felony: "A person guilty of [that crime] when he knowingly causes or aids another to attempt suicide"
Euthanasia is the way he knew how to help them. From what I have read most average people in society think, he is a monster or the devil, but many doctors do agree with his outlook on the terminal ill. From the information that I have read there were assisted suicide happening throughout the entire span of his career. In my opinion, anyone that makes laws dealing with euthanasia must ask themselves some of the following questions. People have to ask themselves what they would want if they were in a condition where they were unable to take care of themselves in any way at all.
Consequences of legalised euthanasia are:
- Euthanasia may lead to more cases of patients being killed rather than treating them, because sometimes even doctor cannot predict how much the patient can survive.
- Other human beings should motivate a person to live, otherwise every hopeless person might choose killing himself.
- A person can be convinced to change his idea about killing himself, but in case of legalised euthanasia will eliminate this second chance too.
- The people who are depressed or suffering from minor and undetectable stress might very easily giveup.
This can be a threat to mankind. Because hopelessness takes over sometimes and a person looses all his interest in life, that doesn't mean the person should kill himeself. Few people get panicked easily and they may choose for euthanasia .
CONCLUSION:
The legal community must address the issue of euthanasia because the population is eventually going to confront them with end-of-life issues. We are all aware that the elderly/terminally ill population is growing. As people have learned to face their destiny, they have also learned that having a legally binding end-of-life directive or living will has afforded individuals facing terminal decisions more freedom of individual choice. The legal and political communities have begun to address euthanasia to provide individuals with definitive answers on their rights, however, it will likely be decades before individual countries and the international community have defined what euthanasia means, let alone how euthanasia should be regulated and administered or if euthanasia should be an option at all. Everyone that has an opinion needs to think whose opinion matters the most, theirs or the terminally ill patients.