Euthanasia, the death with dignity.

by Won so-yeon

Euthanasia refers to practice of ending someone’s life to relieve their suffering when patients will die soon or there is no way to survive. While euthanasia is legally prohibited in many countries, only a few countries allow restricted euthanasia or assisted suicide. For example, Oregon in USA legalized physician-assisted suicide but not euthanasia in 1997. To practice the procedure, the patient must be eighteen years of age or over and live in Oregon and be diagnosed that they will be die within six months because of a incurable and fatal illness. Also they must be able to decide the health service for themselves.

By the way, recently the legalization became issue because Belgium allows euthanasia for terminally ill children without age restriction. According to an article of TIME WORLD ‘Belgium extends euthanasia law to kids’ that was written by Charlotte McDonald-Gibson, Belgium is the first country that remove age limit on euthanasia in the world. Because lawmakers think the children ought to have the equal right with adults to determine their life, the lawmakers passed the law that allow euthanasia to children in very rare cases of illness that give unbearable and irreversible suffering to patients. And the law is being supported broadly by public. A recent survey that was conducted by the RTBF broadcaster shows that 75 % of people who are resident of Belgium agree with the law. On the other hand, a lot of religious groups and pediatrician protest against the proposed statutory amendment legalizing the euthanasia of young children. They assert that euthanasia must be banned by law because the young children are lacking mental ability to make life and death decisions and they can be forced to choose death by parents or other people.

Euthanasia, is it a way for death with dignity or a tendency of a cheapening human life?

Personally, I support the practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide, but only under strict restrictions. I argue that people should to be able to plan and organize their lives, especially when you are extremely ill because I think the life of patient who wait for not too distant death, suffering a tremendous pain is terrible. I will want to die as soon as possible if the things that I do every day is only going through pain in hospital, lying on the bed. And euthanasia is related to economic problem. The protectors of the patients have to pay a lot of money for the drug or medical service that reduce the pain but can’t cure the disease. Even though some patients live with the hope to get over their disease or enjoy their last time with family, some patients want to finish their agony. Everybody seeks different value of life with me therefore I think the patients have to make decision their self and have the right to plan their life.    

http://world.time.com/2014/02/13/belgium-euthanasia-law-children-assisted-suicide/