http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/1044793.stm

With the development of medical science, great changes have taken place in medical treatments. Nowadays, euthanasia becomes a universal issue. Some people believe that euthanasia should not be legalized due to the significant improvement of the health care; while others completely agree. Euthanasia is a quick and painless death to be chosen for dying people to cause their death. It also called “mercy killing,” or assisted suicide. Generally speaking, euthanasia can be categorized into two groups, which are active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia involves killing whereas passive euthanasia involves letting someone die. The difference between those two is the cruces of medical ethics. In active euthanasia, the doctor does something to patient’s death, for example, injection; however, in passive euthanasia, the doctor does not do anything to the patient’s death, and the patient dies due to his ills.

People are against euthanasia for three major reasons. Firstly, they think lives are very important. As a result, care is necessary for patients who get ill. Lives should be protected all the time, especially for vulnerable people. Secondly, people consider that human right to the life needed to be rejected by any cruel punishment. Euthanasia seems to be a serious kind of punishment in their point of views. People should enjoy life and live happily from born and not have to bear suffering. Moreover, euthanasia is an afflictive suffering to the human body. Lastly, the religion problem is very serious in this field. People who believe in God think that people are nice and kind, so they should not have any punishment in their lives.

On the other hand, people who support euthanasia also have three main reasons. The first reason is euthanasia avoids the intractable pain and suffering of patients. It is a good idea to end the patients’ lives by using a painless treatment rather than continue to live. The second reason is euthanasia avoids the trouble that patients abandoned by their family members and friends. Some family is not willing to take care of the patients who are dying because it is a difficult and trouble work. If the patients died, their family would have much more freedom. The third reason is euthanasia lessens the patients’ pressure. Usually, dying people feel useless, hopeless and depend on other people. They know they will bring trouble to people when they lose the abilities to live by themselves.

In the areas of medical science, most health-care professionals and doctors are against euthanasia. It can be seen clearly from the bar chart below that 72% of them disagree on euthanasia since they think that direct killing is unethical, compared to 19% agreement on euthanasia and 9% are no responses.

Take two doctors who come from Australia and Netherlands for examples.

http://www.tennessean.com/opinion/nashville-eye/archives/04/06/53196437.shtm

Although the Netherlands has become the first country in the world where euthanasia is legal; from my point of view, the law against euthanasia should exist. Furthermore, health research should continue to be carried out and people’s awareness of the medical treatment could reduce the pain should be promoted. As Dr Peter Ravenscroft mentioned before, if euthanasia is legalized, it is not good for looking further treatment. People need to understand that the patients’ pain can be controlled by the modern medical method. As far as I am concerned, euthanasia should not be legalized!
 

August 2004