Euthanasia: Right or Wrong
Medical
Science has advanced a lot and has helped in the progress of society. With
the development in technology in the field of medical sciences there is more
control over life and death and one of the most debated questions of our time is
whether an individual should be given the right to control the manner and
timing of one’s death and whether it is legal for an individual to assist
someone in doing so. The debate on the issue of euthanasia is one of the most
hotly debated issues of our times. Building consensus on the issue is very
difficult yet people have more or less accepted passive euthanasia for certain
serious cases.
The word
euthanasia comes from the Greek word “Eu Thanatos” meaning “well death” and is
known as “mercy killing” internationally. It is the act of death that is
brought about by the minimum amount of pain and suffering to the patient.
Euthanasia
has various types, Active Euthanasia means the end of an individual’s life by a medical practitioner for merciful reasons that are when the patient is under
great pain or suffering and a lethal dose of medicine is given so that the patient can have a peaceful death. Passive Euthanasia is when the treatment is
withheld from being administered or other supportive measures’ are stopped.
Voluntary Euthanasia is when the patient voluntarily requests for his life to
be put an end. The patient himself makes a decision to end his life.
Involuntary Euthanasia means that the decision to end the patient’s life is
made by his guardians or family when there is no hope of recovery of the patient.
Physically Assisted Euthanasia is when a physician prescribes medicine and
the patient or a third party administers the medicine so that the patient dies
without any suffering. Suicide is when a person decides to end their life on
their own will. But when an individual finds it impossible to do this act
himself due to physical or mental infirmity, old age, mental illness or disease
and requests someone to help him to end his life, it is here when the question
of debate rises and one questions ethics.
Active
Euthanasia is illegal in India and Passive Euthanasia in “exceptional
circumstances”. India is a vast country with different-different cultures and
ethnicities, for some the act of euthanasia is against the will of God and for
some giving up of the soul is an act to be one with the higher power for others
it is a basic right that must be available to individuals.
One of the
major arguments in support of euthanasia are that terminally ill people are
likely to be in a lot of pain. Sometimes it’s cruel to make them suffer by
prolonging the treatment. It is not wise, humane, and compassionate or even
medically sounds to continue with the treatment. It would be cruel and inhumane
to continue to cure when the patient has no hope of recovery. It’s not ethical
to keep a patient hooked to life support when the patient’s chance of survival
is zero. Besides taking an emotional, economical and psychological toll on the
relatives and family of the patient it is not ethical to keep the patient alive
on life support. Law or medical ethics don’t say that a person needs to be kept
alive on life-sustaining treatments when there is no hope of recovery. If
euthanasia is legalized the doctors will be bound by law and will have to
follow a prescribed pattern of reporting and will be answerable to the law.
There will be guidelines to follow and the doctor will himself report on such
cases. It will be in the ambit of law and will create a safer environment for
the patient. The patient will be able to refuse treatment when he wishes and
doctors who do not respect the patient’s wishes can be charged by law.
Some of the
frequent arguments one hears against Euthanasia are that it does not value
human life and its sanctity. No matter how ill one is, the illness or the disease does not take away from us the fact that we are humans and the life
that has been given to us is sacred. There is immense dignity in being a human
and Euthanasia is against the principle of sanctity of life and it is to
preserve this sanctity of life that some feel that if Euthanasia is permitted
it would endanger the life of the sick, disabled and vulnerable people as the
law itself will be unfavorable for them. If we embrace the “right to die with
dignity” people with incurable diseases are likely to be disposed of from our
society.
Now days
with the advancement of science, there are cures for almost all diseases hence
there is more control over pain, so legalizing Euthanasia would be
underestimating the power of science and technology. Many diseases in the past
were incurable and now they are curable so the “right to die” would just be
accepting incurability. Also, how can one predict death, even though it’s very
rare for terminally ill people to get better and get cured there is always a
possibility. Medicine is as much an art as it is a science and nobody can
predict whether a patient will live or die. Euthanasia instills in people a
defeatist attitude that their life no matter how precious it is of no importance.
Usually, people with terminal illness believe that here are only two options
available for the one that they suffer in pain and are miserable or they
receive euthanasia.
It is true
that euthanasia can help in health care cost reduction but that is where we
miss the point, the whole idea of health care is to increase the longevity of
life and when we start calculating the economics we are way off the mark. The whole concept of health care is based on giving good care to the patients so
that they can live a strong and healthy life and Individuals who are terminally
ill, are old, mentally ill, disabled is not a burden on society and if
euthanasia is legalized it would encourage people to think on these lines.
After
analyzing both the arguments for and against euthanasia it is right to conclude
that arguments against euthanasia outweigh the arguments for euthanasia.
Passive Euthanasia in extreme circumstances can be allowed only when there is a
strict law in place and rather than establishing a policy which might affect a large number of people, passive euthanasia should be allowed only in extreme
circumstances.