Do you agree with Euthanasia?

Question

And say why please.


I think its right in some cases and wrong in most.

Answer 1

There's a lot of concern, and a lot of good reason for concern, about making that the person being euthanized is in a situation where they would actually (if able to decide) prefer that that be done.

Frankly, if I were incapacitated mentally and had no expectation of recovery, I would not like my wife or other relatives saddled with either the emotional or economic consequences of keeping my body operating. The best thing I could do for them would be to pass on, and I would (from the perspective of my present capacity) appreciate the help in doing that.

Answer 2

Actively killing someone, even yourself, is wrong to me. What we've seen in the Netherlands where they've been practicing euthanasia for a long time is a lot of people being subjected to "Non-Voluntary Euthanasia" aka homicide. I don't think we need to go down that road at all.

If a person is truly ill, in most cases, nature will take its course in a reasonably short space of time. Providing him with comfort care (painkillers, proper nutrition and hydration) is the decent thing to do. Some people get a very bad hand dealt to them and they're very ill, but will live a long time. That is unfortunate, but again, doesn't seem reason to kill them (or help them do it themselves). In a lot of cases there are things friends and family can do for them that makes their lives worthwhile.

Once one gets off that course of choosing life, it seems that problems such as seen in the Netherlands occur and those who do NOT want to die (or are "defective newborns" who have not expressed a view) are simply terminated. I fail to see how that makes for a better society. Given the usual argument is about pain and intractable (untreatable pain) is rare, it seems that this is a red herring defense for euthanasia.

"J.S. Hochman, M.D., Executive Director for the National Foundation for the Treatment of Pain wrote: “chronic pain is anything but unmovable. Effectively treated, chronic pain is entirely controllable and patients commonly are able to regain a quality of life that it profound and often dramatic.”
(http://www.paincare.org/about/message.php?id=25)
In fact, the American Pain Foundation states that “It has been predicted that close to 98% of all pain problems can be relieved or reduced”
(http://www.painfoundation.org/page.asp?file=EOL/Intro.htm)."
--A Matter of Life and Death: Informed Advance Health Care Directives by Michael J Laurence

Answer 3

I agree with the statement given in the Humanist Manifesto II that a human being has sole OWNERSHIP of his or her own body, and the right to terminate their own life if they see fit. They alone can determine whether the decision to end theirs, with or without assistance is right or wrong. What may be right for one, may not be for another. But even with a difficult question like this, the individual must decide. However, your question is ambiguous, because there are two types of Euthansia. One type is voluntary Euthanasia, where the individual has the right to terminate his or her own life. The Humanistic platform is behind VOLUNTARY, but not the other type, INVOLUNTARY or forced Euthanasia of "undesirables" which is what was practiced by Adolf Hitler. It is one thing for the individual to decide, another the State. If the individual decides, then I support him or her, if the State makes the decision I oppose it vehemently. I own my own self, and demand that fact be recognized by all other people and all governments. Nobody controls my life or my body but me. Those who believe in God defer control of self to their higher-power. I do not fault these individuals who believe this way but I do not necessarily accept as valid the claims of anyone and anybody to know the mind of God. If God has a particular plan for my life (as opposed to some generic master plan that applies to all), then it would behoove God to inform me of that plan or will. If not, then I may infer quite logically that God has created me a sovereign being and I alone control my own destiny. Voluntary Euthanasia, Physician assisted suicide are a personal decision alone. Let Church and State both stay out of it.

Involuntary Euthanasia, advocated by those who desire a program of Eugenics and the creation of an alleged Master Race, is one of the greatest evils known to mankind. These two are not at all connected and one does not necessarily lead to the other. Nazi Germany did not slowly evolve from recognition of the right to suicide and physician assisted suicide to an acceptance of State controlled Euthanasia.

Nazi Germany went directly to the State controlled "Euthanasia" in vacuuo [interpret it as what it was--murder] of "undesirables" which included Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, Mentally Ill, Handicapped and Political Leftists, Germans who had sexual relations with Jews, et. al.

There's a good and proper type of Euthanasia, and there is an improper type. Hopefully, you can see the enormous void that lies between the two ideas, an abyss that should never be crossed.

But you might ask the question? What if the person is in a PVS and is not able to decide for themselves? What then?

That is not hard at all. Let the person's legal guardian decide.
It is the lesser of two evils: one the evil of terminating a life that is a non-life, and the other the evil of artificially keeping a person for years in a perpetual comatose PVS. The greater evil lies with those who keep these bodily shells ALIVE than those who pull the plug, or even facilitate death by an administration of drugs.

The man Dr. Kevorkian, is motivated by compassion as opposed to racist ideologies or hate. He is not the enemy of mankind some make him out to be. And NEVER did he terminate the life of anybody without their permission.
Physician assisted suicide for the terminally ill should be legal in all the countries of the Earth and not as it is now, for the most part legal only in the Netherlands.

But the emotional suicide? What of that? The person who has perfect health and wants to end their life because their boyfriend was caught cheating with another girl? Or they lost their job? Or they flunked an exam, or mom's an asshole?

I don't consider the emotional suicide to be an act of evil. I can forgive it. I find it hard to believe I could be kinder than God. But I do say, the act is for the most part just plain STUPID and in the vast majority of cases just plain WRONG.

Answer 4

Yes. Its a personal decision between a doctor and patient!

Answer 5

Whose life is it anyway? Who owns your life? If you do, you can end your life however and whenever you wish. If society does, they can make you live against your will, even when it's too painful or degraded to be worthwhile.

Answer 6

I think sometimes is humanism so I agree, and some others is pure selfishness I disagree...