Euthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide - 1236 Words

In the Oxford English Dictionary, â€Å"euthanasia† is defined as â€Å"the means of bringing a gentle and easy death† (â€Å"euthanasia† def. 2). Today, euthanasia is a method used in the medical field to put an end to a patient’s agony by taking their life for them, making it a very controversial topic. Many people argue that it is morally wrong to take a human life, and others may argue that it is even more wrong to make someone suffer more than they need to. I will argue that euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide is in fact morally permissible. Euthanasia can be classified as â€Å"active† or â€Å"passive.† In active euthanasia, an individual purposely takes the life of the person suffering, whereas in passive euthanasia, the person who is in pain is†¦show more content†¦If you look at it this way, it is decreasing the amount of suffering and actually increasing happiness. This is because by letting the person decide wh ether or not their life ends, you are maintaining justice. If you do not let a person decide their own fate, it denies their rights and their freedom. It will only increase the amount of suffering of not only the patient but everyone involved if you do not grant the patient his wish to end his life because then he or she will only die more slowly and more painfully. If a patient decides to go through with euthanasia and is able to find a doctor who has moral rights that are not against the act, then it will only relieve the patient of time that he or she would have wasted in pain. The only type of suffering that will occur is how those involved will feel after the patient has died, but death is inevitable – the patient is already on the verge of dying and euthanasia will only shorten this process. Another reason why I believe that euthanasia is morally permissible is because being alive and living are two completely different things. Just because you are able to breathe does not mean that you are really able to live. What is the point of continuing your life if you are unhappy and are constantly having to suffer? The ability to be able to control your body and take charge of your own affairs draws the line between being alive and truly