Argumentative Essay on Euthanasia

Voluntary euthanasia is the act of ending someone’s life when he or she requests it. Many countries such as the Netherlands and some parts of America have legalized voluntary euthanasia and most people do support it. There is some opposition however, to voluntary euthanasia, for example the church who believes that euthanasia is “Playing God” and that lives can only be ended when God chooses to. Voluntary euthanasia should be made available to terminally ill patients to ensure them that they do not have to suffer pain if they do not wish to.

Firstly, voluntary euthanasia helps to end the lives of the terminally ill, who are suffering unbearable pain. No one should have to go through this terrible ordeal if they choose not to. It is cruel and inhumane to force ill people to suffer intolerable pain when their only wish is to peacefully leave and end the terrible torment that they are going through. How can we stop these people from doing that? Ultimately, our lives belong to ourselves and no one has the right to tell us what we do with it. Michael Spanbroek is a sufferer of Huntington’s disease. He was admitted to hospital when his brain started bleeding. His parents are pleading the politicians to let their son die with dignity. “The only thing between Michael and peace now is the law” his mother Karen Spanbroek said. It is clear that present day society needs voluntary euthanasia. More and more people are requesting it; people should not be suffering unnecessary pain.

Secondly, euthanasia helps patients to die with dignity. Patients who are so ill that they can’t even dress themselves or go to the toilet without someone’s help will feel shame for their dependence on others. Take *** for an example. She suffers from Huntington’s disease and her dependence on other people grows with each passing day. All her relatives are away in America and she is the only sibling in Australia. She does not have anyone to talk to but her cat. She needed a specially built machine to carry her down stairs, which would have cost her a lot of money. Voluntary euthanasia would have ended that torment whenever she liked, however, the laws of Australia forbids this.

Thirdly, voluntary euthanasia gives patients a sense of security, knowing that they could die peacefully when they choose to. This lets them to relax and enjoy the rest of their remaining days alive peacefully. Wouldn’t we all like to “live our lives to the fullest”? To suffer the remaining last days alive in fear would be pain beyond imagining. Take *** as an example again. She met a person in *** who has the same disease as her but in his country voluntary euthanasia is legal. He was able to live his last remaining days happily and *** had to live her days in loneliness, fear and plain agony. Both people have the same disease but their lives differ greatly because of the law.

The church, who oppose euthanasia claims that ending the lives of people are “Playing God”, lives should be ended when God decides when it should end. But if choosing when to die is playing God, then isn’t choosing to live on; to not die by the means of medical technology also playing God? This statement holds no logic to it whatsoever because lives are being saved by medicine each day. As long as we have medical knowledge and we use it, we are playing God; if “Playing God” actually means anything. So if we are playing God by saving people when they want, why can we also not end our lives when we choose to? Medical knowledge has been used since the beginning of civilization; we have been playing God this whole time. There is no reason to why we cannot end a person’s life when they choose to if we can save them from dying when they choose to.

It is clear that present society needs voluntary euthanasia. Unbearable pain is experienced throughout the world each day and for those who are fading away slowly, they need a sense of security to ensure them they will not die painfully. Voluntary euthanasia will not only relieve pain, but it also preserves one’s dignity. Voluntary euthanasia is essential and should be legalized worldwide to help those who need it.