by Ian Caithness

Created on: September 08, 2007   Last Updated: March 14, 2008

The word euthanasia has often been described as a merciful killing to better relieve a person of the pain and anguish forced upon them from illness, therefore leading one's family to grieve with the knowledge that the said person is no longer in pain. Often, people question the mercy of the death, perceiving that anesthetics are far from merciful and prevent a person from offering last words of comfort to their families, whether that is due to a state of unconsciousness or the mind being numb to the point where it no longer has the capabilities to speak with true meaning. For most people, it is not a question of the method that is used but a question as to what man has a right above another human life?

The definition of euthanasia, as stated by one website, is the humane destruction of an animal accomplished by a method that produces rapid unconsciousness and subsequent death without evidence of pain. In truth, there are a number of forms of pain that fail to be recognized; physical pan is the one which seems to be said to not exist, however, emotional and spiritual pain can form to, therefore, dishearten a man. One of the words used to describe euthanasia is destruction and thus it should be perceived that it is wrong due to the sociological perception of culture that, destruction, as a word, has a negative meaning in its connotation. As a reference and as evidence, it is often described that terrorist bombings are destructive, meaning that it has detrimental effects, as does murder, which is often described as a destructive act of mankind upon another.

Perceiving that murder is wrong because it is destructive, should it not also be perceived as true that euthanasia is wrong because it is the termination of a life which no man except the said person has control over? Murder, in its definition, is the premeditated act of killing with intention. Euthanasia, in its definition, is premeditated because a doctor deems it appropriate that the decision is final and it is not a sudden decision, similarly, it has the intention of relieving pain, which despite the good morals within it, should not be considered a reason to terminate a life. If euthanasia were to be considered moral because it relieves pain, could a murderer also state that he was relieving pain from the one he killed? The principle remains the same.

As seen in the past, doctors have often misused their positions, as have care workers and the likes of, and thus it could be considered an immoral act if a

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>