Arguments Against Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide

Euthanasia has been a contentious subject dating all the way back to 450 B.C. in the hippocratic oath, “To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give any advice which may cause his death.” The word comes from the greek words “eu” meaning good, and the word “thanatos” which means death. So, if the word euthanasia means “good death”; then why is there so much controversy surrounding the issue? Why is there an equal amount of people taking a stand for euthanasia and against euthanasia? The reason is because everyone is torn between moral and ethical dilemmas, and there is no clear-cut situation involving assisted suicide. There are pro’s and con’s to euthanasia, or “mercy killing,” and an equal amount of people supporting each

One survey and poll asked about 2,000 doctors in the United States how they felt about Euthanasia, 54% of the doctor population said they support it while 22% were not sure how they felt on the issue. 86% of the public said they support euthanasia for terminally ill patients or patients who are on life support. According to studies, 55% of the people who are terminally ill die in pain. Another poll asked 1,001 americans how they felt about euthanasia and the results stated that 42% support it and 37% were against it. As you can see, more people in the United states are pro- mercy killing rather than against it. This raises questions as to why it is still illegal in the majority of the world. As I did more research, I found that the main people who take a stand against euthanasia are people who practice religion. In a poll, only 48% of people who weekly attend religious services supported euthanasia. In the same study, 86% of people who attended religious services less than once a month supported it. It is easy to see how big of an impact religious populations have on the anti-euthanization movement. Since the majority of the people support euthanasia, and the majority of the world has not legalized it; I found research on how many people travel to get euthanized. The only countries where assisted suicide is legal is Switzerland, Belgium, Oregon, Washington, Montana, the Netherlands and holland. Other countries, such as the United Kingdom has strict laws against it and if anyone is caught assisting someone in suicide, they can be served a fourteen year prison sentence. According to a poll, 64% of healthcare professionals in the UK and 80% of UK citizens support euthanasia. Because of the strict laws against it, such as the “Suicide Pact of 1961” which is what made it illegal; many UK citizens will travel to Switzerland or Holland to get