Ethically, how does one support the legalization of euthanasia? The idea of committing suicide, assisted or not, has been debated by both governments and religious spearheads since the 1900s, with the focus on whether assisted suicide or euthanasia should be considered a crime in the eyes of God and the state. The article "Assisted Suicide - Between the Right to Life, the Obligation to Live and Social Acceptance" poses the question: "If there is a right to live, is there also a right to die?" This showcases the idea of ethics behind suicide. Humanity, as a whole, values life as one of the most sacred principles of existence. Because life holds such a high place in the mind of man, committing suicide has seemed immoral and unethical, based on the opinions of the …show more content…
Because of the difficult ethics behind assisted suicide, Holland maintains incredibly strict and extreme conditions to provide this service. Patients must be totally incurable and must have total mental control when they make the choice to commit assisted suicide. This fights the "unethical" nature of suicide because it clarifies the situation the patient is undergoing. It is vital to understand that going through medical treatments that will be unsuccessful will not only stress and hurt the patient, but create financial burdens on the family of the patient. If the patient has no chance of being cured and they are constantly in pain and unable to fully function, why shouldn't the idea of physician assisted suicide interest them. Not only is it a cost efficient solution to the pain and suffering of the patient, but the patient maintains control of their life, something that many medical patients don't feel they have towards the end of their treatments. Legalizing euthanasia would allow for patients to control the life that so many view as sacred, giving them the divine power that healthy individuals continue to have every