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Ethical Arguments Against Euthanasia

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By definition of Oxford dictionary, euthanasia is defined as the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma, in Greek culture, which originates from the words “eu” and “thanatos”. Together, these words mean the phrase “good death”. Euthanasia is one of the issues that has been the subject of intense debate over time. It has been a hot-button issue in human rights discourse as it also affects ethical and legal issues belonging to patients and health care providers. The ethical and legal perspectives of the concept of euthanasia are still widely under dispute in many countries of the world. There are many views based on the principles of personal morality and religious beliefs. Therefore, …show more content…

Supporters of euthanasia feel that a person’s life is more important than just prolonging someone’s life when they are in an intolerable state of pain. A person might feel that it is better to end their life peacefully than live longer while in torment and pain. Many believe that it is appropriate for a person to have a living will and request that no extra measures be taken to preserve life. By making these wishes and decisions, a person can take the burden off the family members. The medical technology today, has in some ways gotten ahead of our ethical ability to sort it all out, and it ends up seeming as if either the family member or the doctors and lawyers are trying to play …show more content…

Those who rejected euthanasia fear it may become a means of health care cost containment, and become non-voluntary and against the rights and value of human life. Those people argue that the respect of human dignity should be emphasized through searching for solutions for cost containment, not through killing patients because of their suffering, and should identify reasons that make a patient’s request for euthanasia and find solutions to enhance their quality of life. This means that it is not the choice of the doctor even if they have signed an agreement and this is not a violation of their human

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