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Ethical Controversy: The Human Euthanasia Debate

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Human Euthanasia
Human euthanasia is one of the ethical controversies, which refers to the primary intent of causing death deliberately in order to end an individual’s suffering. Although an immense growth of multispeciality clinics and the spread of palliative care have transformed the perceptions about illness, aging and death, they could not eliminate the physical suffering of individuals. The euthanasia debate generally involves patients who are not only terminally ill, but also suffer from intractable pain. However, it is essential to understand that pain is not the sole determinant of intolerable existence as there are various other complex problems focusing on the quality of life. The choice of euthanasia is often a difficult decision for health workers as it involves various moral and legal issues. While a majority of doctors and health care specialists have already started making decisions regarding ending the lives of patients …show more content…

According to bioethicists, a cognitively-impaired individual qualifies as a non-person, while others argue that non-persons are only those who enter the PVS state, such as anencephalics and fetuses. In an ethical perspective, patients do possess the right of refusing a medical treatment if they do not wish to prefer; however, the major issue of concern is the role of medical experts in either holding or withdrawing a treatment against the will of a patient. The opponents of euthanasia argue that economics is the driving force behind the legalization of euthanasia. They also believe that if there would be legalization of euthanasia due to increased costs of healthcare and aging population, voluntary euthanasia would soon transform into involuntary euthanasia. However, bioethicists argue that the decision of euthanasia should be dependent on measuring the value of human life in terms of the financial costs involved in keeping an individual

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