Persuasive Essay On Euthanasia

In the United States, only six of fifty states have made any legal action in regard to the issue and practice of euthanasia, although there seems to be growing support for the practice commonly referred to as “mercy killing.” Euthanasia allows terminally ill patients who no longer respond to medical treatments to make the decision to end their lives with dignity. Some may even say that this right to death is an important part of the values of democracy. The other side of the debate opposes such ideas, arguing that euthanasia is simply an example of humans trying to play God and that it actually goes against the Due Process Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment. Every day the number of sick patients who are forced to live the last part of their

However, there are currently only five states in the United States in which euthanasia is legal, with California as a soon sixth. This suggests that there seems to be a significant gap between current opinions and beliefs on the issue of the legalization of euthanasia and current laws. The polls show that support for euthanasia has increased from 37% to 75% over the past half-century, however the law across the country is not representative of this and continues to uphold the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment declaring that “No State shall . . . deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law” as a means to prohibit the practice of physician-assisted suicide (Gallup, 2005; Uhlmann, 1996). Why might the national opinion and the law reflect opposing ideas? One thought might be the issue of malpractice. People might be willing to accept the practice of euthanasia when asked questions for a survey, but when it comes down to the law, people want to know that they can still trust medical professionals to uphold the duties described in the Hippocratic Oath. The oath, having been modified over the centuries, is most often cited as a single phrase, "First do no harm" ( Zamichow and Murray, 2014). Opponents to euthanasia may argue that it is unethical for physicians to be involved in ending

Many people are still unwilling to see euthanasia as an option because many people have yet to experience or witness the suffering that coincides with terminal illnesses and conditions. Last year, my Grandfather passed away at age 85. He had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer around 2005 and after undergoing chemotherapy, we were told that cancer was gone. In 2014, it came back and in September of 2015 he was moved to hospice care. He was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and an infection in his knee that ultimately spread to his blood. My grandfather was in so much pain that he could barely move, eat, or drink, and during the last few days of his life, he had to be heavily sedated because he could no longer cope with the pain. It was one of the hardest months of my life watching him suffer like he did, and while I wanted him to stay with me, I knew that he was ready to leave behind the pain and agony caused by the illnesses that attacked his body. His suffering was relatively short, as he was only in Kobacker for ten days, but even within those ten days, I knew he was ready to die. In Ohio however, physician-assisted suicide is not legal, and so my grandfather would have had to either continue living in pain or under