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Sue Rodriguez Arguments Against Euthanasia

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Euthanasia

Imagine having kids. Imagine being a mother, in your early 30’s, dying slowly of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Imagine living with the knowledge your muscles would waste away one by one until eventually, choking to death. Living in terror day by day because the courts denied your right-to-die. Eventually, you finally encounter a doctor willing to break the law and help you die in peace. This is a real story of a woman named Sue Rodriguez (euthanasia.cc, 2016). With proper euthanasia legislation and official channels to follow, this would have never happened.

According to Dr. Jonathan Moreno, "Strictly speaking, the term 'euthanasia' refers to actions or omissions that result in the death of a person who is already gravely ill. Techniques …show more content…

The American Civil Liberties Union argued in the Supreme Court that “The right of a competent, terminally ill patient to avoid excruciating pain and embrace a timely and dignified death is implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.” The case was struck down by the Supreme Court, claiming that “The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment declares that no State shall "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” (ACLU, …show more content…

However, the wording of this ethic has left room for interpretation. Many argue that prolonging the life of terminally-ill patients suffering pain constitutes doing harm and that ending the patient’s life would be the correct course of action.

My personal view on euthanasia is that although it is a difficult choice, in principle a terminally ill patient has the choice to end his life in a timely and peaceful manner. However, the legislation required to write it into law must be drafted very carefully in a way that protects terminally ill patients from pressure and involuntary euthanasia, and must properly define the boundary between sick and terminally ill patients.

The Christian Church’s view of euthanasia is that life is sacred, and therefore it is up to God to decide when to give or take it. They regard life as God’s creation, and so an individual does not have the right to decide when or where to take it. There are more than 60 passages in the bible, with the most famous one being “Thou shalt not

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