Dying with Dignity
...ed out because he has that right to their own personal decision, which is only one of many factors why euthanasia should be legalized. In addition to individual liberty, one should have the right to end their life by means of euthanasia because of the pain, suffering, and misery they feel due to the diseases they have or the condition they are in. Such people in this position would most likely want to alleviate their pain, suffering, and depression partially because of the inconveniences, emotional and physical burdens, and drawbacks imposed on family members, relatives, and friends. (Bender, 90-91) Furthermore, family members “may be sensitive to the costs accumulating during terminal care.” (Bender, 91) As a result, patients may feel guilty in this entire ordeal. Even more, people who, maybe because of a serious illness, are extremely depressed because they want to live their lives to the fullest by perhaps participating in active and energetic events. But they know that this is not possible now that they are severely ill and sick. Since they recognize that enjoying life in those ways is no longer possible, they may want the easy way out, which is euthanasia. Others simply do not want to sustain suffering. As Behnke points out, everybody has different amounts of pain and suffering that one can tolerate. (Behnke, 17) We don’t know what is actually experienced by patients as they approach death. It is evident that the individual, and only the individual, has the right to choose when he wants to die. These factors, along with unwanted suffering, pain, and misery are only some of the main points considered in allowing the act of euthanasia. Another important factor in legalizing euthanasia is an individual’s frustration in living, in his opinion, a valueless life after becoming critically ill. People who suffer from illnesses that make them unable to communicate do not want to live any longer. This includes people who are in a coma, paralyzed, or simply so sick and weak that they cannot make meaningful sounds or other social communications. If the person is no longer able to relate in any way to their friends and relatives, they might not want to live a day further. (Bender, 48) In addition to that, some people believe that their “quality of life” is so low that they would rather die. If this is the case, then what position do others have to go against this? No one other than the patient himself has any right to deny the patient’s way of dying. Therefore, euthanasia should and must be a legal choice. Like any other issue, there are opposing viewpoints regarding the legalization of euthanasia. People who are against euthanasia place the emphasis on killing. They believe that “we are merely stewards of our lives; it is for God to decide when our lives are to end. Further, suffering is an inevitable part of life; our task is to understand and grow from suffering, not evade it.” (Mabie, 65) Pro-euthanasia people, who place the emphasis on mercy, argue that “stewardship has not prevented the religious from exercising control in other areas of their lives—for example, in using analgesics for surgery and childbirth. If it is for God to decide when life will end, if suffering is ennobling, then the very practice of medicine is and always has been wrong. Further, they hold that theological arguments against euthanasia pertain only to the religious; the constitutional separation of church and state requires that opposition to euthanasia on theological grounds alone no be codified in law.” (Mabie, 66) Furthermore, pro-euthanasia people say, “In our increasingly secular society, many believe that humans are sovereigns, not stewards, of their own ...