Euthanasia. A Short Overview of Supporting and Opposing Arguments

Resumen o Introducción

This essay tries to shed light on some of the most important arguments supporting, as well as opposing euthanasia.

Euthanasia as a method of terminating individuals’ life is not a universally accepted idea. Several countries legally accept euthanasia. Countries such as Poland, South Africa, Belgium, and Luxembourg legally and actively practice euthanasia. Laws of these countries allow doctors and other health professionals to deliberately end a person's life by administering an overdose of certain drugs that cause death (Sharp.). Euthanasia is a highly debated moral issue with considerations such as legal, religious, clinical and political that play important roles in decision-making. Proponents of euthanasia base their arguments on the idea that individuals have the right to choice and self-determination (Scherer). They also argue that there are other methods of ending an individual's life that is widely accepted, an argument that is referred to as pragmatic. The opponents of euthanasia argue that people might ask for euthanasia because of pain instead of a sane mind. Euthanasia may also be used to eliminate people for wrong reasons and that disease can find a cure anytime.

These arguments have been discussed in detail in the following paragraphs.