Ethical Analysis - Euthanasia

8/13/2019 Ethical Analysis - Euthanasia

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Euthanasia is

mur er[1]

[2]

Euthanasia is mer y

Legality of euthanasiaMoralor immoral? Mercyor murder?

Last hopeor easy way out?


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Table of contentIntroduction ............................................................................................................................................. 3

Arguments against euthanasia ................................................................................................................ 5

Arguments in favour of euthanasia ......................................................................................................... 7

The rules surrounding Dutch euthanasia are very strict ......................................................................... 8

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 10


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Introduction

A few years ago, my great-aunt was terminally ill. She was in a lot of pain and knew that there was

no chance of her surviving the disease, so she asked for euthanasia. Her request was granted, and her

life was ended relatively painless and a lot quicker than it would've happened otherwise.

But what exactly is euthanasia?

The word euthanasia is derived from the Greek words (good, fair) and (death), thus

literally meaning good/fair death. Another word for euthanasia is mercy killing. This term is very

accurate: euthanasia is the killing of a patient in order to relieve them from their suffering, thus

giving them a merciful death. This usually happens by means of lethal injections (which is the most

common method in the Netherlands). The drugs they give the patients are an overdose of

barbiturate, to create a deep sleep, followed by an overdose of muscle relaxant to stop the heart[2]

.

Another kind of euthanasia is passive euthanasia, in which nutrition or medical care is with-held

from, for instant, a patient that is persistent vegetative. A doctor can also choose to not give a

patient a treatment that seems pointless to the doctor; this is not euthanasia, but a normal medical

action[2]

. Most people choosing for euthanasia in the Netherlands are people suffering from

(terminal) cancer[1]

.

One concept that is often confused with euthanasia is physician-assisted suicide. However, there is

one big difference: whereas euthanasia involves a doctor killing the patient directly, a patient

choosing for physician-assisted suicide will receive legal drugs, though it is their own responsibility to

take it[3]

.

Euthanasia is illegal in many countries.

Over the entire world, it is only legal in

Belgium, the Netherlands, Albania,

Luxembourg, Japan and several states

in the United States. In Colombia, it is

not illegal and doctors are not

prosecuted for practicing euthanasia,

but the laws surrounding it are unclear

to many. In Germany, physician-assisted suicide is legal; euthanasia,

however, is illegal[4]

.

In the Netherlands, a little over three

thousand people died from euthanasia

in 2010, which is about 2.8 percent of

the deaths in the Netherlands. Nearly six percent of Dutch deaths in 2010 involved medical

decisions[1]

.

Map of the world: countries tolerating euthanasia are dark green3. The

map dates from 2008, when Luxembourg was still on its way towards

legalizing euthanasia.


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My great-aunt died a merciful death, but thousands of suffering patients all over the world can't

enjoy the same privileges because they live in countries where euthanasia is illegal. Because I am

wondering if this ban is really necessary, my hypothesis will be:

Euthanasia should be legal in more countries around the world.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sources for this section (alphabetically organized):

1: CBS (11-7-2012), Euthanasie bij bijna 3 procent van de sterfgevallen.http://www.cbs.nl/nl-

NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htm(Used 23-11-2013)

2: De Jong, M. and Borger, S. (No date known) Wat is euthanasie?. Euthanasie,http://borgerson.nl/page.php?id=2(Used

23-11-2013)

3: MedicineNet (20-9-2012) Definition of physician-assisted suicide.

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32841(Used 23-11-2013)

4: WiseGeek (no date) Which countries have legalized euthanasia?http://www.wisegeek.com/which-countries-have-legalized-euthanasia.htm(Used 23-11-2013)
http://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htmhttp://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htmhttp://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htmhttp://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htmhttp://borgerson.nl/page.php?id=2http://borgerson.nl/page.php?id=2http://borgerson.nl/page.php?id=2http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32841http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32841http://www.wisegeek.com/which-countries-have-legalized-euthanasia.htmhttp://www.wisegeek.com/which-countries-have-legalized-euthanasia.htmhttp://www.wisegeek.com/which-countries-have-legalized-euthanasia.htmhttp://www.wisegeek.com/which-countries-have-legalized-euthanasia.htmhttp://www.wisegeek.com/which-countries-have-legalized-euthanasia.htmhttp://www.wisegeek.com/which-countries-have-legalized-euthanasia.htmhttp://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32841http://borgerson.nl/page.php?id=2http://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htmhttp://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htm


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Arguments against

euthanasia

Many countries have not legalized

euthanasia. Why not? What are the

arguments against euthanasia?

Free will?

Many people question how much free will

is involved in euthanasia. In order to get

euthanasia, a patient has to appear lucid

when they ask for it[6]

. Appearing lucid,

however, is a very vague statement. How

does a doctor know if the patient really is lucid, or just seems so? Isnt there a possibility that a

patient is influenced by others, those others being either a peer or the doctor? And what about

patients that are depressed or in some other way suicidal? Should they be treated differently from

other patients? The situations involving euthanasia and free will are unclear to many.

Sanctity of life

Life is sacred to many, if not all, religions. Not only that: its without a doubt the most important

thing we have. People who are against euthanasia argue that euthanasia will weaken the respect

society has for life and its sanctity. You might even say that by committing euthanasia, you admit that

some lives are worth less than others: it might not be against their will, but you arekilling the

patients, after all.

It makes people 'lazy'

It's very tempting for people to take the 'easy way out' and choose euthanasia instead of the long

road of suffering and acceptance that is a natural death, while there are many other options to die

well, that many people consider better.[5]

The major one is palliative care, which is a medical

specialization engaging in relieving a patient's suffering. Many people think that this is a better way

of helping people die a merciful death, because you die a death that's painless and yet natural.

o Hospices:

Another option for dying a peaceful death is a hospice. This is a place where people are made as

comfortable as possible: it's a loving and comforting surrounding where the people are constantlynurtured and taken care of. Many people have spoken of the hospice as, for example, 'a place where

you can say goodbye with love and peace, with the confidence that your loved one will be cared for

on a professional way'[2]

. One woman admitted to wanting an euthanasia, since she was old and

lonely, and her life had became pointless. However, when her son put her in a hospice, she managed

to pick her life up and enjoy it once again[4]

.

Fear

Many people are afraid of the legalization of euthanasia. There are quite some myths about the

subject, or expectations of the matter spinning out of control:

o Involuntary euthanasia [1]

[4]


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The legalization of legal euthanasia will, according to some, eventually lead to involuntary euthanasia

and legal murder.

o After legalization of euthanasia terminally ill will be neglected[1]

When euthanasia is legalized, palliative care will get worse. Doctors and nurses won't be as

committed to their patients as they were before the legalization of euthanasia. They'll see euthanasia

as a less costly way of taking care of their patients and encourage old and terminally ill patients to

commit euthanasia.

o Euthanasia gives doctors too much power[1]

Some people are afraid that, when given the possibility to end a person's life, doctors will have too

much power and misuse this power.

o The only reason for euthanasia is the incapability of giving a patient hope and support[3]

The article arguing this is specifically speaking about euthanasia in case of Alzheimer's disease. This is

a brain disease in which the patient slowly loses his or her memory; since a patient has to appear

lucid in order to get euthanasia, a patient has to ask for it in an early stage, while he or she could still

be enjoying his or her family and other relatives. The writer argues that euthanasia should only be

used when there is no other option left, and not when the people don't have the motivation to stand

by a patient. To allow those people to commit euthanasia would be prematurely giving up hope,

while those people are able to lead happy lives for the time being.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________


1: BBC (2013)Anti-euthanasia arguments. BBC,http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/against/against_1.shtml#top(Used 11-12-2013)

2: Bergsen, W. (2010), Mijn man had blaaskanker. Ik-wil-euthanasie.nl,http://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-

levenseinde/mijn-man-had-blaaskanker/(Used 11-12-2013)

3: Braams, R. (24-3-2013) Soms denk ik dat euthanasie voortkomt uit het onvermogen troost te bieden. De Volkskrant,

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/5270/Zorg/article/detail/3413727/2013/03/24/Soms-denk-ik-dat-euthanasiasme-

voortkomt-uit-onvermogen-om-troost-te-bieden.dhtml(Used 11-12-2013)

4: Jorissen, M. (2010), Ik wilde euthanasie laten plegen. Ik-wil-euthanasie.nl,http://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-

over-het-levenseinde/ik-wilde-euthanasie-laten-plegen/(Used 11-12-2013)

5: Meertens, K. and Bruntink, R. (27-3-2012), Euthanasiedoctrine is sterk misleidend. De Volkskrant,

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/3184/opinie/article/detail/3220753/2012/03/07/Euthanasiedoctrine-is-sterk-

misleidend.dhtml(4-11-4/2013) Top five myths about euthanasia and assisted

suicide.IMFC,http://www.imfcanada.org/issues/top-five-myths-about-euthanasia-and-assisted-suicide(Used 9-12-2013)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/against/against_1.shtml#tophttp://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/against/against_1.shtml#tophttp://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/against/against_1.shtml#tophttp://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/mijn-man-had-blaaskanker/http://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/mijn-man-had-blaaskanker/http://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/mijn-man-had-blaaskanker/http://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/mijn-man-had-blaaskanker/http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/5270/Zorg/article/detail/3413727/2013/03/24/Soms-denk-ik-dat-euthanasiasme-voortkomt-uit-onvermogen-om-troost-te-bieden.dhtmlhttp://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/5270/Zorg/article/detail/3413727/2013/03/24/Soms-denk-ik-dat-euthanasiasme-voortkomt-uit-onvermogen-om-troost-te-bieden.dhtmlhttp://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/5270/Zorg/article/detail/3413727/2013/03/24/Soms-denk-ik-dat-euthanasiasme-voortkomt-uit-onvermogen-om-troost-te-bieden.dhtmlhttp://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/ik-wilde-euthanasie-laten-plegen/http://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/ik-wilde-euthanasie-laten-plegen/http://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/ik-wilde-euthanasie-laten-plegen/http://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/ik-wilde-euthanasie-laten-plegen/http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/3184/opinie/article/detail/3220753/2012/03/07/Euthanasiedoctrine-is-sterk-misleidend.dhtmlhttp://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/3184/opinie/article/detail/3220753/2012/03/07/Euthanasiedoctrine-is-sterk-misleidend.dhtmlhttp://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/3184/opinie/article/detail/3220753/2012/03/07/Euthanasiedoctrine-is-sterk-misleidend.dhtmlhttp://www.imfcanada.org/issues/top-five-myths-about-euthanasia-and-assisted-suicidehttp://www.imfcanada.org/issues/top-five-myths-about-euthanasia-and-assisted-suicidehttp://www.imfcanada.org/issues/top-five-myths-about-euthanasia-and-assisted-suicidehttp://www.imfcanada.org/issues/top-five-myths-about-euthanasia-and-assisted-suicidehttp://www.imfcanada.org/issues/top-five-myths-about-euthanasia-and-assisted-suicidehttp://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/3184/opinie/article/detail/3220753/2012/03/07/Euthanasiedoctrine-is-sterk-misleidend.dhtmlhttp://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/3184/opinie/article/detail/3220753/2012/03/07/Euthanasiedoctrine-is-sterk-misleidend.dhtmlhttp://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/ik-wilde-euthanasie-laten-plegen/http://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/ik-wilde-euthanasie-laten-plegen/http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/5270/Zorg/article/detail/3413727/2013/03/24/Soms-denk-ik-dat-euthanasiasme-voortkomt-uit-onvermogen-om-troost-te-bieden.dhtmlhttp://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/5270/Zorg/article/detail/3413727/2013/03/24/Soms-denk-ik-dat-euthanasiasme-voortkomt-uit-onvermogen-om-troost-te-bieden.dhtmlhttp://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/mijn-man-had-blaaskanker/http://www.ik-wil-euthanasie.nl/verhalen-over-het-levenseinde/mijn-man-had-blaaskanker/http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/against/against_1.shtml#top


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Arguments in favour of

euthanasiaIn the end, euthanasia is nothing more

than unnaturally ending a person's life.

Why legalize it? What are thearguments in favour of euthanasia?

It's a more merciful way of dying

80% of the people committing

euthanasia are cancer patients with no

hope for recovery[2]

: euthanasia is only

for those patients that are terminally ill and in a lot of pain. For those persons, there's no use in

continuing their lives, for those lives don't have any point anymore and are very, very painful.

Committing euthanasia is according to many the only merciful way of treating a patient in such a

state.

Many people have already suffered from the ban on euthanasia

Many cases are known of people who have suffered from the ban on euthanasia; I will name some of

them:

o Chantal Sbire:

Chantal Sbire was a French school teacher suffering from a rare disease called

esthesioneuroblastoma,tumours in her sinuses and skull. These tumours wereincurable. They horribly disfigured her, made her blind and caused her great

pains. It was eating away her jaws, causing her trouble eating and sleeping.

However, euthanasia is illegal in France, and her request for euthanasia wasn't

granted even after she asked for it in court. In the end, she died by suicide.[1]

o Diane and Brian Pretty:

Diane Pretty was a British woman who suffered from a motor neurone disease.

She wanted to die and demanded that her husband Brian could help her commit

suicide, because she was afraid of choking or suffocating, which happens a lot

among people suffering from terminal motor neurone disease. However, this was

denied by the European Court of Human Rights. She suffered for two weeks after

the lost case in court: then, after getting breathing problems, she slipped into a

coma and died.[5]

o Eluana and Beppino Englaro

Eluana Englaro was an Italian woman who, after having been involved in a car

accident, ended up in a persistent vegetative state. She required a lot of medically

supplied nutrition. She was in this coma for years, while her father Beppino fought

a legal battle against many politicians in order to gain the right to finish Eluana's life. He knew this

would be what his daughter had wanted, would she be able to comment on the situation. Only after

seventeen years, Beppino got his way and the feeding tubes keeping her alive would be removed,

with discontent of the Catholic Church and the country's then-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.[3]

People want it

[5]

hantal Sbire in a lateage of her disease, holding

p a picture of how she

sed to look.[6]


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In a Flemish survey, 1055 people were asked whether they would or would not want euthanasia in

case of Alzheimer's. Nearly fifty percent (48%) answered that they would want euthanasia.[4]

This

shows that people actually want euthanasia and they're not afraid of itnot as afraid as they are of

the diseases that are the other option.

It's more effective and cheap

A research carried out by CNN has shown that in the United States, one-fourth of the Medicare (a

social medical insurance program) money is spent on caring for people in the last stages in their lives;

this adds up to more than 125 million dollars.[8]

End-of-life care is very expensive and though it might

be harsh to speak of the end of one's life in terms of financial benefits, euthanasia is much cheaper

for both the government and the patient, who despite the insurance still has bills of thousands of

dollars for end-of-life care.[8]

Yet, end-of-life care often only prolongs life: it does not improve it. For many patients who need

medical help for staying alive, the last months of their lives are painful and terrible.[6]

The rules surrounding Dutch euthanasia are very stricto Doctors:

Many people are afraid that doctors will have too much power when euthanasia will become legal,

and that they will abuse this power. They fear that doctors will, in case of legal euthanasia, euthanize

any patient they want to get rid of; they are afraid that people will be euthanized without their

consent. However, the rules surrounding euthanasia are very strict. You could even say that

euthanasia is in some way still illegal in the Netherlands. You can still be punished for it, unless in a

certain situation. The boundaries are very clear: the euthanasia has to be committed by a doctor; this

doctor has to inform the local coroner of his actions; the doctor has to act according to the so-called

'zorgvuldigheidseisen'. These 'zorgvuldigheidseisen' are:

The doctor is convinced of the wish for euthanasia being a well-thought and voluntary

decision

The doctor is convinced that the patient was in great pain and that there is absolutely

no hope of saving the patient

The patient has been well-informed about the situation, about his or her prognosis,

and about the consequences of euthanasia

The doctor and the patients have together decided that this is the only option

At least one other, independent, doctor has been consulted; he has written a

statement containing his opinion on the patient's situation and the way the doctor

followed the 'zorgvuldigheidseisen'.

The euthanasia has to be carried out in a medically responsible way[7]

o Family

Another conviction about euthanasia is that people will commit euthanasia with strain of their

family, because the family sees the patient as a burden, or they're eager for the patient's heritage.

In the case of Alzheimer's patients (for these are the ones who have the most difficulty with taking

well thought decisions), this is very unlikely, says Peggy van Galen, who has worked with demented

patients for several years. She ensures me that people aren't likely to be euthanized just because

their family wants it. "We've had families that asked us to commit euthanasia on their relatives, butas long as you don't have the patient's approval, you can't. No one can decide about another


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person's life; that would simply be murder. That's why demented patients aren't likely to get a

euthanasia. You have to be mentally competent to get a euthanasia, and demented people aren't:

they don't know what they're doing. They know that euthanasia will kill them and they know what

death means, but they can't grasp the full consequences of euthanasia. Even in the early phases of

Alzheimer's, their ability to make rational decisions is already declining, so unless they filled out a

declaration before they got their disease, the chance of Alzheimer's patient getting euthanasia is

minimal."

o Consequences

But of course, it would be easy to cheat with euthanasia, wouldn't it? Wouldn't it be easy for a doctor

to simply not report the euthanasia?

This doesn't seem to be the case. "As a physician, you don't want to take euthanasia lightly. As soon

as a relative of the patient or someone else who's involved in the process suspects that the doctor

has acted against the patient's will or done something wrong in the process of providing euthanasia,

they can alarm the health care inspection." When the health inspection is alarmed, a research will be

started to trace the steps the doctor took; thus, it is not as easy for a doctor to gloss over aeuthanasia.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________


1: Author unknown (20-3-2008), Woman with disfiguring cancer lives, euthanasia debate lives. USA Today,

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-03-19-cancer-euthanasia_N.htm(Used 14-12-2013)

2: CBS (11-7-2012), Euthanasie bij bijna 3 procent van de sterfgevallen.http://www.cbs.nl/nl-

NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htm(Used 14-12-2013)

3: Day, M. (8-2-2009),A father's plea: let my daughter die in peace. The Guardian,

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/feb/08/eluana-englaro-assisted-suicide(Used 14-12-2013)

4: Joosten, S. (3/20/2013) Helft Vlamingen verkiest dood boven dementie. Nieuwsblad.be,

http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20130319_00510785(Used 11-12-2013)

5: Laville, S. (13-5-2002), Diane Pretty dies in the way she always feared. The Telegraph,

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1394038/Diane-Pretty-dies-in-the-way-she-always-feared.html(Used 14-12-

2013)

6: Morris, M. (12-9-2013) 10 arguments for legalizing euthanasia. Listverse,http://listverse.com/2013/09/12/10-

arguments-for-legalising-euthanasia/(Used 14-12-2013)

7: Regionale toetsingscommissies euthanasie (no date), Zorgvuldigheidseisen.

http://www.euthanasiecommissie.nl/zorgvuldigheidseisen/default.asp(Used 12-12-2013)

8: Wang, P. (12-12-2012), Cutting the high cost of end-of-life care. CNN Money,http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/11/pf/end-

of-life-care-duplicate-2.moneymag/index.html(Used 14-12-2013)
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-03-19-cancer-euthanasia_N.htmhttp://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-03-19-cancer-euthanasia_N.htmhttp://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htmhttp://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htmhttp://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htmhttp://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htmhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/feb/08/eluana-englaro-assisted-suicidehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/feb/08/eluana-englaro-assisted-suicidehttp://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20130319_00510785http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20130319_00510785http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1394038/Diane-Pretty-dies-in-the-way-she-always-feared.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1394038/Diane-Pretty-dies-in-the-way-she-always-feared.htmlhttp://listverse.com/2013/09/12/10-arguments-for-legalising-euthanasia/http://listverse.com/2013/09/12/10-arguments-for-legalising-euthanasia/http://listverse.com/2013/09/12/10-arguments-for-legalising-euthanasia/http://listverse.com/2013/09/12/10-arguments-for-legalising-euthanasia/http://www.euthanasiecommissie.nl/zorgvuldigheidseisen/default.asphttp://www.euthanasiecommissie.nl/zorgvuldigheidseisen/default.asphttp://money.cnn.com/2012/12/11/pf/end-of-life-care-duplicate-2.moneymag/index.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/2012/12/11/pf/end-of-life-care-duplicate-2.moneymag/index.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/2012/12/11/pf/end-of-life-care-duplicate-2.moneymag/index.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/2012/12/11/pf/end-of-life-care-duplicate-2.moneymag/index.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/2012/12/11/pf/end-of-life-care-duplicate-2.moneymag/index.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/2012/12/11/pf/end-of-life-care-duplicate-2.moneymag/index.htmlhttp://www.euthanasiecommissie.nl/zorgvuldigheidseisen/default.asphttp://listverse.com/2013/09/12/10-arguments-for-legalising-euthanasia/http://listverse.com/2013/09/12/10-arguments-for-legalising-euthanasia/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1394038/Diane-Pretty-dies-in-the-way-she-always-feared.htmlhttp://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20130319_00510785http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/feb/08/eluana-englaro-assisted-suicidehttp://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htmhttp://www.cbs.nl/nl-NL/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2012/2012-3648-wm.htmhttp://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-03-19-cancer-euthanasia_N.htm


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Conclusion

In my eyes, my study proved my research statement right. Euthanasia holds many advantages; both

ethically and financially. I've lived in the Netherlands, the first country to legalize euthanasia, for all

my life and I have never encountered any problems regarding euthanasia. On the contrary, I'm

grateful for knowing that, if I were to get terminally ill, my suffering could be finished prematurely.

My study only strengthened this belief; in my eyes, the advantages to euthanasia strongly

outnumber the disadvantages, especially since I found many reliable sources contradicting the

claims some sources made against euthanasia, showing that those claims are probably mainly myths.

I believe that much of the controversy surrounding euthanasia is a result of a lack of provided

information about the topic.

I do feel that the religious aspect of the discussion is an important point; faith is an important part of

a religious person's life and their beliefs shouldn't be taken lightly. Frankly, I believe that despite the

importance of religion this isn't a good argument either. After all, euthanasia is all but obligatory and

when a religious person falls ill, they can reject euthanasia.

No person should live one day too much with a serious, painful disease. Euthanasia might be seen as

murder, but after all the articles I've read on the topic, it's my opinion that in many cases of horrible

diseases, granting a person's request for euthanasia is the only just thing to do. Therefore, I think my

statement is proven right: it would be a good idea for more countries around the world to legalize

euthanasia.


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Sources for the pictures:

1:http://coffeeatbreak.blogspot.nl/2012/02/euthanasia-moral-or-immoral.html

2:http://orbiscatholicussecundus.blogspot.nl/2012/06/anti-euthanasia-rally-in-vancouver.html

3:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Euthanasia_and_the_Law.png

4:http://acultureoflife.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/euthanasia-as-murder-cover-up/

5:http://hopkinsshowcase.wikispaces.com/Political+Issue+Advertisements

6:http://enroute.umc-

europe.org/76/06/JUIN_2011/Entrees/2011/5/27_Celui_qui_voulait_vivre_et_celle_qui_ne_voulait_

plus.html
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Documents

Ethical Analysis - Euthanasia