Assisted Suicide, or called Euthanasia, is an issue that has long been debated whether it should be acceptable and made legal, or not. The concern that many delivers as to whether or not Assisted Suicide should be made legal is this question that many poses -- Is it ethical and moral to help someone who suffers from a terminal disease to die earlier?
In medical practice, Assisted Suicide is the process of helping a patient who suffers from a terminal disease to end his sufferings. This is done by terminating any system which supports and sustains the life of the patient. Thus, causing the patient to die. There are two types of Assisted Suicide that is medically considered in countries where the practice is legal. These are voluntary and involuntary suicide.
Involuntary Suicide is practiced to patients where there is no more hope to live due to the physical state of unconciousness, particularly to those who are in Persistent Vegetative State. On the other hand, Voluntary Assisted Suicide is applied to patients who suffer from a terminal disease and pain, and who wish to end their sufferings by an early death.
Medically, Assisted Suicide is not practiced without the agreement of the relatives of a patient. However, sometimes, there are patients of terminal diseases who really suffer from pain and wish to end their life than to prolong their sufferings. This is the reason why Assisted Suicide is sometimes considered and made legal to some countries. One of which is the Netherlands where the practice of Assisted Suicide has been legal for some years now. Assisted Suicide in this nation has been quite controversial because of the unreasonable application of the practice to some patients. This is proven by some studies and researches. Following is an instance of information from a Dutch report.
Two Dutch government reports, conducted in 1990 and 1995, found that, on average, 26% of euthanasia deaths in Holland were "without the explicit consent of the patient." In 1995, 21% of the patients who were killed without consent were competent.
The legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide is still being debated nowadays. Specifically, most of the debates and issues were represented by representatives from the medical practice, from the government, and from religious groups who believe that Euthanasia and Assisted Suicides should not be legalized. Opposing its legalization, Luke Gormally (1997) has the following reasons why Assisted Suicide should not be legalized.
The 'justification' of voluntary euthanasia involves rejection of a tenet fundamental to a just framework of laws in society
To legalize assistance in suicide is also inconsistent with the same fundamental tenet of a just legal system
If voluntary euthanasia is legalized then the most compelling reason for opposing the legalization of non-voluntary euthanasia has been abandoned
Legalization of voluntary euthanasia would also encourage the practice of non-voluntary euthanasia without benefit of legalization
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