Argumentative Essay: Euthanasia

Euthanasia is another term for mercy killing. It is usually done by doctors to their patients who are terminally ill. Although euthanasia is done by doctors in certain situations to patients and is legal in some countries, euthanasia should not be practiced or be legalized because it devalues lives, it might become involuntary and doctors should cure and not kill.

According to the article “Euthanasia: Arguments Against Euthanasia”, people might think that death is better than being sick. They might think that death is the only solution to problems. People who support euthanasia say that it is done as self-defense. For example, a soldier is brutally wounded and might die if not treated immediately. Is partner decides to ask his consent for euthanasia to end his suffering. Killing for self-defense means that you kill to save another one’s life but in euthanasia, you do not save anyone’s life. Euthanasia devalues lives because it tells us that we can take our or someone’s life easily.

Euthanasia is done to a person with his consent. It is the decision of that person if he wants to do it. According to the article “Arguments Against Euthanasia”, people might decide to go for euthanasia because of emotional and psychological pressures. For example, a patient is suffering because of an illness and his doctor said to him that it is better for him to die. That person might go for it because he suffers too much and his doctor said that it is better. Murder is like the involuntary euthanasia. You take someone’s life without his consent. If euthanasia was legal, murderers would say that they killed a person because of euthanasia in their defense.

Doctors should try to save lives and not to end them. Even though their patients are hard to cure, they should still try and not make euthanasia an option. According to the article “Euthanasia: Arguments Against Euthanasia”, doctors should not decide as God. They do not have the right to decide whether their patients would live or die. As long as their patients are alive, there is a chance that they will be cured and that they will live.

Euthanasia should not be practiced because we all deserve to live; euthanasia is similar to murder and only God can take someone’s life. We all have the right to live. Death is not the solution to any problem. We still have chances to solve those problems while we are still alive.

Reference:

Arguments Against Euthanasia. Retrieved December 8, 2009, from Euthanasia website: http://www.euthanasia.com/argumentsagainsteuthanasia.html

Euthanasia: Arguments Against Euthanasia. Retrieved: December 8, 2009, from BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/against/against_1.shtml#h4

Reflection:

I did not find this hard to write because before writing this essay, we had a debate about this topic. I took some of the arguments that we used and I only need to expound them. I am satisfied with my outcome because I stated my stand and presented arguments to support it. I can improve this essay by discussing each arguments more and give more examples.