Euthanasia: Pain and Free Life Essay

Submitted By Ansley-Yost
Words: 926
Pages: 4

Legalizing Euthanasia
While many people who live in the United States are living a happy and free life, others all around are fighting various illnesses, and diseases. They are approaching the end of their lives in an unfavorable manner. Examples may include enduring a terminal cancer, or someone who cannot function without a ventilator. Although some refer to it as “legalized murder”, euthanasia is something that is used to relieve one’s suffering and should be legal in the U.S (ProCon.org).
The states of Montana, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have something similar to euthanasia, which is called “Physician-Assisted Suicide” (PAS). This is the process where a Physician will provide the means for a patient to go home, and relieve themselves from a harsh life. The rest of the country has no kind of access to something like this. While euthanasia is intentional killing, it is not meant for any type of harm. These sick people are experiencing their last moments in numerous types of pain. This includes physical and psychological, such as knowing that they are incapable of doing things for themselves. Saying that we are free beings, and have the right to live should give us the freedom that we also have the right to die. We are independent souls, and should be able to choose and make decisions on our own. Nobody should have to experience such agony and misery as some of these people have. Euthanasia could be perceived by the old saying, “quality over quantity”. Countless people would argue that by choice, they would live a short, happy, and healthy life rather a long, sad, and ailing life. This concludes that by cutting a life short to end one’s suffering, euthanasia is capable of raising the quality of that life.
With a distressed patient comes a distressed family. It is difficult to know that your loved one is suffering and will soon be gone, which causes the family to suffer as well. The prolonged death of someone important to you could lead to life-long psychological damage. Usually the family members get so caught up in the sick relative that they forget all about themselves. It’s not a bad or wrong thing to be worried, but you need to remember you have your own life to live before you wind up in the same spot. All of this causes a sort of pre-mourning that someone shouldn’t have to go through. Euthanasia would bring the grieving process faster and allow the family to rightfully mourn. On top of all that, a sick family member comes with endless medical bills. This could potentially bring debt that may not be settled for years to come. Plus, all of the money is helping somebody who is going to pass away soon no matter what. So wherever this money is coming from (insurance companies, etc.), it should be going toward the numerous amount of people who go untreated daily. These are the people who could be saved but there simply isn’t enough funding for them. Ending a fatal life early may be able to save the life of someone who has more time.
Some believe that euthanasia is a form of murder. Murder is the premeditated killing of a person and is obviously illegal. These two things can in no way be lumped into the same category. While they are both intentional, the purpose of euthanasia is not to hurt somebody. Murder will cut a helpless life short, but euthanasia cuts a life that is suffering. That person’s life has become